Building social resilience to environmental change in marginalised coastal communities
Lead Research Organisation:
Scottish Association For Marine Science
Department Name: Contracts Office
Abstract
This project lays the groundwork for interdisciplinary collaboration on building social resilience in marginalised coastal communities. Seas and coasts can make a significant contribution to building a more sustainable society through, for example, low-carbon energy, resource provision and disaster risk reduction. At the same time, however, coastal communities may be more vulnerable to climate change risks or to negative effects from new offshore and coastal developments. In line with Sustainable Development Goal 14, there is hence a need to more fully understand how to manage society's relation with the sea in a way that benefits those who are most directly connected to the sea.
This proposal therefore takes two countries with a strong social, cultural and economic connection to the sea - Scotland and Japan - and connects researchers working in the common direction of understanding and governing environmental change in seas and coasts. The overall objective of the project is to clarify how different disciplinary backgrounds - environmental sociology, geography, marine law, coastal zone management, environmental science communication, and marine science for environmental assessment - can work together to more effectively understand how environmental change affects coastal communities, and connect these findings with legal and environmental assessment and monitoring processes. The intended outcome is a conceptual and methodological framework, which will form the basis of subsequent larger funding proposals and more extensive empirical research.
Key to attaining this objective is the development of initial links established by PI Mabon and Japanese Co-PI Kawabe with coastal communities in both Japan and Scotland. Specifically, Minamisoma in Fukushima Prefecture and Tomakomai in Hokkaido in Japan; and Orkney and Aberdeenshire in Scotland. In the project, these will be used as cast study areas for site visits, allowing project researchers to understand what kind of research would be feasible in follow-on funding and crucially allowing opportunity for interaction with local stakeholders to co-create new research questions ahead of more extensive research. This will be achieved through bilateral visits, and also through a longer-term academic visit between RGU and TUMSAT which emphasises development of early-career researchers and building of links with non-academic partners.
Significant emphasis is placed on involvement and development of early-career researchers able to take an interdisciplinary approach to resilience in coastal communities. To this end, one early-career researcher from each country is included as a Co-Investigator, and budget is requested to allow a small number of additional ECRs to join the site visits and workshops during each bilateral visit.
This proposal therefore takes two countries with a strong social, cultural and economic connection to the sea - Scotland and Japan - and connects researchers working in the common direction of understanding and governing environmental change in seas and coasts. The overall objective of the project is to clarify how different disciplinary backgrounds - environmental sociology, geography, marine law, coastal zone management, environmental science communication, and marine science for environmental assessment - can work together to more effectively understand how environmental change affects coastal communities, and connect these findings with legal and environmental assessment and monitoring processes. The intended outcome is a conceptual and methodological framework, which will form the basis of subsequent larger funding proposals and more extensive empirical research.
Key to attaining this objective is the development of initial links established by PI Mabon and Japanese Co-PI Kawabe with coastal communities in both Japan and Scotland. Specifically, Minamisoma in Fukushima Prefecture and Tomakomai in Hokkaido in Japan; and Orkney and Aberdeenshire in Scotland. In the project, these will be used as cast study areas for site visits, allowing project researchers to understand what kind of research would be feasible in follow-on funding and crucially allowing opportunity for interaction with local stakeholders to co-create new research questions ahead of more extensive research. This will be achieved through bilateral visits, and also through a longer-term academic visit between RGU and TUMSAT which emphasises development of early-career researchers and building of links with non-academic partners.
Significant emphasis is placed on involvement and development of early-career researchers able to take an interdisciplinary approach to resilience in coastal communities. To this end, one early-career researcher from each country is included as a Co-Investigator, and budget is requested to allow a small number of additional ECRs to join the site visits and workshops during each bilateral visit.
Planned Impact
Who will benefit from this activity?
The following groups are envisioned as benefitting from this activity: (a) academics and researchers working on issues related to resilience in coastal contexts - not just from a natural science perspective but also from the natural sciences (see 'Academic Beneficiaries' above); (b) local governments and civil society groups working at the local level to manage the social effects of environmental change (e.g. community groups, non-governmental organisations); (c) practitioners (e.g. industry organisations, developers) looking to build consent and social licence to implement low-carbon/sustainable developments in coasts and seas.
How will they benefit from this activity?
