The Satoyama Initiative, proposed by the Government of Japan and the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), and endorsed at the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP10) in 2010 in Aichi, Japan, is a global effort to promote landscape and seascape approaches for biodiversity and human well-being. The Initiative focuses its efforts on “socio-ecological production landscapes and seascapes (SEPLS)”, which are dynamic mosaics of habitats and land/sea use that provide the goods and services needed for human life while being managed to maintain biodiversity.

As one of the drivers of the global environmental crisis, unsustainable food systems are of particular concern. Such systems have promoted unsustainable land and sea use, increasing greenhouse gases and pollution, leading to the loss of biodiversity and climate change. Conversely, SEPLS or ‘Satoyama’ and ‘Satoumi’ are good examples that have been developed in Japan throughout history and are well known as sustainable food production landscapes and seascapes.

In this session, we will discuss how SEPLS have the potential to function in a sustainable food system, not only for production but also in terms of other aspects within the food system as a whole. Looking at how SEPLS can promote the transformation of food systems globally, discussions will aim to link the concept of SEPLS to recent scientific research on food systems. Following presentations of case studies from Taiwan and Mexico. there will be a panel discussion featuring international experts on this topic.

The ASEAN Community has reached a historical point in the development of the ASEAN Climate Change Strategic Action Plan 2025-2030 (ACCSAP) and establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Climate Change (ACCC). The aim is to integrate existing policy and institutional frameworks at the regional and national levels, and to show and enable ASEAN’s pathway to a resilient net-zero ASEAN. For a transition that integrates both mitigation and adaptation, it is vital to update national climate policies such as long-term strategies (LTS), nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and national adaptation plans (NAPs), based on an innovative methodology linked to an integrated roadmap. This will trigger the mainstreaming of climate change objectives and measures into sectoral policies domestically. Furthermore, considering the diversity of ASEAN countries in terms of vulnerability to climate change and capabilities for mitigation and adaptation, it is essential to capture the variations across countries and multiple stakeholders, especially with regards to the (i) long-term national developmental visions, (ii) climate goals, and (iii) key challenges and critical factors on the pathways of mitigation and adaptation. Against this background, this session aims to (1) share the preliminary results of the ongoing international research project (i.e. questionnaire survey analysis and consultation with national ministries at the national workshops), and (2) provide recommendations about the mitigation and adaptation integration at the national policy level in ASEAN/Asian countries, featuring discussions based on the opinions and perceptions of key stakeholders such as experts, industries including the power and finance sectors, and youth.

Climate change is a critical issue that the international community must unite to address urgently. In this session, we will present and discuss methodologies to support implementing climate change mitigation plans to achieve “Net Zero (climate neutral society)”, considering the unique situation of Japan and the wider Asian region.

Based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted in 1992, the Conferences of the Parties (COP) to the UNFCCC has been held every year since 1995, with the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions effectively worldwide. Vigorous discussions have been conducted with the aim of realising this goal.

Under these circumstances, at COP21 held in Paris, France in December 2015, a new international framework was proposed and adopted as the “Paris Agreement” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards.

The Paris Agreement requires all participating countries and regions, including developing countries, to set “greenhouse gas reduction and control targets” for 2020 and beyond. It also stipulates that Parties must make efforts to prepare and submit a “long-term low-emission acceleration strategy”.

Against this background, it is critical to realise “Net Zero”, but, even though some progress can be seen, different challenges and constraints in each country have made it difficult to achieve this goal. In addition, plans must be reviewed and implemented with careful examination of feasibility in terms of achieving “Net Zero”, such as the serious impact that climate change mitigation plans might have on the sustainability of human society and ecosystems.

This session will be delivered in Japanese language only.

As symbolised by climate change and biodiversity loss, the impact of human activities on the environment has become so great that the very foundations of human existence are threatened. To realise the transition to a sustainable society, attempts are being made to incorporate the rights of future generations in decision-making, based on the reflection that the pursuit of the interests of the present generation threatens the survival of future generations. In June this year, Hyogo Prefecture held a series of Future Conferences for the younger generation, mainly university and high school students, with the aim of reflecting the intentions of future generations in the basic environmental plan. This Future Conference adopted the Future Design method, whereby the current generation reflects the thoughts and actions for the benefits of future generations in its decision-making. In this session, experts will introduce Future Design, and Hyogo Prefecture will introduce a case study of the Future Conferences, while an activist from the younger generation will share thoughts on how to reflect the opinions of the younger generation in national and local government policies. A panel discussion will then deepen the discussion on foreseen issues.