IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998, Amsterdam
Attendees
Scientific Planning Committee Members:
Pier Vellinga, (Chair), Sukehiro Gotoh, Robert Socolow, Jacqueline Cramer, Theo de Bruijn,
Thomasz Zylicz, Gerhard Scherhorn, Charles Vlek (Thursday only)
Regrets:
David Angel, Cutler Cleveland, Rajendra Pachauri
Additional participants:
Ramine Shaw (IHDP), Marjan Hofkes (IVM), Peter Mulder (IVM), Nadia Herb (IVM),
Armando Rabufeti (EMPRAPA) (Friday morning only)
Meeting Objectives
1. to discuss the regional workshops and the research ideas that were developed;
2. to establish overall research ‘cores’ and identify promising research proposals within
each core;
3. to finalize the format of the Science Plan;
4. to discuss the Open Science Meeting, February 25-26, 1998; and
5. to finalize the research directions document.
Agenda
A copy of the agenda is included in Annex 1. Although the agenda was not closely adhered
to, the objectives 1. through 4. as listed above were discussed and agreed upon. The last
objective could be discussed only briefly because Chapter 4 of the Elements of the Research
Directions document, entitled Consumption Systems, was not yet completely available. This
item has been tabled (see Action Items below).
Introduction
Pier Vellinga stated that the regional workshops held over the last few months were
successful: they provided very useful comments and suggestions for the science plan;
moreover a long list of research proposals has been generated through these workshops.
Through an international peer review process, the Scientific Planning Committee (SPC) will
finalize the Science Plan as a framework for research, identify a number of umbrella research
areas (cores), and select a first list of potential research projects to be supported, developed,
and implemented under the auspices of IHDP-IT.
Discussion on the Results of the Regional Workshops
All agreed that the regional workshops that have been held over the past eight months have
been successful in bringing together networks of researchers interested in IT research and
stimulating new research ideas. Six regional workshops have been held to date:
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Eastern Europe
South Asia
East Asia
South-East Asia
North America
Western Europe
Laxenburg, Austria
New Delhi, India
Kita Kyushu, Japan
Bangkok, Thailand
Boston MA, USA
Brussels, Belgium
March 26-27, 1998
April 4-5, 1998
June 24-25, 1998
July 28-30, 1998
September 24-25, 1998
October 13, 1998
22 participants
35 participants
40 participants
33 participants
33 participants
25 participants
The Latin America Regional Workshop will take place in Sao Paolo, Brazil from November
12-13, 1998 and the Africa Regional Workshop is scheduled for November 16-17, 1998 in
Nairobi, Kenya.
A short summary was presented on each regional workshop by SPC members who had been
in attendance. Please refer to the individual reports on the regional workshops for more
detailed information.
Identification of Core Research Themes
At all the regional workshops, discussions took place regarding the proposed research
framework, reflecting both support and criticism. At the SPC meeting, Robert Socolow
initiated a discussion on social science structure versus natural science structure. He
elaborated that many social scientists may have an aversion to being compartmentalized into
sectors Charles Vlek suggested that pairs of leaders should be identified for the cores; he
suggested nominating one leader from the social sciences and one leader from the natural
sciences for each core.
Pier Vellinga stated that the framework is based on the notion that there are existing
communities of researchers that study macro-systems like material flows, incentives such as
policy instruments, production systems including industrial ecology, and consumers’ aspects
and rules, while others focus on energy, water, food, transport, or for example cities. It
should be the goal of the IT Science Project, he continued, to bring together the social
sciences and the natural/technical sciences with the aim to jointly study a specific core or
issue.
It was concluded that there are essentially two important factors to keep in mind: finding
strong, creative individuals, and identifying internationally interesting or geographically
original projects. Charles Vlek added that an important third factor is the multi-disciplinary
aspect of the cores and projects. Jacqueline Cramer further suggested that it should be
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
Page 2
communicated to the core leaders that within their programs they should include the three
levels identified in the Tentative Framework for Research: macro-systems and incentive
structures, consumption systems, and production systems.
After a broad and in-depth discussion of the options, six cores and potential leaders were
identified and possible research areas were defined for each core as shown below. Please
refer to Annex 2 for a list of all research proposals received and Annex 3 for the research
proposals grouped into cores.
1.
Cities and Industrial Transformation
Potential Research Projects:
a)
rapidly developing industrial areas in South Asia (industrial ecology,
urbanization, and governance issues) (East Asia workshop);
b)
de-industrialization and employment (Eastern Europe workshop);
c)
transformation processes - comparative studies of urbanization and
infrastructure;
d)
drivers of urbanization; and
e)
urbanization, water, food, and transportation issues (Western Europe
workshop).