Academics will benefit - as outlined in the 'Academic Beneficiaries' section - from the contributions made to scholarly exchange through development of a conceptual framework, and from opportunities to participate in follow-on projects expanding beyond the core team developed during this project. Local governments and civil society will benefit from the opportunity to engage with researchers right at the outset of the problem formation stage, ensuring research questions and outputs from subsequent research are able to address local requirements. Practitioners will benefit from an understanding of how societal concerns can be better addressed within environmental assessment processes, so as to be able to tailor communication and monitoring requirements to address citizen and stakeholder concerns.
What will be done to ensure that they have the opportunity to benefit from this activity?
As outlined in 'Academic Beneficiaries', opportunities for benefit to academics and researchers will come through: (a) peer-reviewed publication, made open-access through RGU's OpenAIR repository; (b) shorter outputs (e.g. site visit reports) posted on PI Mabon's research blog (energyvalues.wordpress.com); and (c) engagement in outputs and subsequent research needs at key conferences. In this regard, to go beyond one-way communication and actively engage the wider research community in subsequent research on coastal resilience involving the UK and Japan (and beyond), it is proposed to host an afternoon workshop at the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland to coincide with RGU joining the MASTS alliance.
Benefit to local government and civil society will come through face-to-face meetings during project field visits. These will take the form of facilitated workshops, during which the project research team will learn about the local situation through discussion with relevant stakeholders, then work together to elaborate information needs and research questions. The conditions for allowing such dialogue to happen will be created by drawing on links already established during initial collaboration between the investigators and the locals, e.g. with Minamisoma City Government via TUMSAT and with Orkney Islands via RGU's Orkney Project.
Benefit to practitioners will be realised in the first instance through the involvement of two practitioner-academics (Kita and Onchi) within the research team. As marine scientists undertaking environmental impact assessments themselves, participation in the project will develop connections and insights as to how assessments may be tailored to best benefit communities and stakeholders. There will also be opportunities for face-to-face briefing sessions with regulators and developer groups (e.g. Engineering Advancement Association of Japan; Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology; Marine Scotland) which can be built in to existing ongoing work Co-PIs Mabon and Kawabe have with these organisations.
The following groups are envisioned as benefitting from this activity: (a) academics and researchers working on issues related to resilience in coastal contexts - not just from a natural science perspective but also from the natural sciences (see 'Academic Beneficiaries' above); (b) local governments and civil society groups working at the local level to manage the social effects of environmental change (e.g. community groups, non-governmental organisations); (c) practitioners (e.g. industry organisations, developers) looking to build consent and social licence to implement low-carbon/sustainable developments in coasts and seas.
How will they benefit from this activity?
Academics will benefit - as outlined in the 'Academic Beneficiaries' section - from the contributions made to scholarly exchange through development of a conceptual framework, and from opportunities to participate in follow-on projects expanding beyond the core team developed during this project. Local governments and civil society will benefit from the opportunity to engage with researchers right at the outset of the problem formation stage, ensuring research questions and outputs from subsequent research are able to address local requirements. Practitioners will benefit from an understanding of how societal concerns can be better addressed within environmental assessment processes, so as to be able to tailor communication and monitoring requirements to address citizen and stakeholder concerns.
What will be done to ensure that they have the opportunity to benefit from this activity?
As outlined in 'Academic Beneficiaries', opportunities for benefit to academics and researchers will come through: (a) peer-reviewed publication, made open-access through RGU's OpenAIR repository; (b) shorter outputs (e.g. site visit reports) posted on PI Mabon's research blog (energyvalues.wordpress.com); and (c) engagement in outputs and subsequent research needs at key conferences. In this regard, to go beyond one-way communication and actively engage the wider research community in subsequent research on coastal resilience involving the UK and Japan (and beyond), it is proposed to host an afternoon workshop at the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology Scotland to coincide with RGU joining the MASTS alliance.
Benefit to local government and civil society will come through face-to-face meetings during project field visits. These will take the form of facilitated workshops, during which the project research team will learn about the local situation through discussion with relevant stakeholders, then work together to elaborate information needs and research questions. The conditions for allowing such dialogue to happen will be created by drawing on links already established during initial collaboration between the investigators and the locals, e.g. with Minamisoma City Government via TUMSAT and with Orkney Islands via RGU's Orkney Project.
