Ecological Modernisation and Japan
Routledge – 2005 – 236 pages
In the 1990s, Japan gradually began to turn green and started to experiment with more participatory forms of environmental governance. Ecological Modernisation and Japan explores this transformation and looks at Japan as a case for ecological modernisation while contextualising the discussion within its unique history and recent discussions about globalisation and sustainability. It makes a significant contribution to the ecological modernisation debate by unpacking the Japanese environmental experience.
'In addition to its account of development in Japan, this book will likely be welcomed by supporters and critics of the theory of ecological modernization, because the central arguement provides additional fuel concerning the pros and cons of the theory.' - Japanese Studies
'This volume provides an up-to-date and worthy commentary on environmental politics in Japan. It is informative and well-researched, and the collaborators should be commended for their efforts.' - Mike Danaher, Central Queensland University
Part 1 Background 1. Ecological Modernisation and Japan 2. Environmental Crisis in a Developmental State Part 2 Policies, Actors and Institutions 3. Building a National Environmental Regime 4. Foundations of Local Environmental Governance 5. Social Movements and the Environment 6. Ecological Modernisation and Environmental Values Part 3 Issues and Responses 7. Transformation of the Development Process 8. Ecologically Modern Industrialisation 9. The Formation of a Japanese Climate Change Regime Conclusions
Brendan Barrett is an Academic Programme Officer at the United Nations University, Japan. He is the co-author of Environmental Policy and Impact Assessment in Japan (Routledge, 1991) and co-editor of Human Development and the Environment (UNU Press, 2001). He has written extensively on Japanese approaches to impact assessment, integrated environmental management, Local Agenda 21 and decentralisation.