Leaders: Hidefumi Imura and Richard Rockwell
2.
Energy
Potential Research Projects:
a)
rural energy and de-centralized (renewable) energy systems (India, China,
Africa, Brazil) (east Asia and South Asia workshops);
b)
transformation of the energy sector (liberalization, privatization, and carbon
management) (Western Europe workshop);
c)
policy instruments regarding energy and carbon flow analysis (Eastern
Europe and Western Europe workshops); and
d)
Asian dilemma (energy provision and climate protection).
Leaders: Thomasz Zylicz and Ashok Gadgi,(pending Pacharui’s support)
3.
Food (and LUCC)
Potential Research Projects:
a)
transformation of the food sector (Western Europe workshop);
b)
nitrogen cycles (Western Europe and North America workshops); and
c)
protein, food, environment, technology, and society (Profetas).
Leaders: Ken Green and Louis Fernando Vieira (possibly, t.b.a. after Latin American
workshop)
4.
Information and Communication
Potential Research Projects:
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
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a)
b)
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) (East Asia workshop); and
responsible product ownership and material flows (Western Europe
workshop).
Leaders: Jacqueline Cramer and Sukehiro Gotoh
5.
Transformation, Tools
Potential Research Projects:
a)
tools for analyses (Western Europe and North America workshops); and
b)
tools for management (North America workshop).
Leaders: Cutler Cleveland and ? (Cleveland to suggest the 2 nd leader, preferably from a
developing country)
6.
Transformation, Processes
Potential Research Projects:
a)
firm-stakeholder interactions (North America and Western
workshops); and
b)
alternative development trajectories? (South Asia workshop)
Leaders: David Angel and Amara Pongsapich
Europe
It was decided that further cores, such as transport and water, will not be excluded from the
IT program, but will for the time being be developed under the Cities and Industial
Transformation Core.
The responsibilities of each pair of leaders are as follows:
1. to review the relevant research proposals received to date (November 20, 1998);
2. to define their respective cores and prepare a one-page written description of the core,
including motivation and major research questions (December 15, 1998);
3. to encourage the authors of promising proposals to provide more detailed versions (i.e.,
perhaps more in line with the overall Science Plan and the description of the core)
(December 15, 1998);
4. to propose and help select participants to be invited to the core workshops to be held on
Day 1of the OSM (January 4, 1998);
5. to chair a workshop session with 10 to 15 participants on the core on Day 1 of the OSM
(February 25, 1999); and
6. to present the core to a wider audience on Day 2 of the OSM (February 26, 1999).
After the Open Science Meeting in February, 1999, the leadership roles will be re-evaluated
in view of the development of the core and the continued availability of the core leaders.
IHDP-IT Science Plan
Pier Vellinga proposed that the Science Plan would generally be a more comprehensive
version of the Tentative Framework document, adding that an elaboration on the concept of
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
Page 4
IT, a list of major research questions, and a description of the cores and research project
ideas would be included.
During a round-table discussion, meeting participants then added their comments on the
Science Plan:
Jacqueline Cramer
 Jacqueline Cramer, supporting David Angel’s comment #3 (see Annex 4, page 1),
suggested that the notion of delinking, as well as the design of the overall IT science
project should be more clearly defined
 she suggested that while each individual research project need not address the three
levels (i.e., macro-,consumption, and production systems), it would be the responsibility
of the core leaders to design the core to incorporate the three levels
 it should be made clear to the project leaders that the consumer systems level remains
underdeveloped to date, Charles Vlek and Gerhard Scherhorn will provide an overview
of what is happening in this field (Research Directions Document)
Theo de Bruijn
 Theo de Bruijn suggested that it should be made clear that the IT research agenda is
focused on radical changes, exploring futures (e.g., in 20 to 30 years), and actual
transformation
 he expressed concern that if a research project includes only one level, that it would
become “business as usual” – - he summarized that if individual projects do not cover all
levels, they should at least have two and make specific reference to the other levels
Gerhard Scherhorn
 Gerhard Scherhorn felt that research should cover all three levels
 he stated that research should include non-monetary transactions (i.e., human,
environmental, and social capital) and subsistence economies
Thomasz Zylicz
 Thomasz Zylicz questioned whether we covered globalization sufficiently in the
framework - for example, pressures will be exerted on opening up economies, leading to
pressures on regional and national economies
Sukehiro Gotoh
 Sukehiro Gotoh suggested that although the individual research projects may not yet
meet the seven criteria previously identified in the Tentative Framework for Research
document (July 1998), the researchers should illustrate that as the projects develop over
time, they will meet the criteria
Robert Socolow
 Robert Socolow suggested that leadership in the cores should be taken immediately
 he recommended that the lists of projects should not be published within the Science
Plan, but should only be provided to the core leaders
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
Page 5

he suggested that we stress to the researchers who submitted proposals that the selection
process is competitive, and that they should be prepared to elaborate their original
proposals to meet the objectives of the cores
Ramine Shaw
 Ramine Shaw stressed the need to incorporate overall IT research questions into the
Science Plan within the discussion of the three research areas: macro-systems and
incentive structure, consumption systems, and production systems
 these overall research questions will frame the research and will furthermore describe the
relationships between the levels
 some information can be taken from the Research Directions document to expand the
discussion of the three levels within the Science Plan
 core leaders will then provide research questions specific to each core
Marjan Hofkes
 Marjan Hofkes suggested that it is too ambitious to expect all three levels to be addressed
within the projects – two out of three should also qualify
 we should acknowledge other added values of the projects, for example if they are
international, multi-disciplinary, etc.
