Industrial Transformation Project
Annual Report
1998/1999
A Science Project of the International Human
Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental
Change
Industrial Transformation: Introduction
Industrial Transformation research has the challenging goal of understanding the ways in
which society could combine economic and social development with the reduction of
pressure on the environment. Thus it is a topic of high political and societal relevance.
In 1996 the IHDP Scientific Committee requested Pier Vellinga, Director of the Institute for
Environmental Studies (IVM) of the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam to initiate and coordinate preparations for the development of a Science Plan on Industrial Transformation. A
Scoping Report and a Tentative Framework of the Research Agenda on Industrial
Transformation were prepared and provided the basis for the establishment of a Scientific
Planning Committee (SPC) in October 1997. Throughout 1998, the Industrial
Transformation SPC organised eight regional workshops for researchers interested in
Industrial Transformation. The results of the eight workshops, the background documents
and additional discussions by the SPC contributed to the development of a Draft Science
Plan that was discussed in depth at the Open Science Meeting, held in Amsterdam at the end
of February 1999. During 1999, this draft has been significantly adjusted on the basis of
input and comments received. This process culminated in the publication of the Industrial
Transformation Science Plan in December 1999.
Industrial Transformation Project 1998
Activities
Workshops: Regional Workshops on Industrial Transformation:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Eastern Europe
South Asia
East Asia
South-East Asia
North America
Western Europe
Latin America
Africa
Laxenburg, Austria
New Delhi, India
Kita Kyushu, Japan
Bangkok, Thailand
Boston MA, USA
Brussels, Belgium
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Nairobi, Kenya
March 26-27, 1998
April 4-5, 1998
June 24-25, 1998
July 28-30, 1998
Sept. 24-25, 1998
Oct. 13, 1998
Nov. 12-13,1998
Nov 16-17, 1998
Meetings at which the project was represented:
1. Greening of Industry Network (GIN) Conference
Rome, Italy
Nov. 15-18, 1998
2. National Human Dimensions Programme (NHDP) Symposium
Bonn, Germany
Nov.23-24, 1998
Scientific Planning Committee Decisions and Recommendations
The Scientific Planning Committee was established in February 1998. During the first
meeting, held in Amsterdam, February 12-13, 1998, it was suggested that Industrial
Transformation research should be aimed at analysing both the process of transformation and
the options for transformation covering the following three fields:
1.
Macro-systems and incentive structure. The sets of rules and incentives that are or
have been important for production and consumption processes that are addressed,
and an understanding of the related environmental resource use, including the flow
of materials and substances affecting the environment;
2.
3.
The production system, including the technologies applied in view of its
organisational and economic system and their setting; in the earlier documents this
was referred to as industrial ecology/production;
The consumption system, including the needs (abilities and opportunities), demands
and preferences of consumers, and the ways in which consumers express their
preferences; in earlier documents, this was referred to as consumers
perspective/sustainable consumption.
Any research foci project on Industrial Transformation should cover all three fields of
research in a multi-disciplinary setting. Industrial Transformation Research should focus on
the transformation of the activities related to the flows of substances, energy and materials
that negatively affect the global environment.
The second meeting was held on October 29-30, 1998 in Amsterdam. The overall research
foci were developed. Also, the proceedings of the Regional Workshops were discussed and
agreement was reached on the overall structure of the Science Plan.
Highlights of significant research results
Throughout 1998, 8 successful Regional Workshops on Industrial Transformation were held
around the world. The goal was to bring together small groups (20 to 40) of experts
representing several institutes in each region, industry and the government. Diverse
participants were invited, covering each of the three fields distinguished within Industrial
Transformation research (Macro-Systems and Incentive Structures, Production System, and
Consumption System). In these workshops an extensive amount of input was provided,
which formed the basis for the development of the Industrial Transformation Science Plan
and the organisation of the Open Science Meeting.
Publications
Workshop Report: Eastern Europe, March 1998
Workshop Report: South Asia, April 1998
Workshop Report: East Asia, June 1998
Workshop Report: South East Asia, July 1998
Workshop Report: North America, September 1998
Workshop Report: Western Europe, October 1998
Workshop Report: Latin America, November 1998
Workshop Report: Africa, November 1998
Financial Statement of the Industrial Transformation IPO
Costs
Printing, editing, mailing, photocopying and communication costs
Travel and subsistence (including workshop costs)
Personnel costs
Other office costs (room rent, computer facilities, use of secretary
and administrative personnel)
Total
Financed by
IHDP funds
EU/INCO
IVM own contribution
Total
21157
87389
89475
17000
206022
50000
56228
99793
206022
Industrial Transformation Project 1999
Activities
Conferences:
1. Open Science Meeting on Industrial Transformation
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Feb. 24-26, 1999
2. Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Shonan
Village, Japan
June 24-26, 1999
Meetings at which the project was represented:
1. Central and Eastern European Stated/Newly Independent States (CEES/NIS) Regional
Workshop on National Human Dimensions
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Oct. 14-16, 1999
2. Greening of Industry Network (GIN) Conference
Chapel Hill, NC USA
Nov. 14-17, 1999
Highlights of significant research results
The publication of the Industrial Transformation Science Plan is the major outcome of all the
activities which have been undertaken in the last couple of years. It serves as an international
and multi-disciplinary framework for research.
As mentioned before, Industrial Transformation research is multi-disciplinary in character.
