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studies on biofuel, including those in the natural and social science fields, fail to use
this type of approach. The aim of the present research is to comprehensively analyse
the use of biofuels at global, regional and national levels using the sustainability
science approach and attempt to assess biofuel use strategies from an interdisciplinary perspective. Sustainability science is a new academic area that addresses complicated issues, such as biofuel production and use, by restructuring problems and
then proposing policy options.
2.2 What Is the Sustainability Science?
As discussed, biofuel utilization has a complex background and broad impacts on
many fields and sectors, such as the environment, the economy and the society.
Therefore, the establishment of a sustainable biofuel strategy that contributes to a
sustainable society is only possible by analysing the complex features of biofuels in
a comprehensive manner.
The concept of sustainability has previously been discussed, since sustainable
development was discussed in the WCED (World Commission on Environment and
Development) in 1987, an event known as the Brundtland Commission that was led
by the Prime Minister of Norway, Brundtland (Maeda and Hibiki 2008). Through
active debate in an international arena such as the UNCED (United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development) and WBCSD (World Business
Council for Sustainable Development), the atmosphere of building sustainability
science required to maintain fundamental links between science and technology
without policy bias has been enhanced in academia globally (Komiyama and
Takeuchi 2006). These active debates for sustainability science have developed a
common recognition of the need for transboundary/transdisciplinary academic systems, which are different from traditional academic systems that are segmentalized
in each academic field. A definition of sustainability science was propounded by
Kates et al. based on the historical debate and common recognition. This definition
states that sustainability science sets out to solve global agendas of human subsistence, such as global warming, from the view point of sustainability (Maeda and
Hibiki 2008).
A feature of sustainability science is solution-oriented science. Therefore, various research results are brought to various researchers from many academic fields
in a transboundary/transdisciplinary manner to solve global agendas. For example,
global warming, which is a problem shared by the entire human race, cannot be
resolved by existing traditional approaches on a disaggregated basis, such as independent analyses regarding individual issues for individual regions or partial optimization analysis.
The development of sustainability science, which is being led by Europe, the
United States and Japan, is still ongoing. However, a common feature of sustainability science in academia is that a transboundary/transdisciplinary approach
should be applied to resolve issues that have multitiered and complex features by
H. Matsuda and K. Takeuchi
studies on biofuel, including those in the natural and social science fields, fail to use
this type of approach. The aim of the present research is to comprehensively analyse
the use of biofuels at global, regional and national levels using the sustainability
science approach and attempt to assess biofuel use strategies from an interdisciplinary perspective. Sustainability science is a new academic area that addresses complicated issues, such as biofuel production and use, by restructuring problems and
then proposing policy options.
2.2 What Is the Sustainability Science?
As discussed, biofuel utilization has a complex background and broad impacts on
many fields and sectors, such as the environment, the economy and the society.
Therefore, the establishment of a sustainable biofuel strategy that contributes to a
sustainable society is only possible by analysing the complex features of biofuels in
a comprehensive manner.
The concept of sustainability has previously been discussed, since sustainable
development was discussed in the WCED (World Commission on Environment and
Development) in 1987, an event known as the Brundtland Commission that was led
by the Prime Minister of Norway, Brundtland (Maeda and Hibiki 2008). Through
active debate in an international arena such as the UNCED (United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development) and WBCSD (World Business
Council for Sustainable Development), the atmosphere of building sustainability
science required to maintain fundamental links between science and technology
without policy bias has been enhanced in academia globally (Komiyama and
Takeuchi 2006). These active debates for sustainability science have developed a
common recognition of the need for transboundary/transdisciplinary academic systems, which are different from traditional academic systems that are segmentalized
in each academic field. A definition of sustainability science was propounded by
Kates et al. based on the historical debate and common recognition. This definition
states that sustainability science sets out to solve global agendas of human subsistence, such as global warming, from the view point of sustainability (Maeda and
Hibiki 2008).
A feature of sustainability science is solution-oriented science. Therefore, various research results are brought to various researchers from many academic fields
in a transboundary/transdisciplinary manner to solve global agendas. For example,
global warming, which is a problem shared by the entire human race, cannot be
resolved by existing traditional approaches on a disaggregated basis, such as independent analyses regarding individual issues for individual regions or partial optimization analysis.
The development of sustainability science, which is being led by Europe, the
United States and Japan, is still ongoing. However, a common feature of sustainability science in academia is that a transboundary/transdisciplinary approach
should be applied to resolve issues that have multitiered and complex features by
H. Matsuda and K. Takeuchi