David Angel and Gerhard Scherhorn also submitted comments to the SPC for discussion.
Please refer to Annex 4 for their respective submissions.
A group of meeting participants (Sukehiro Gotoh, Thomasz Zylicz, Gerhard Scherhorn, and
Ramine Shaw) had the opportunity to discuss relevant overall research questions for potential
inclusion in the Science Plan. The overall research questions they proposed are included in
Annex 5.
Open Science Meeting, February 25-26, 1998, Amsterdam
The purpose of the Open Science Meeting (OSM) in February is to discuss and develop the
core research areas in terms of projects and to present the overall Science Plan and the
priorities of the program to the general audience of interested researchers and private sector
and NGO stakeholders. Pier Vellinga continued that although the term “open” is used, the
meeting will be structured, the broad cores acting as filters in attracting international
researchers.
Robert Socolow, Jacqueline Cramer and others argued that instead of a large and open
meeting, a smaller, more focused meeting would be most effective at this stage of the
process, especially since cores and potential leaders would already be identified. It was
decided that those leaders would be provided with a limited budget in order to invite two or
three researchers each from developing countries. Ultimately, the SPC decided that during
the first day of the OSM, six parallel workshops will be held to further develop each core
and the specific research projects. The second day will be “open”, and the cores will be
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
Page 6
presented to the broader science community, potential funding agencies, and private sector
and NGO representatives, etc.. Please refer to Annex 6 for suggested agendas for the OSM.
Finalization of the Elements of the Research Directions Document
Pier Vellinga states that two of the three major chapters have now been finalized. Additional
work for the third chapter on consumer issues research is still required. Charles Vlek has not
finished the work, he proposed to present the framework for this chapter within two weeks.
Gerhard Scherhorn will help him to develop this chapter.
Action items
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Charles Vlek committed to submitting a two to three page layout of Chapter 4,
Consumption Systems, of the Elements of the Research Directions document by
November 15, 1998 (in collaboration with Gerhard Scherhorn). He also committed to
submitting the completed chapter as well as a research proposal on Household
Metabolism by December 15, 1998;
Ramine Shaw offered to contact Richard Rockwell to verify his interest in becoming a
leader for the ‘Cities and Industry Core’;
Peter Mulder and Robert Socolow will approach Vieira about becoming a leader for
the ‘Food Core’;
Sukehiro Gotoh offered to inform Prof. Imura about the SPC meeting and invite him to
become a leader for the ‘Cities and Industry Core’;
Pier Vellinga committed to contacting Pachauri to solicit his support of the ‘Energy
Core’ and his support of Gadgil as a potential leader;
Pier Vellinga and Nadia Herb will approach the other leader candidates and report back
to the SPC as soon as possible;
all SPC members are requested provide feedback concerning the overall research
questions for the Science Plan and the agenda for the Open Science Meeting at their
earliest convenience.
End of Meeting
October 30, 1998
Pier Vellinga
Chair, IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
Page 7
Annex 1
Scientific Planning Committee Meeting Agenda
Oct. 29 - 30, 1998, Amsterdam
Venue for the meeting:
Institute for Environmental Studies
Vrije Universiteit
De Boelelaan 1115
1081 HV AMSTERDAM
The Netherlands
Tel. +31 20 4449515
Fax. +31 20 4449553
Email: pier.vellinga@ivm.vu.nl
Agenda:
Thursday, October 29, 1998
10.00 - 10.10 hrs.
