立命館サステイナビリティ学研究センター　＞　RCSについて　＞　センター長挨拶

センター長 “Growth” was one of the keywords of the 20th century, while “Sustainability,” I believe, will be that of 21st century. Every person would wish to maintain his/her “rich” life securing at the same time its sustainability in a sense that “it would not threaten the following generations.”

There is a pressing need for a new paradigm,which could balance global, social and human environment, and it is the aim of the interdisciplinary research of sustainability science to establish this new paradigm. Put it in other words, the mission of sustainability science is to design a new social system that would contribute to sustaining the globe.

The Ritsumeikan Research Center for Sustainable Science was formally set up in January 2007 at Ritsumeikan University, out of the recognition that education and research promotion in sustainable science is the central mission for universities in this century. It is the aim of RCS to form inter-faculty research organization and to advance theoretical as well as positive research and education which promotes the integration of natural and social sciences.

Earlier efforts in Japan to establish sustainability science resulted in an outstanding joint project, “Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S)” launched in 2005, in which the key role is played by the Transdisciplinary Initiative for Global Sustainability (TIGS) at University of Tokyo, and some other universities including Kyoto, Osaka, Hokkaido, and Ibaraki Universities also participate. In April 2007, Ritsumeikan University has joined IR3S through the authority of TIGS, with RCS commissioned central responsibility and Dr. Ken-ichi NAKAGAMI as the managing director, in pursuing research under and in cooperation with IR3S.

We will hereafter pursue research activities aimed at developing “Strategic Innovation for Building Balanced Society,” with the high-quality research experts at Ritsumeikan University and the global network of our partners. Your opinion and advice on our activities at RCS would be most appreciated.

ZHOU Weisheng, Executive Director (RCS)

Our mission is to work with our partners in the world so as to:

・Advance research and knowledge on Sustainability Science, through promoting high-quality, multi-disciplinary research which integrates social and natural science and humanities;

・Suggest a new, strategic innovation for correcting imbalances caused in the course of economic development, through international cooperation with the countries of East Asia;

・ Pursue both theoretical and positive research on Sustainability Science and enhance capacity and competitiveness of participating researchers, in close cooperation with distinguished research and education institutes in the worldwide;

・Launch competent human resources into the world by providing the students from 82 countries studying at Ritsumaikan University and Ritsumeikan Asia-Pacific University, with lectures on Sustainability Science and the essential knowledge to build a sustainable regional society;

・Promote research on the interrelation between culture and economy that would contribute towards building a sustainable society, taking into account of the local peculiarities of Kyoto.