To provide a framework for the co-operation required between various disciplines, a matrix
was developed. The rows reflect the disciplinary research fields that each have a certain
tradition, while the columns describe a set of human activities aimed at meeting specific
human needs. Through this multi-disciplinary approach, the Industrial Transformation
Project strives to build on existing pillars of research and draw from expert communities
while developing new research topics and radical approaches.
Transport
Transport
Water
Water
Shelter
Shelter
Food
Food
Material
Material
Processing
Processing
and Use
and Use
Energy
Energy
Information
Information
and
and
Communication
Communication
Financial
Financial
Services
Services
Recreation
Recreation
and
and
Tourism
Tourism
Macro-Systems
and
Incentive Structure
Production
System
Consumption
System
The five priority research foci, which had been identified through an international bottom-up
consultative process with researchers and other stakeholders, include the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Energy and Material Flows
Food
Cities (Focus on Transportation and Water)
Information and Communication
5. Governance and Transformation Processes
For each of these foci, a number of research questions have been identified as relevant for
transformation research
The operational goal of the Science Plan is to:
1. create an internationally shared reference document to enhance communication about
research on Industrial Transformation and the global environment for researchers,
research planners, and the relevant stakeholders in global change research;
2. develop and strengthen international co-operation in the relatively new area of research
on the interactions between societal change, technological change, and environmental
change; and
3. identify a number of research questions that will provide the basis for a series of
international research projects to be supported and promoted by IHDP (funding of such
projects, however, will have to come through existing research funding agencies and
organisations).
Publications
Regional Workshops Summary Report, February 1999
Draft Report Industrial Transformation Research Directions, February 1999
Industrial Transformation Open Science Meeting Report, May 1999
Industrial Transformation Science Plan, December 1999
Financial Statement of the Industrial Transformation IPO
Costs
Printing, editing, mailing, photocopying and communication costs
Travel and subsistence (including workshop costs)
Personnel costs
Other office costs (room rent, computer facilities, use of secretary
and administrative personnel)
Total
Financed by
IHDP funds
EU/INCO
Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs
Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW)
IVM own contribution
Total
47263
172708
329275
17000
566246
50000
272877
40000
40000
50000
50000
566246
Network: 1998 and 1999
Scientific Planning Committee 1998/1999:
Pier Vellinga (Chair)
Institute for Environmental Studies, Vrije
Universiteit, Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
Clark University (USA)
University of Twente (The Netherlands)
Boston University (USA)
Tilburg University (The Netherlands)
National Institute for Environmental Studies (Japan)
Tata Energy Research Institute (India)
Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and
Energy (Germany)
Princeton University (USA)
Groningen University (The Netherlands)
Warsaw Ecological Economics Centre (Poland)
David P. Angel
Theo J.N.M. de Bruijn
Cutler J. Cleveland
Jacqueline M. Cramer
Sukehiro Gotoh
Rajendra K. Pachauri
Gerhard Scherhorn
Robert H. Socolow
Charles Vlek
Thomasz Zylicz
Industrial Transformation Focus Leaders (1998/1999):
Energy and Material Flows
Preety Bhandari
Cutler J. Cleveland
Thomasz Zylicz
Tata Energy Research Institute (India)
Boston University (USA)
Warsaw Ecological Economics Center (Poland)
Food
Ken Green
Manchester School of Management (UK)
Luis Vieira
EMPBRAPA (Brazil)
Cities
Hidefumi Imura
Kyushu University (Japan)
Richard Rockwell
University of Michigan (USA)
Information and Communication
Sukehiro Gotoh
National Institute for Environmental Studies (Japan)
Nigel Roome
Erasmus University (The Netherlands)
Governance and Transformation Processes
David P. Angel
Clark University (USA)
Ulrik Jörgensen
Technical University of Denmark (Denmark)
Raúl O’Ryan
Universidad de Chile (Chile)
Amara Pongsapich
Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
Industrial Transformation Secretariat
Prof.dr. Pier Vellinga
Nadia Herb
Peter Mulder
Gert van Beem
Mohamud Khalif
Jeroen van Leur
Ramon van der Wal
Chair Industrial Transformation Scientific Planning Committee
(1996 – current)
International Project Co-ordinator (23-10-1998 – 01-01-2000)
International Project Co-ordinator (1996 - 01-01-1998)
Research Assistant (18-01-1999 – 01-04-1999)
Research Assistant (30-09-1999 - 31-12-1999)
Research Assistant (03-05-1999 – current)
Research Assistant (01-09-1998 – 01-03-1999)
The Industrial Transformation Project is in contact with over 1500 researchers worldwide,
representing different backgrounds and networks.
Next Steps
The development of the Science Plan is a major step in the creation of a large, collaborative
effort on Industrial Transformation under the umbrella of IHDP. The next step is the
implementation phase, including the set up of an International Project Office that will
facilitate communication, promotion, and the implementation of concrete research projects.
The Scientific Steering Committee, which will be assigned by the IHDP at the end of March
2000, and its members will help to develop the research initiatives while endorsing and coordinating the research efforts carried out by research groups located in different parts of the
world through workshops and regular assessments of the state of the art. The Industrial
Transformation Project will actively pursue a small number of research projects and will
more passively acknowledge other research projects in line with the goals of the project.
IHDP itself does not have funds for research. It does, however, have the capacity to open
doors and assist researchers in shaping their projects and identify promising research funding
opportunities. In fact, the call by the research community, including funding agencies, for
international research co-operation in the field of human dimensions of global environmental
change is one of the major driving forces behind the establishment of IHDP.