Opening
10.10 - 11.00 hrs.
Discussion on the results of the regional workshops, including research
ideas
11.00 - 11.15 hrs.
Coffee break
11.15 - 12.30 hrs.
Discussion regional workshops, including research ideas (continued)
12.30 - 13.30 hrs.
Lunch
13.30 - 14.30 hrs.
Identification and selection of the most promising research
ideas/proposals; planning of actions and allocation of tasks for further
elaboration of project proposals (including actions to explore funding
potential) as required before presenting these projects to the Open
Science Meeting in February 1999 in Amsterdam
14.30 - 14.45 hrs.
Coffee/Tea break
14.45 - 17.00 hrs.
Selection of research ideas/proposals (continued)
20.00 hrs.
Dinner
Friday, October 30, 1998
09.30 - 10.45 hrs.
Format of the Science Plan of IHDP- IT and allocation of the tasks for
writing the Science Plan in the period November 1998 - January 1999
10.45 - 11.15 hrs.
Coffee break
11.15 - 12.30 hrs.
Agenda for the Open Science Meeting to be held on 25 and 26th of
February 1999, identification and selection of participants and speakers
12.30 - 13.30 hrs.
Lunch
13.30 - 15.00 hrs.
Actions required in preparation of the Open Science Meeting, such as
promotion, engaging funding organisations and private sector
participants
15.00 - 15.15 hrs.
Coffee/tea break
15.15 - 17.00 hrs.
Finalise the Research Directions document as a background document
for the Science Plan.
17.00 - 17.30 hrs.
Remaining issues
17.30 hrs.
End of meeting
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
Page 8
Annex 2
Complete List of Research Proposals Received
List of proposals for Core Research Projects
IHDP-IT
1
David Abler et al.
Inducing the Development and Diffusion of Pollution Prevention and
Pollution Control R&D and Innovations in an Imperfectly Competitive
Industry: The Pulp and Paper Industry in the USA and Germany
2
David Angel
Industrial Transformation in High Growth Asia
David Angel et al.
Arthur Moll, David
Angel
Towards Clean Shared Growth in Asia: A Policy and Research
Ecological Modernization in East and Southeast Asian High
Performance Economies
3
Yuriy M. Bazhal
Regional Assessments of Environmental Impacts on Human Needs and
Preferences in Countries with Economies in Transition under Global
Industrial Transformation: Case of Ukraine
4
Manuel Cesario,
Bolivar Moura-Rocha
Renewable Energy Mix for Rural Brazil: Opportunities Brought by the
Restructuring of the Energy Sector
5
Aleksander Dimitrov
6
Franco Furger,
Elizabeth Gunn
Industrial Transformation in Bulgaria and Countries from the Balkan
Region
Industrial Transformation Around the World: Industry-Based Institutions
as Alternative Environmental Standard-Setters
7
Sukehiro Gotoh
Minimization of Post Consumption Residuals through Extended Producer
Responsibility
8
Ken Green, Oberg,
Bartolomeo et al.
Industrial Transformations Needed for a Sustainable Food System in
Europe
9
Stocks of Heavy Metals in Society as Indicators for Future Emissions
10
Helias A. Udo de
Haes, Esther v/d Voet
Gjalt Huppes et al.
11
Hidefumi Imura
A Comparative Study of Industrialized/Industrializing Areas in East Asia
12
Gregory Knight
Industrial Restructuring and Water: Maintaining Fortuitous Water
Quality and Conservation Gains in Central and Eastern Europe
13
Dr. Le Huy Ba
Research the Industrial Technological Chain Transformation with the
Alternative Fuel Using for the Air Pollution Reduction and Rising the
Quality of Productions for Coming up ISO 9000 and ISO 14040(LCA)
14
Laurie Michaelis
Social Transformation Processes and the Global Environment
Environmental Input-Output Analysis of the Industrialised World for
Evaluating Technology Changes
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
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15
TERI - Pachauri
Material Flow and Recycling Approaches for Steel, Paper & Pulp and
Coal
16
TERI - Pachauri
Rural Ecological Engineering for Refinement of Energy use through
Rural Renewable Energy Technologies
17
Transportation Networks and the Optimal Locations of Human Activities.
