Workshop on Material Flows and Environmental Impacts associated with Massive Consumption of Natural Resources and Products
Workshop on Material Flows and Environmental Impacts associated with Massive Consumption of Natural Resources and Products

Date
November 17 (Fri.), 2006:  9:30-17:10
Organizer
NIES
Cooperation
The Institute of Life Cycle Assessment, Japan
Venue and Seating capacity
The convention hall 200 at Tsukuba international congress center (EPOCHAL Tsukuba)(Seating cap.: 200 persons)
Entrance fee
Free of charge

1. Background
Today's economic activities are only maintained by the consumption of tremendous amount of natural resources and products, which in turn result in the generation of tremendous amount of wastes. To change this pattern of social and economic systems, Japan has been working hard to realize a sound material-cycle society while it has been witnessing rapid growth of natural resource demand and expansion of international trade of secondary products, which are stimulated by the economic growths of China and other neighboring Asian countries、National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) has been working on the analysis of the status of international material flows for more than a decade, especially on the hidden flows (Ecological Rucksacks) associated with international trade.

It is needless to say that the issue between natural resource extraction and its consequent environmental problem can not be addressed by a single nation. In December of 2005, for example, the European Commission (EC) announced the "Thematic Strategy on the sustainable use of natural resources" and is now establishing an international panel on the sustainable use of natural resources with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). China is also conducting various efforts to build a "Circular Economy".

Given the background above, this workshop aims (1) to share the latest policy and institutional actions for sustainable use of natural resources and material flow analysis in the international context and (2) to discuss the research results on material flow analysis, including the project titled "Study on material flow models to assess achievement towards sustainable production and consumption", which is funded by the Global Environment Research Fund. We believe that the presentations by invited experts, including from UNEP and China, as well as the discussions by all participants will contribute to the re-examination of the relevance of the "cradle to grave" approach of whole "life-cycle" of a material flow. We hope that this workshop provides an opportunity to explore the direction of future actions for sustainable use of natural resources.
2. Language
English (simultaneous translation between English and Japanese will be provided.)
3. Contact
Please register at the following website.
http://www.sntt.or.jp/niese/start-niese.html

For inquiry about this workshop, please contact with Ms. Wakako Suetsugu (the Society of Non-Traditional Technology)at niesws@sntt.or.jp or telephone +81-3- 3503-4681.
4. Others
This workshop is supported by the Global Environment Research Fund of the Japanese Ministry of Environment (Grant No. H-9).
5. Programe (Tentative)

9:00 Registration
9:30-9:40
(10min)
Opening address Dr. Shuzo Nishioka
(NIES, Japan)
9:40-9:50
(10min)
Scope of the workshop Dr. Yuichi Moriguchi
(NIES, Japan)
  Session 1: Perspective from Cradle to Grave
9:50-10:20
(incl. 10min discussion)
Invited speech 1
Eco-Efficiency in Australian minerals and metals production
-Abstract-
Dr. Rene van Berkel
(Centre for Sustainable Resource Processing, Australia)
10:20-10:50
(incl. 10min discussion)
Speech 1
Hidden material flows by extraction of natural resources
-Abstract-
Dr. Kohmei Halada
(NIMS, Japan)
10:50-11:20
(incl. 10min discussion)
Speech 2
Transboundary flows of end-of-life products and their environmental implications
Dr. Atsushi Terazono
(NIES, Japan)
11:20-12:00
(incl. 10 min discussion)
Invited speech 2
International Panel on Natural Resources - Addressing the need to decouple economic growth from environmental impacts related to the extraction and use of natural resources
-Abstract-
Dr. Guido Sonnemann
(UNEP/DTIE, France)
12:00-13:10
(70min)
Lunch
  Session 2: Dynamics in Asia
13:10-13:40
(incl. 10min discussion)
Invited speech 3
Study on MFA and index system of circular economy in China
-Abstract-
Prof. LIU Bin
(Tsinghua University, China)
13:40-14:10
(incl. 10min discussion)
Invited speech 4
Developing the circular economy in China: challenges and opportunities for achieving; "Leapfrog Development"
-Abstract-
Dr. YONG Geng
(Dalian University of Technology, China)
14:10-14:40
(incl. 10min discussion)
Speech 3
Analysis of international interdependence between China and Japan from the perspective on interregional economic and environmental interactions
-Abstract-
Prof. Shinji Kaneko
(Hiroshima Univ., Japan)
14:40-15:00
(20min)
Break
  Session 3: Symbiosis among Analytical Tools
15:00‐15:30
(incl. 10min discussion)
Invited speech 5
Relevance of region of origin and technology on materialintensity
-Abstract-
Dr. Michael Ritthof
(Wuppertal Institute, Germany)
15:30-16:00
(incl. 10min discussion)
Speech 4
Application of LCA to local and regional studies
-Abstract-
Dr. Masaaki Fuse
(AIST, Japan)
16:00-16:30
(incl. 10min discussion)
Invited speech 6
Identifying patterns of nickel mining and use through multi-level MFA
-Abstract-
Ms. Barbara Reck
(Yale University, USA)
16:30-17:00
(30min)
Overall discussion  
17:00-17:10
(10min)
Closing address Dr. Yuichi Moriguchi
(NIES, Japan)

6. Location

Tsukuba international congress center (EPOCHAL Tsukuba)
http://www.epochal.or.jp/english/index.html)
Address: 2-20-3, Takezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0032, Japan
Tel. +81-29-861-0001
Fax +81-29-861-1209
Access to EPOCHAL Tsukuba
From Tsukuba Sta. (A3 Exit) of Tsukuba Express (TX) line: 10min on foot

From Tsukuba Bus Center: 10min on foot



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