Benefit to practitioners will be realised in the first instance through the involvement of two practitioner-academics (Kita and Onchi) within the research team. As marine scientists undertaking environmental impact assessments themselves, participation in the project will develop connections and insights as to how assessments may be tailored to best benefit communities and stakeholders. There will also be opportunities for face-to-face briefing sessions with regulators and developer groups (e.g. Engineering Advancement Association of Japan; Japan Agency for Marine Earth Science and Technology; Marine Scotland) which can be built in to existing ongoing work Co-PIs Mabon and Kawabe have with these organisations.
Publications
Mabon L
(2019)
Enhancing post-disaster resilience by 'building back greener': Evaluating the contribution of nature-based solutions to recovery planning in Futaba County, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
in Landscape and Urban Planning
Mabon L
(2022)
Bring voices from the coast into the Fukushima treated water debate
in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Mabon L
(2020)
Inherent resilience, major marine environmental change and revitalisation of coastal communities in Soma, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan
in International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
| Description | Through the networking and research activities that have been funded through the grant, the following key achievements have been made: 1. We have evaluated the potential and limits of social networks, memories and practices in helping communities recover from major external shocks and stresses, by looking in particular at fisheries in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, as an extreme case of long-term environmental and social change. We found that socially and culturally meaningful practices have helped coastal communities to move forwards, but that these practices of 'inherent resilience' cannot be a substitute for substantive long-term state-led support as part of 'building back better'; 2. We have elaborated principles for social and natural scientists to work together in more meaningful and practical ways for marine and coastal issues. To do so, we used dialogue-based project workshops to evaluate ongoing research related to the Tomakomai sub-seabed carbon dioxide demonstration project in Hokkaido, northern Japan. We found that early engagement on practical research techniques, and planning opportunities to work together 'in the field', were as valuable ways to build interdisciplinary research as more conceptual discussions on differing knowledge systems; 3. We have identified through our research and subsequent engagement a need for a core English-language resource on the situation at the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant, especially as the controversy over the Japanese Government's decision to approve the releases of treated water from the site into the Pacific Ocean is likely to continue for many years. This is especially important for researchers spanning both the social and natural sciences (as well as NGOs and informed members of the public) who may not have a good understanding of Japanese language or of the governance and political structures in Japan. Accordingly, a Twitter account @FukushimaSeas has been set up as a legacy output of the project with the aim of providing regular English-language updates on news and new peer-reviewed research relating to the situation at Fukushima Dai'ichi. |
| Exploitation Route | One of our key outcomes is the principles for interdisciplinary collaboration on marine environmental research, which we hope will be of benefit to natural and social scientists working together to understand the social and environmental impacts of environmental change on the marine and coastal environment. In the paper based on these principles (published in Marine Pollution Bulletin), we outline an incremental approach to interdisciplinary collaboration, which gives practical advice for how researchers from different disciplines can start to work together over time. Secondly, it is hoped that the peer-reviewed outputs focusing on 'building back better', which were based on the situation in Fukushima Prefecture following the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident and were written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, may take on additional significance given the increased policy rhetoric around 'building back better' post-COVID. In particular, the conceptual contributions relating to the value and limitations of inherent community resilience, and around the social and cultural benefits of coastal ecosystem protection and restoration, may provide a basis for others to theorise how coastal communities have coped with a different kind of shock in COVID-19. Third, it is hoped that the research and subsequent engagement has helped to establish the PI and Co-PI as English-language experts on the social and cultural implications of the Fukushima Dai'ichi treated water situation in particular. This is an issue of international significance, which is set to remain of concern to scientists, environmental managers and non-governmental organisations working internationally for many years. We hope that the social media presence we have established will help scientists (both social and natural) as well as decision-makers and opinion-shapers seeking to make policy and practice recommendations relating to marine radioactivity to have an informed understanding of what is happening at Fukushima Dai'ichi, which can help the international science-policy community to engage in a more informed way with the treated water issue. |
| Sectors | Agriculture Food and Drink Communities and Social Services/Policy Education Energy Environment Government Democracy and Justice Security and Diplomacy |
| URL | https://energyvalues.wordpress.com/category/esrc-ahrc-ssh-connections/ |