18
Dominique Peeters,
Isabelle Thomas
Ph.J. Vergragt, J. Grin
19
Margarita Ratanova
Role of New Technologies in Solving Ecological Problems in Russia
20
Tomasz Zylicz
Energy and Carbon Flow Analysis -
21
Nigel Roome
Industrial Transformation in the Electronics Industry
22
Joyeeta Gupta
An Asian Dilemma: Modernising the electricity sector in China and India
in the context of rapid economic growth and the concern for climate
change
23
Helga Weisz, Heinz
Schandl, Marina
Fischer-Kowalski
Soma Trenggana
Changes in the Interaction Between Societies and their Biophysical
Environments in the course of Industrial Modernization
Eberhard Jochem,
Robert Ayres, and
Martin Jaenicke
Claudia Pahl-Wostl et
al.
The Human Dimension of Material Cycles and Dematerialization in Areas
of Material-Intensive Products
27
Nicholas Ashford,
Philip Vergragt
Integrating Trade and Industrial Policies for Promoting Cleaner and
Inherently Safer Technologies
28
Amara Pongsapich and
Peter Hofman
SEASTAKE: The Role of Stakeholders from the North and South
towards more Sustainable Agriculture and Industrial Development
29
Friedrich Hinterberger
Global Material Flows: Sectoral Disaggregation of the Material Flows
through National Economies. Empirical Analyses and Scenarios towards
Sustainable Development
30
Vladimir Dobes
Sustainable Network. How and to Which Extent is it Possible to go
Beyond the Concept of Eco-efficiency by Integrating Human Dimension?
31
Abdourahamane
Konare
Charles Vlek et al.
Producing Paraffin Stoves as an Alternative Solution to Supply the Wood
and Charcoal, as Domestic Energy in West Africa
Towards Sustainable Household Metabolism
24
25
26
32
Transformation towards Sustainable Personal Transportation Systems
Reduction of Drinking Water by Private Companies: The Potential
Impacts to the Environment and Indonesian Society
Modelling the Influence of Consumer Choice, Complexity and Cognition
on the Transition to a Low Energy Society
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
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Annex 3
Cores and Corresponding Research Proposals
IHDP-IT Core Themes and Corresponding Research
Projects
1) Cities and Industrial Transformation
Leaders: Hidefumi Imura and Richard Rockwell
 leaders will choose from sector(s): energy, food, water, transport
Potential Projects:
Imura
A Comparative Study of Industrialized/Industrializing Areas in East
Asia
Ratanova
Role of New Technologies in Solving Ecological Problems in Russia
(possible collaboration with Japanese project)
Knight
Industrial Restructuring and Water: Maintaining Fortuitous Water
Quality and Conservation Gains in Central and Eastern Europe
Trenggana
Reduction of Drinking Water by Private Companies: The Potential
Impacts to the Environmental and Indonesian Society
Peeters, et al.
Transportation Networks and the Optimal Locations of Human
Activities
Ph.J. Vergragt, et al.
Transformation Towards Sustainable Personal Transportation
System
Andrews
Urbanization and Industrial Transformation (from NA workshop)
Berkhout
Transformation of the Transport Sector (from WE workshop)
2) Energy
Leaders: Tomasz Zylicz, Ashok Gadgil (potentially)
Potential Projects:
Le Huy Ba
Research the Industrial Technological Chain Transformation with
the Alternative Fuel Using for the Air Pollution Reduction and
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
Page 11
Rising the Quality of Productions for Coming up ISO 9000 and ISO
14040(LCA)
TERI - Pachauri
TERI - Pachauri
Energy Intensive Industries
(try to integrate into EE energy project)
Rural Ecological Engineering for Refinement of Energy Use through
Rural Renewable Energy Technologies
Zylicz
Energy and Carbon Flow Analysis
Gupta
An Asian Dilemma: Modernizing the Electricity Sector in China and
India in the Context of Rapid Economic Growth and the Concern for
Climate Change
Pahl-Wostl
Modelling the Influence of Consumer Choice, Complexity and
Cognition on the Transition to a Low Energy Society
Cesario, et al
Renewable Energy Mix for Rural Brazil: Opportunities Brought by
the Restructuring of the Energy Sector (SA workshop?)
Konare
Producing Paraffin Stoves as an Alternative Solution to Supply the
Wood and Charcoal, as Domestic Energy in West Africa (Africa
workshop?)
Keith, Parson et al.
Industrial Transformation and the Grand Geochemical Cycles:
Carbon (from NA workshop)
Seifert et al.
