Twenty five years ago, the Brundtland report – formally titled “Our Common Future” – launched the concept of sustainable development as “the process of change in which the exploitation of resources, the direction of investments, the orientation of technological development, and institutional change are all in harmony and enhance both current and future potential to meet human needs and aspirations.” At the heart of the concept of sustainable development lie two interrelated challenges: how to address our growth needs, in particular those of the developing countries, given the limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on our ability to meet present and future needs.
Despite significant progress made since the publication of the Brundtland report, the twin challenges of sustainable development remain valid to the present day. What type of governance structures, business practices, technological innovations, legal agreements or policy tools can best bridge the needs-limitation gap in order to facilitate and accelerate sustainable development? The rapid economic growth of the developing countries in Asia in the recent decades has added a new dimension to this process, by shifting the leverage of change from the West to the East. Designing infrastructure, products, enterprises and processes with sustainability in mind can have an enormous impact on environmental and social systems.
The 2014 Biennial Conference on Sustainable Development and Business in Asia, to be held in Hiroshima, Japan is a biennial international conference that offers a platform for scholarly and applied conversations among a wide variety of stakeholders concerned with the continual challenge of advancing the sustainable development and business agenda: people, planet, and growth. Because this is an emerging paradigm, there is much research and exploration that is needed. Academics, researchers, students and representatives from industry, government and non-governmental organizations need to both share their findings and learn from each other, in order to facilitate the transformation in how economic activity is conducted, allowing human societies to be sustained and to thrive.
As the fields of sustainable development and sustainable business cross over into multiple areas and disciplines, authors are welcome to submit from a range of topics, perspectives, and disciplines. The range of research submissions may include conceptual, empirical, experimental, and case studies. We particularly invite papers making empirical and theoretical contributions about the social and economic processes impacting on sustainable development; global environmental governance, business and public policy approaches; technological innovations; climate change adaptation & mitigation; renewable energy development.
Major themes
- Sustainable Business, Production and Consumption
- Science & Technology of Sustainability
- Global Governance of Sustainable Development
- Climate Change and Sustainability
- Sustainable Energy Policies
- Special themes
- Tourism (Eco, Geo, Sustainable)
- Agribusiness and Sustainable Fishing
- Corporate Social Responsibility
- Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD)
- The Digital Divide in Asia
- Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