| Description | SUMMARY: Impacts have continued to develop and emerge since the conclusion of the award. In particular, following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, a visit by PI Mabon to Japan in spring 2023 (at no cost to the project or indeed to any other UKRI activity) gave an opportunity to re-energise connections established pre-COVID and to further connections and impacts established virtually over 2020-2022. Longer-term impacts arising from the grant can be divided across four broad sectors: international organisations; national and local governments; third-sector and community organisations; and education. As far as international organisations are concerned, much of the project's impact has come from raising awareness of the social and cultural dimensions of the ongoing situation regarding treated water at the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant. For instance, in spring 2022, PI Mabon worked with the US-based National Bureau for Asian Research to develop an expert Q&A, published in both English and Japanese, on the impacts of environmental change on Japan's coastal communities - with particular reference to the Fukushima coast (https://www.nbr.org/publication/coastal-resilience-in-japans-forgotten-communities/) PI Mabon and Co-PI Kawabe also in autumn 2022 published an Opinion Piece aimed at international science-policy communities in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2205431119), which laid out policy recommendations for engaging local researchers and stakeholders in international dialogues and debates over the management of treated water at Fukushima Dai'ichi. For national and local governments, much of the interest in the project outcomes has been around developing methods which can support policy makers in understanding and responding to the effects of the energy transition and climate change on coastal communities within Japan - especially those in less wealthy or urbanised regions. Dr Mabon has been working with the British Embassy in Tokyo to advise on and support their engagement with local governments in Japan on climate change planning. Project findings about the importance of understanding local context, especially the social and cultural significance of the coastal and marine environment, have drawn particular interest and the next step is to work together to develop a rapid assessment toolkit of local social and environmental factors which can be used as a stimulus for discussion when meeting local government officials. Similarly, project outcomes on stakeholder engagement have informed Dr Mabon's work with the Scottish Government Scottish Marine Energy Research (ScotMER) programme. Insights from the carbon dioxide storage demonstration in Tomakomai, Japan, which was studied as part of the grant, have fed into the Social Impact Assessment Methods Toolkit developed by ScotMER - of which PI Mabon was a joint author. For third sector and community organisations, research findings into the lived experience of environmental change which emerged from the project have been of particular interest. This is especially so in Yubari City in Hokkaido, Japan, where PI Mabon has formed a long-standing partnership with the Shimizusawa Project NGO as part of visits conducted during the project. This has led to community seminars in Yubari on 'just transitions' for carbon-intensive regions (https://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/article/808646) and to the NGO themselves developing their knowledge of what the concept of just transitions entails and how it may be developed in their own community from the ground up. Initial connections and case studies established by PI Mabon during the ESRC grant have also been developed further with follow-on funding (e.g. a British Academy-funded project on Just Transitions in Japan), and have led to partnerships with national-level NGOs in Japan (e.g. Kiko Network) on understanding the geographical and regional differences in impacts and opportunities from climate change and energy responses within Japan. This has taken the form of seminars and the writing and translation of joint reports. Lastly, the project has had impacts on education, largely through the various case studies which were developed during the ESRC award. As well as feeding into PI Mabon's own teaching at the Open University and previously University of the Highlands and Islands, case studies on fisheries and marine radioactivity in Fukushima have fed into taught postgraduate programmes at National Chengchi University and Ming-Chuan University (both Taiwan) through connections established by PI Mabon. The 'virtual field trip' of the Fukushima coast developed by PI Mabon has also been used by community organisations globally to build understanding of the marine impacts of the ongoing Fukushima Dai'ichi disaster, including communities on the west coast of Canada (https://olyopen.com/2022/02/05/fukushima-fisheries-virtual-field-trip/). The expertise which Dr Mabon was able to establish through the ESRC grant has also enabled engagement in research postgraduate training in both the UK and internationally, through, for example, engagement in the Kitakyushu SDGs Training Programme in Japan and the development of PhD projects at the Open University. More specifically, impacts can be reported as follows: NEW AND ADDITIONAL IMPACTS which have arisen since the last reporting period (i.e. since spring 2022) are as follows: INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS: PI Dr Mabon worked with the US-based National Bureau for Asian Research in spring 2022 to develop an expert briefing on the key issues facing Japan's coastal communities under climate and energy transitions. This led to the publication of an expert Q&A on the NBR's website, aimed at policy and practice audiences in the USA and internationally seeking to understand and engage with environmental issues in Japan. The Q&A was also translated into Japanese to enable engagement of policy stakeholders within Japan: https://www.nbr.org/publication/coastal-resilience-in-japans-forgotten-communities/ INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS/LOCAL GOVERNMENT/ACADEMIA: in spring 2023, Dr Mabon delivered a session on 'just transitions in Japan' as part of the Sustainable Development Goals Training Programme organised by the Institute of Global Environmental Strategies in Kitakyushu, Japan. The programme is aimed at international early-career researchers working on issues of sustainability and local government at universities in Japan. 