Renewable energy use in Japan: national policy, critical response and alternative paradigms
Recent national renewable energy policy in Japan is informed by a very real, severe and continuing energy security crisis and by the perceived need for a national response to global warming. The recent history of this policy response is described, as are the socio-political and economic circumstances which have shaped and constrained it. The substance of the critiques from significant RE energy generator and advocacy groups in light of perceived policy failures is provided. These critiques are based on the research evidence these groups have produced which demonstrates how the full range of RE resources available in Japan have been under-emphasized or ignored. These same groups and sub-national organizations have undertaken alternative RE policy development and implementation strategies which underpin a larger concern for the long-term sustainability of Japanese society. Several of the more striking of these alternatives, the Tδkyδ-Regional Network, the Energy in My Yard concept, and Sustainability Zones, are described.
EIMY (ENERGY IN MY YARD) A CONCEPT FOR PRACTICAL USAGE OF RENEWABLE ENERGY FROM LOCAL SOURCES
A group was set up to devise a strategy for geothermal development that conforms with global environmental expectations for the 21st century. The group developed the concept of EIMY-Energy In My Yard, which proposes that local energy demands should be met by an optimum combination of local, renewable sources to the maximum degree permitted by technical and economic considerations. Shortfalls and surpluses in local energy production would be accommodated by interfacing with the national grid. The group also discussed the roles that the various types of renewable energy could play within the EIMY framework, according to their nature, ubiquity, and capacity. An integrated renewable energy simulator was used to identify optimum combinations of sources for different situations. Installation and operating costs were assigned at current market rates without weighting for advantages such as low CO 2 emissions. The results demonstrated that integrated renewable energy systems are cost-effective in the medium and long term. Geothermal energy plays a key role as a source of heat in such systems.
Cultural constraints on the delivery of HIV/AIDS prevention in Ireland.
HIV appeared in Ireland following an opiate epidemic in the early 1980s. Initially, however, the gay community mounted the only response to the spread of the virus while the implementation of early actions by the government was hampered by the constructions of the disease within Irish society. This paper considers the influence of the religious hierarchy in both the development of AIDS policy and in the shaping of public perceptions of the disease and those affected. A qualitative methodology is used to examine the role of such cultural constraints in an evaluation of the social context within which the prevention of HIV infection occurs. Three key issues pertinent to the policy context in Ireland are explored in depth. These are the role of the Catholic Church, the influences on health education programmes, particularly information giving, and the development of services and other interventions. These findings are discussed within the social and political contexts in which health policy is formulated.