Transformation of the Energy Sector in Europe (from EU workshop)
3) Food (and LUCC)
Leaders: Ken Green and Louis Fernando Vieira (t.b.a. after Latin America workshop)
Potential Projects:
Green
Industrial Transformation Needed for a Sustainable Food
System in Europe
Socolow
Industrial Transformation and the Grand Biogeochemical Cycles:
Nitrogen
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
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4) Information and Communication:
Leaders: Jacqueline Cramer and Sukehiro Gotoh
Potential Projects:
Roome
Industrial Transformation in the Electronics Industry
Gotoh
Minimization of Post Consumption Residuals through EPR
Ehrenfeld, Winn
Business Strategy and Decision Making (from NA workshop)
Electronics and Communication Products and Services
(from EU workshop)
5) Transformation, Tools
Leaders: Cutler Cleveland and ?
Potential Projects:
Jochem et al.
The Human Dimensions of Material Cycles and Dematerialization in
Areas of Material-Intensive Products
Hinterberger
Global Material Flows: Sectoral Disaggregation of the Material
Flows through National Economies. Empirical Analyses and
Scenarios towards Sustainable Development
Huppes et al.
Environmental Input-Output Analysis of the Industrialized World for
Evaluating Technology Changes
Ashford et al.
Integrating Trade and Industrial Policies for Promoting Cleaner and
Inherently Safer Technologies
Furger et al.
Industrial Transformation Around the World: Industry-Based
Institutions as Alternative Environmental Standard-Setters
Cleveland et al.
The Behavioral Dimensions of Material Intensity
(from NA workshop)
Dietz et al.
Comparative Analysis of Lifeways (from NA workshop)
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
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6) Transformation, Processes
Leaders: David Angel and Amara Pongsapich
Dobes
Sustainable Network. How and to Which Extent is it Possible to go
Beyond the Concept of Eco-Efficiency by Integrating Human
Dimension?
Angel et al.
Industrial Transformation in High Growth Asia
Angel et al.
Globalization (3 ideas)
(from NA workshop)
Dimitrov
Industrial Transformation in Bulgaria and Countries from the Balkan
Region
Pongsapich
SEASTAKE: The Role of Stakeholders from the North and South
towards More Sustainable Agriculture and Industrial Development
Fischer-Kowlaski et al. Changes in the Interaction Between Societies and their Biophysical
Environments in the course of Industrial Modernization
Michaelis
Social Transformation Processes and the Global Environment
Transformation Processes as Such
(from EU workshop)
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
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Annex 4
Submitted Comments from G. Scherhorn and D. Angel
Comments from Gerhard Scherhorn
Gerhard Scherhorn
October 22nd, 1998
Some remarks concerning the „Inventory of Research“
In the following I refer to the draft of the final edition, dated January 1998. Based on several
discussions with several colleagues, I would recommend that it be overworked in at least two
respects.
Firstly, there is no reference at all to the problems of subsistence farming and the production
of non-food subsistence goods. By subsistence goods I mean goods which people produce by
themselves within the so-called „informal sector“ (as opposed to the formal sector) so that
they need not buy them for money. They are of tree types:
 Goods produced by own work like garden fruits, house repair, or nursing,
 social services within the family or neighborhood or community,
 and the cultivation of nature, whether produced as an intended effect or as a side-effect of
an activity.
Subsistence goods are at least as necessary for life and wealth as are market goods. In fact,
they form the basis of market production. But their own basis is personal activity. Industrial
progress tends to eliminate subsistence production. Thus the expansion of the market encourages a process of commercialization which is gradually destroying the economy of
subsistence. This economy, however, is vital not only for less developed countries. In
industrialized societies formal labor as well as public affairs are founded on subsistence and
voluntary work by people themselves, family members, neighbors, community members.
Industrial transformation towards sustainability cannot be adequately conceived without any
scrutiny of the problems arising in this field. It would be counterproductive if the reader
would gain the impression that by „industrial transformation“ an ongoing expansion of the
industrial complex and hence a further crowding-out of subsistence were meant.
IHDP-IT Scientific Planning Committee Meeting
October 29-30, 1998
Page 15
In my opinion this topic is particularly relevant since the destruction of the environment and
the destruction of subsistence have the same basis, namely, the bias of fiscal policy in favor
of market incomes. Ever since mercantilist times governments have lowered food prices,
subsidized the use of natural resources, and imposed taxes on monetary incomes and
expenditures. Governments preferred sectors like trade and industry to sectors like home
production and subsistence farming because trade and industry produce monetary, hence
taxable, income, whereas home and agriculture produce only real income, that is, subsistence
goods.