10 ECRs participated in the session, and asked a breadth of questions about Japan's energy and climate change policy and local-level responses to winding down high-emitting industries. NATIONAL GOVERNMENT: in spring 2023, PI Dr Mabon met with staff from the energy and climate change team at the British Embassy in Tokyo, who have expressed significant interest in supporting engagement with local governments in Japan on developing local climate change strategies. Dr Mabon shared findings from the ESRC project during an informal briefing, including recommendations on the importance of communicating how coastal and marine renewable energy can bring benefit to local citizens and industries, and the importance of acknowledging the social and cultural significance of the seas. Dr Mabon and the embassy team agreed to continue discussion on how they could develop a rapid assessment tool for characterising the challenges and opportunities faced by specific local governments in Japan, which could be used as a stimulus for discussion when meeting with local government representatives. EXISTING AND ONGOING IMPACTS which pre-date the last reporting period (i.e. before spring 2022) are as follows: INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS: Project outputs have been cited in policy and practice guidelines at the national and international levels, aimed at people tasked with making decisions about how to help society adapt to shocks and stresses associated with climate and environmental change. The Landscape and Urban Planning paper of Mabon (2019) is cited in the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's 'Words into Action' guide on nature-based solutions for disaster risk reduction. The UNDRR guide uses the methodology of Mabon (2019) as an example of the kinds of techniques that can be undertaken to take stock of the qualities in an ecosystem post-disaster as part of 'building back better.' The target audience of the guide is stakeholders of all dimensions (policy, third sector, industry), and the document gives practical guidance to deliver the environmental components of the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction. INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS: project findings on resilient communities in Japan also led to an invited presentation at the World Bank Knowledge Sharing Series on Low Carbon and Climate-Smart Cities in October 2021. Principles of resilience, and the potential to develop jobs and skills for resilience and climate change adaptation in Japan, were presented to an audience of local governments, non-governmental organisations and researchers from Japan and beyond to inform areas for further practice and research. LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND STAKEHOLDERS: a briefing session was delivered by PI Mabon and Co-PI Kawabe to representatives of Minamisoma City Government and the Soma-Futaba Fisheries Cooperative in February 2019. The briefing session, facilitated via the Revitalisation Approach of Minamisoma grant co-funding our project, provided advice to the local government and the fisheries cooperative on branding marine produce and communicating safety of Fukushima fish and seafood. INDUSTRY: two briefings have been delivered to the Japan CCS Company (one in September 2019, one in January 2020) into risk communication for new technologies in the marine environment (specifically, sub-seabed carbon dioxide capture and storage), based on field visits and desk research into social media outputs undertaken as part of the grant. These briefings shared research insights into the role of trust in communicating messages about risk and difficulties around communicating uncertainty; and informed public engagement strategies within JCCS. INDUSTRY: A similar session was delivered in January 2020 to the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan, to engage industry, academics and third-sector organisations on the societal implications of carbon capture and storage technologies in Taiwan, based on lessons and insights from Japan. COMMUNITIES: a visit was undertaken in January 2020 to Naraha Town in Futaba County, Fukushima Prefecture; and specifically to the Naranoha community organisation. PI Mabon was filmed for the local 'Naraha Channel' community social media channel, discussing his research findings in Japanese. Through discussions of the similarities between Naraha and Scottish coastal communities facilitated by the visit, participating community members had an opportunity to share experiences of living through social and environmental change. COMMUNITIES: similarly, in January 2020 PI Mabon visited Yubari City in Hokkaido, and delivered a community-focused seminar to the Shimizusawa Project non-governmental organisation in Japanese. The connection with Yubari, which was initiated by PI Mabon on a previous UKRI-supported grant (2016 EPSRC UKCCSRC International Collaboration Award), was reinforced through the current UK-Japan grant, and allowed Shimizusawa Project to develop a relationship with community organisations in Aberdeen which has subsequently expanded into arts-based collaboration between organisations in the two cities. In 2022, this connection with Yubari and in particular the Shimizusawa Project NGO led to the development of a beta version of a 'virtual field trip' to build English-language visitors' and researchers' understanding of the context of community resilience and a just transition in Yubari (https://energyvalues.wordpress.com/2022/03/02/yubari-virtual-field-trip/); THE GENERAL PUBLIC: in early 2021, PI Mabon gave a public talk to students of Fukushima Prefecture on the ongoing marine contamination situation at the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant, and its relation to the Sustainable Development Goals. This talk will feed into a voluntary local review of the Sustainable Development Goals being undertaken by university- and high school students in Fukushima Prefecture. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2019 |
