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This document represents the proceedings of the Tokyo Conference on "Global Environment, Energy, and Economic Development" held at the United Nations University Headquarters in Tokyo, 25-27 October 1993.
The conference was organized jointly by the United Nations University and the International Development Center of Japan to examine strategies for sound economic development while conserving global environmental protection, in which energy plays a key role. This conference was intended to be the first international meeting at the new Headquarters Office of the United Nations University to address the global consensus on sustainable development reached at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in June 1992, particularly the Energy Chapter of Agenda 21. The aim was also to encourage communication among scholars of differing disciplines and government and business decision makers on issues related to energy, the environment, and economic development. The conference received sponsorship from the Japanese Ministries of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Industry, from the Japanese Agencies of Economic Planning and Environment, as well as from the Japanese Federation of Electric Power Companies.
The two-and-a-half-day conference discussed both short-term and long-term policy measures for the economy and the directions of development in developing countries as well as industrialized countries, and touched on various facets of the interrelations among the environment, energy requirements, and economic development. The Introduction will present the key issues and provide summaries of the presentations.
The publication of the proceedings is long overdue. Since the conference, such major developments as the First Conference of the Parties (COP-1) to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), March-April 1995, and the publication of the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (SAR-IPCC) have taken place. However, these developments do not invalidate the various views and findings presented at the conference, because key issues and concerns surrounding the global environment, energy, and economic development continue to be discussed. The views and findings of the conference will also provide some background insights in understanding the discussions at the COP-1 and the IPCC SAR.
We are grateful to Professor A. Amano and Dr. K. Yamaji for their active participation from the preparatory stage to the fruitful discussions at the conference and to the UNU rector, Professor Heitor Gurgulino de Souza, and to Dr. Fu-chen Lo, Dr. Victor Kuipers, and Ms. Hiromi Suzuki at the UNU for their dedication and initiatives from the preparations for the conference to the publication of this volume. Our gratitude should be extended to the session chairpersons, speakers, discussants, participants, and many other people, including those in the sponsoring organizations and governmental agencies.
Yoichi Kaya
Keiichi Yokobori