Beyond the Limits to Growth : : New Ideas for Sustainability from Japan.

• Superior document: Science for Sustainable Societies Series
• Author: Komiyama, Hiroshi.
• Place / Publishing House: Tokyo : : Springer Japan,, 2014.; ©2014.
• Year of Publication: 2014
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Series: Science for Sustainable Societies Series
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (131 pages)

Full of fresh insights into the potential for developing sustainable economies, this book includes a chapter on 'platinum' societies and shows how consumers' demand for quality will foster sustainable technologies in developed, and developing, countries.

Table of Contents

Intro -- Preface to the English Edition -- Key Features of Our World in the Twenty-First Century -- Overview of This Book -- References -- Introduction to the Japanese Edition -- From Problem-Saddled Developed Country to Problem- Solving Developed Country -- Japan Possesses the Untapped Power to Solve Its Problems -- The Good Fortune of Being Located in Asia, the Core of Economic Growth -- Many Countries Harbor Warm Sentiments Toward Japan -- Contents -- Chapter 1: "Diffusive Demand" and "Creative Demand-Overcoming Product Saturation with Demand for Innovation" -- The True Character of the Demand Shortage in Advanced Nations -- Demand for Man-Made Artifacts Will Necessarily Saturate -- How Long Will China's High Growth Last? -- Automobiles Will Also Reach Saturation in the Next 7-10 Years -- Accompanying Overproduction, Keen Competition Will Intensify -- The "Clouds Above the Hill" Are No Longer There or "Lost in the Fog" -- References -- Chapter 2: The Twenty-First Century Paradigm and the Role of Information Technology -- Exploding Knowledge, Limited Earth, and Aging Society -- Negative Legacy of Intellectual Activities -- The Relation Between Knowledge and Value Is Difficult to Understand -- Importance of "Knowledge Structuring" -- Sustainability Science -- Speed Has Surpassed the "Invisible Hand" -- Information Technology Is a Common Foundation for Innovation -- References -- Chapter 3: "Vision 2050" to the Rescue of a "Limited Earth" -- Vision 2050 -- Even If the Number of Automobiles Quadruples, Energy Consumption Can Still Be Reduced -- Energy Conservation Can Be Realized Economically -- The Reason Why Recycling Is More Energy-Efficient -- "Urban Mines" Are Not an Urban Myth -- Three Points for Building a "Material Circulating Society" -- At Present 80 % of Our Energy Relies on Fossil Fuels -- Nuclear Power as a Transitional Energy Source.

Producing Biomass in the Desert -- Reducing the World's Carbon Dioxide Emissions by 25 % -- A Vision on Which Advanced Countries and Developing Countries Can Agree -- Japan as a Resource Self-Sustaining Nation -- References -- Chapter 4: Finding a Way Out Through Creative Demand, I -- Monozukuri (Making Things) and Daily Life -- Structure of Energy Consumption in Households -- Appropriate Regulation Encourages Innovation -- Air-Conditioning Energy Consumption Can Be Reduced to One Twelfth -- Room for Innovation Lies in the Difference Between "Theory" and "Reality" -- Why Did Japan Fail in Diffusive Demand? -- Two-Manufacturer System for Major Appliances -- The Anxious Future of Solar Cells -- World-Leading "Eco-Cute" and "ENE-FARM" -- Eco-Cute and ENE-FARM Will Create a 30 Trillion Yen Market -- Reducing Costs by Taking Advantage of the Huge Domestic Market -- Japan's Strength Lies Precisely in " Monozukuri from Scratch" -- References -- Chapter 5: Finding a Way Out Through Creative Demand, II -- Japan-A Country with Challenges and the Power for Manufacturing from Scratch -- Five Conditions for Happy Aging -- Involve Senior Citizens and Working People in School Education -- School Education Is Losing Diversity -- Agriculture Competing by Safety and Taste -- Don't Be Frightened by the Threat of Globalization -- An Aging Society Is a Golden Opportunity for Japan to Take Advantage of Its Technical Capabilities -- References -- Chapter 6: Toward the Realization of a "Platinum Society " -- Shooting Through the "Clouds Above the Hill" -- Pursuing the "Platinum Society " Through Three Innovations -- Local Governments Have Begun Moving -- Platinum Vision Handbook for Structuring and Sharing Knowledge -- Platinum Vision Awards and the Dissemination of the Platinum Society Model -- Platinum Vision School and a Network of Networks -- References -- Index.