Secondly, the chapter on Consumers Choice and Sustainable Consumption should be
completed by several topics like influence of household dilution, focus areas, influence of
institutional conditions as prices and facilities, time sensitivity. Also some further literature
should be included, especially Suzanne Beckmann, Copenhagen, Ursula Hansen, Hannover,
Irmgard Schultz, Frankfurt/Main, Walter Stahel, Geneva. There are now some
comprehensive studies concerning, e.g., sustainable households (by Klaas Jan Noorman and
A.J.M. Schoot Uiterkamp, 1998) which should be mentioned. Finally, the paragraphs on
green marketing and public provision should be put in a proportion equivalent to their
practical contribution to support sustainable consumption; they should not be
overemphasized within the broad range of possible strategies implied by governmental,
political, sub-political, and market actors.
Comments from David Angel
Friends, my apologies for having to withdraw from the steering committee meeting at the
very last moment due to institutional responsibilities here at home. I have read the
materials carefully and would like to offer my thoughts about how we might proceed. My
reactions are also based on the two workshops I attended (Bangkok and Boston), and the
very helpful reports from the other workshops.
Comments on the project proposals and workshops:
1. The workshops have clearly been successful in generating interesting ideas and
project proposals. The proposals are organized in different ways, some by industrial
sector or material (energy, pulp and paper, food, transport, heavy metals, etc.); others
by region (Asia, Eastern Europe); and others by a particular policy tool (bridging
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institutions, EPR) or analytical technique (input-output; materials flows; backcasting
etc.). Lots of useful work proposed.
2. The proposals generally meet well the seven criteria outlined by Pier. Thus the
researchers have no difficulty in linking their work to a significant environmental
problem, to focusing on needs and preferences, and so forth.
3. At the same time, I am struck by how little attention has been paid to the basic idea of
industrial transformation i.e. to the normative goal of ‘delinking’ growth and the
environment, the potential for requisite structural, cultural, technological, and
institutional change, and whether this is indeed a desirable goal as seen from different
parts of the world.
4. In addition, it seems clear that the research community has a hard time connecting the
macro-system, to micro-processes, and most especially, the production system to the
consumption system. More generally, the multi-disciplinary character of the projects
is for the most part latent and not well developed.
Suggestion:
1. At various points in the workshops, steering committee members have pushed the
groups to focus on the compelling questions. e.g. Robert Socolow in Japan “Where is
the world ‘stuck’?” (quoted in Sukehiro Gotoh’s report on the Kita-Kyushu
workshop). In other words, what are the critical research needs and how can IHDP-IT
go beyond existing work?
2. On reflection, I conclude that the foci proposed by Pier and others meet this test very
well. Specifically, I think that two critical research needs are (a) to engage seriously
with the problem of delinking and (b) to promote work that connects macro to the
micro, and production to consumption. I urge the group to re-commit to these research
foci, to use these research foci as the organizing principle for IHDP-IT projects. This
means that IHDP-IT is about industrial transformation per se, rather than about
carbon flows, food, water, the problems of mega cities, or other topical foci. This
echoes the comment in the Europe workshop (and the proposal from Laurie
Michaelis) that suggests a focus on transformation processes as a research theme. We
should solicit and encourage projects on industrial transformation per se.
3. One way to proceed in this regard, is to write a modest, but more detailed, research
agenda on industrial transformation that can serve as a terms of reference for funding
solicitation (some of this is in the excellent revisions to the Research Directions
document done by Cutler Cleveland and others). Our task would then be to have that
‘terms of reference’ adopted by different funding agencies. Presumably, the core
questions in these terms of reference would likely include such issues as (a) what
scale of improvement is needed in such areas as energy, materials, heavy metals to
achieve societal goals for given levels of population, economic growth etc?; (b) what
progress has been achieved in recent decades?; (c) can existing incentive structures
and institutions be reconfigured to support such changes?; (d) is delinking consistent
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with continued improvement in socio-economic welfare?; (e) will delinking depend
upon broader social transformations (democracy, access to information etc.), or can it
be achieved within a narrower set of institutions (corporations and national
governments for example)? (f) what is the global geography of cost, constraint and
opportunity?
4. I would suggest that we need to go one step further in the terms of reference and
identify the critical development contexts within which industrial transformation
might occur. At a minimum, we should explicitly recognize that there are different
challenges and opportunities in developed economies and in the developing
economies of the South.
