Research Institute for Humanity and Nature
Number7,May 2013

Photo: Chieko Umetsu

Contents
Page 1
New RIHN Director General
Dr. Yasunari new DG
GEC‐Japan Platform Corner
Page 2
Volume Special:
LakeHEAD Project Symposium
New RIHN Project on
Water‐Energy‐Food Nexus
Recent Events
Upcoming Events
Notice Board
Recent Publications
You can visit our homepage for further
information on events and news
(http://www.chikyu.ac.jp/index_e.html)
You can also send us your feedback about our
RIHN News and also share your questions,comments,
E‐mail: rihn‐news[at]chikyu.ac.jp ([at]=@)New RIHN Director General
After six years at the helm of RIHN, Dr.
Tachimoto Narifumi has retired and from 1 April 2013
Dr. Yasunari Tetsuzo has taken over as DirectorGeneral.
Dr. Yasunari holds a doctorate from Kyoto
University and is a distinguished scientist in the fieldsof meteorology, climatology, and climate systems
studies. As a student Dr. Yasunari had a keen interestin “exploration” and he spent a substantial period
engaged in fieldwork in the Andes (Chili, Patagonia).
He continued this field orientation as a Ph.D. student, when he spent one year Nepal,observing glaciers and climate in the Himalayas at over 4000 meters altitude. It was in
Nepal that his long‐term interest in the dynamics of the Asian Monsoon started. As hiscareer took him to Tsukuba and Nagoya Universities and involved him in majorinternational research collaborations, his perspective widened as he began to consider
interactions of atmospheric energy and water cycles with oceanic and land surfaces
and further expanded to examine the relationship between climate and biosphere.
Dr. Yasunari sees RIHN become a global leader for the construction of newenvironmental knowledge that considers the harmonious and sustained interaction ofpeople and nature. “Now that in many ways the boundaries of existence on earth areapproaching, it will be important to explore what kind of new landscape andcivilization can be constructed on earth.”
Dr. Yasunari is currently a council member of the Science Council of Japan, andChairman of the Joint National Committee for IGBP, WCRP and DIVERSITAS under thiscouncil.

Tel: +81‐75‐7072100

GEC‐Japan Platform Corner
Future Earth Transition Report
Building on a broad range of consultations with the global environmental changeresearch community, the Future Earth Transition Team has completed its report.
Key highlights of the report include:

How Future Earth will adopt an integrated and solutions‐oriented
approach to global environmental change issues to inform a transition toglobal sustainability.
A proposed governance structure to ensure that excellence in research,across the range of natural and social sciences, engineering andhumanities, and strategic stakeholder engagement, can be delivered
under Future Earth.
The importance of co‐designing research with stakeholders, and initial
thinking on how to address capacity building at global and regional levels,
how to develop a strategic approach to communications and engagement
Funding: current and future perspectives. Ways to open up the funding
landscape for global environmental change researchConcrete steps towards the implementation of Future Earth(See: http://www.icsu.org/future-earth )Future Earth conceptual Framework

RIHN News,
Number 7, May 2013

Recent Events‐Futurability Initiatives International
WorkshopJanuary 21 RIHN

“Transdisciplinary Research on Global
Environmental Problems”‐ 4th Kyoto Environmental Culture
Academic Forum
February 17 KICC, Kyoto‐ 4th Earth Hall of Fame Kyoto Prize
February 17 KICC, Kyoto‐ RIHN International Survey:
Project Evaluation Mission
March 13‐18August
We visited EU DG Research &Innovation, European Science Counciland UN Research Institute for Social
Development to learn about approaches
to project evaluation‐RIHN International Workshop
March16 Kyoto University“The Humanities Approach to Global
Environmental Research”‐International Conference
March 14‐15 Monash University
Sunway Campus, Malaysia“Climate Change & Natural Disasters in
Asia: Emerging Food Security andEcoh‐Health Issues”‐LakeHEAD Project International
Symposium on Laguna LakeApril 8 RIHN
See Volume Special right

Volume Special:LakeHEAD Project International Symposium
On 8 April 2013, the RIHN LakeHEAD Project(R‐06) organized a symposium addressing theEnvironment and Health Challenges of Laguna deBay, the largest lake in the Philippines. Thesymposium started with a keynote speech by Dr.
Juan Romeo Nereus O. Acosta, Presidential
Advisor on Environmental Protection in the Officeof the President of the Philippines and General Manager of the Laguna Lake
Development Authority. Laguna Lake and its watersheds, which include Metro Manilaand accommodate 20% of the population and 60% of GDP of the Philippines, are beset
by a host of environmental problems, including deforestation and soil erosion in theupper reaches, sedimentation and flooding, industrial development, deterioratingwater quality, over‐exploitation by aquaculture, and eutrophication. The project
researchers have found elevated levels of heavy metals in the lake and are examining towhat extent this is influencing the health of the people around the lake. In doing so, theresearchers work closely with communities, local government and the Lake
Development Authority.

New Research Project
Human‐environmental Security in the Asia Pacific Ring of Fire:
Water‐Energy‐Food NexusPrinciple Investigator: Makoto Taniguchi
Duration: 5 years from April 2013
Climate change and economic development are putting increased pressure on water,energy and food resources, presenting communities with increased levels of tradeoffs
and potential conflicts among these resources and stakeholders. We will take a regional
perspective on these global environmental problems. The geological andgeomorphological conditions in our proposed study area are heavily influenced by theso‐called Pacific Ocean “Ring of Fire”. Within these areas, including Japan and Southeast
Asia, the hydro‐meteorological conditions are dominated by the Asia monsoon. The
populations that live under these natural conditions face elevated risk and potential
disaster, while also benefitting from positive ecological goods and services. This
research project will strive to establish a method to manage and optimize thehuman‐environmental security of the water‐energy‐food nexus.
We will hire five postdoctoral researchers for this project. The position announcement
can be found at: http://www.chikyu.ac.jp/rihn_e/position.html

Upcoming Events

Notice Board‐50th RIHN Public Seminar
May 24 RIHN

“Science in Support of the Construction of
Sustainable Regions”‐ The Commons
14th Global Conference of the International
Association for the Study of the Commons,June 3‐7, 2013 Mt. Fuji, JAPANhttp://iasc2013.org/en/index.html‐Future Earth in Japan Workshop
June 18 Tokyo‐Future Earth in Asia Symposium
Mid‐January 2014 RIHN

 Project Applications‐ If you are interested in initiating a
research proposal at RIHN, you can first
apply with your proposal to be evaluatedfor Incubation Study. Deadline for thisapplication is usually end of March or
beginning of April. For further details on
research project application proceduresand exact deadlines, please contact ouroffice.
Contact: RIHN Research Cooperation
Section, kenkyou[at]chikyu.ac.jp ([at]=@) Job Openings‐ Please check our homepage for the
recent and updated job openings.
http://www.chikyu.ac.jp/index_e.html

Recent Publications
RIHN Prospectus 2013‐2014
The RIHN Prospectus provides acomplete overview of the Institute,
including:oPhilosophy, History & Structure
oActive project summaries
oCurrent Feasibility Studies
oCompleted Researcho
Research Coordination, Facilities& Science Communication
http://www.chikyu.ac.jp/archive/brochure/2013/index_e.

RIHN Leaflet 2013‐14:
http://www.chikyu.ac.jp/archive/documents/leaflet/2013/RIHN_leaflet2013EN.pdf