5. By this model, we would not prioritize particular sectors, materials, policy tools or
techniques per se. Rather, we would encourage for further development those research
proposals that either do already, or have the potential, to engage with these issues of
transformation. There should be a good mix of ‘North’ and ‘South’ in this regard. I
think there are some good candidates among the proposals we have received that
could be invited to move more directly in this direction.
My apologies again for missing the meeting. Please feel free to assign me one or more
tasks in my absence.
David P. Angel
Clark University
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October 29-30, 1998
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Annex 5
Suggested Overall Research Questions for the Science Plan
(as discussed by Sukehiro Gotoh, Thomasz Zylicz, Gerhard
Scherhorn, and Ramine Shaw)
1.
Delinking
(see David Angel’s comments, Annex 4)
a)
What scale of improvement is needed in such areas as energy, materials,
heavy metals to achieve societal goals for given levels of population,
economic growth, etc.?
b)
What progress has been achieved in recent decades?
c)
Can existing incentive structures and institutions be reconfigured to support
such changes?
d)
Is delinking consistent with continued improvement in socio-economic
welfare?
e)
Will delinking depend upon broader social transformations (democracy,
access to information, etc.), or can it be achieved within a narrower set of
institutions (corporations and national governments for example)?
2.
Needs and Wants
a)
What processes are available to establish constraints on industry’s power to
influence consumer needs in non-sustainable directions?
3.
Subsistence
(see Gerhard Scherhorn’s comments, Annex 4)
a)
What are the differences between developed economies and the developing
economies with respect to their paths to sustainability?
b)
In particular, what are the effects on subsistence (subsistence farming home
production, voluntary care, etc.) caused by regulations and incentives
reinforcing the expansion of markets?
c)
How far is the resulting suppression of subsistence capacities responsible for
impoverishment, land degradation, migration from the land, overcrowding
and hypertrophy of cities, etc., and how can industrial transformation be
guided to maintain and even support a level of subsistence which would be
consistent with and needed for sustainability?
4.
Consumption
(see Gerhard Scherhorn’s comments, Annex 4)
a)
Given that eco-efficiency of production can only partly compensate for the
growth-induced increase of consumer demand which is non-sustainable by its
sheer quantity, what institutions and facilities are needed to make it possible
that consumers turn to sufficient consumption patterns, and how can they be
promoted?
5.
Environmental Improvements in Productions and Consumption
(from Elements of the Research Directions, Chapter 3, Jacqueline Cramer)
a)
Can companies be encouraged to look for significantly greater environmental
improvements and, if so, how?
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b)
6.
7.
8.
What drives companies to move into the direction of Industrial
Transformation?
c)
Under what conditions will companies go for significant environmental
improvements in production processes and products?
Industrialization
a)
How can industrialised countries be enabled to lessen the use of material
resources to a higher degree than industrialising countries?
b)
How can the latter be enabled to turn, in due time, to a more sustainable way
of development?
c)
What are appropriate/viable de-industrialising strategies for different regions
of the world?
d)
How can successful de-industrialising processes of the past be adequately
adapted to present day scenarios?
How can the growth of large urban centres be converted to sustainable patterns?
What are the implications of globalization for the NGOs, and more generally, civil
society, to shape patterns of industrial development?
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October 29-30, 1998
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Annex 6
Proposed Agenda for Open Science Meeting
Day 1 - February 25, 1999
This day is for invited workshop participants only.
Morning Session:
09:00 - 09:30 Registration (coffee and tea)
09:30 - 10:00 Opening and Introduction - Pier Vellinga
10:00 - 12:00 Parallel workshops on the 6 core themes (leaders and invited researchers)
12:00 - 13:00 Lunch
Afternoon Session:
13:00 - 17:00 Continuation of parallel workshops
17:00 - 17:15 Summary of Day 1
Day 2 - February 26, 1999
This day is open to the general science community, potential funding agencies, private and
public sector representatives, etc.
Morning Session:
08:30 - 09:00 Registration
09:00 - 09:15 Introduction on IHDP - Larry Kohler or Eckart Ehlers
09:15 - 09:30 Presentation by a potential funding agency (IGFA or Pier Vellinga to identify)
09:30 - 10:00 Introduction of 6 IHDP-IT core themes (Pier Vellinga
10:00 - 12:00 Presentation of each core by core leaders (20. Minutes each)
12:00 - 13:00 Lunch
Afternoon Session:
13:00 - 16:30 Break-out sessions on each core
16:30 - 17:00 Conclusion/Summary
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