| Sector | Education,Energy,Environment,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| Impact Types | Cultural Societal Policy & public services |
| Description | Citation in UNDRR Words into Action guide on Nature-Based Solutions |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| URL | https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/74082 |
| Description | Japan Foundation Endowment Committee Research Grants |
| Amount | £700 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Japan Foundation Endowment Committee |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | Japan |
| Start | 01/2023 |
| End | 12/2023 |
| Description | Just transitions to a net-zero sustainable society in Japan |
| Amount | £74,000 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | JTAP210030 |
| Organisation | The British Academy |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 09/2021 |
| End | 03/2022 |
| Description | Scottish Government-Royal Society of Edinburgh Scotland-Asia Partnerships Higher Education Research Fund |
| Amount | £7,900 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2020 |
| End | 08/2021 |
| Description | Marine Ecology Research Institute |
| Organisation | Marine Ecology Research Institute |
| Country | Japan |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Dr Mabon is Principal Investigator for the award via SAMS (formerly RGU) and is hence responsible for overseeing the grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | MERI are Co-Investigators are support with integration of social and natural science. |
| Impact | Collaboration multi-disciplinary: involves environmental social science and human geography (SAMS/RGU); marine law (RGU); integrated coastal zone management (TUMSAT); marine science (TUMSAT, via Co-Is Kohno and Katano); and marine biology/environmental assessment (MERI, via Co-Is Kita and Onchi). |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology |
| Organisation | Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology |
| Country | Japan |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Dr Mabon is Principal Investigator for the award via SAMS (formerly RGU) and is hence responsible for overseeing the grant. |
| Collaborator Contribution | TUMSAT are Co-Principal Investigators for the award, and are responsible - via Co-PI Midori Kawabe - for overseeing the Japan-based elements of the research. |
| Impact | Collaboration multi-disciplinary: involves environmental social science and human geography (SAMS/RGU); marine law (RGU); integrated coastal zone management (TUMSAT); marine science (TUMSAT, via Co-Is Kohno and Katano). |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Climate change mitigation and adaptation in coastal communities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mabon delivered a guest lecture at United Nations University-Institute for Advanced Study of Sustainability on 17 January 2020, which identified areas of common interest around resilience and climate adaptation for follow-on research and also delivered training to 10 postgraduate students in climate change mitigation and adaptation in coastal and marine environments. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Expert commentator, 'Analysis: Fukushima Nuclear Wastewater Release' Taiwan Plus |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Leslie Mabon interviewed as an expert on the releases of treated water into the Pacific Ocean from the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant in Japan in August 2023. Leslie talked about the social and cultural impact of the releases on fishing in Fukushima, as a source of pride in the area, based on insights obtained during the ESRC award. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.taiwanplus.com/news/world-news/asia-pacific/230824018/analysis-fukushima-nuclear-wastewa... |
| Description | Explainer on treated water releases from Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear plant |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Blog post written to explain the current situation at the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant in Japan, using plain language to engage a non-specialist audience. Post hosted on own blog, but promoted via Future Earth Coasts. Shared on social media (Twitter), where readers reported an increase in awareness as a result of reading the explainer. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.futureearthcoasts.org/explainer-fukushima-coast/ |
| Description | Fossil Fuels and Local Identity |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mabon delivered a community seminar in Japanese on the theme of 'Fossil Fuels and Local Identity'. This provided an opportunity for mutual sharing of experiences of social and environmental change for participating citizens, and led to interest in future more expansive transdisciplinary collaboration. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.shimizusawa.com/news/8291.html |
| Description | Interview for CBS News Canada: Japan to start releasing treated radioactive water from Fukushima nuclear plant into sea in 2 years (13 Apr 2021) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interviewed for CBS News Vancouver and Canada Tonight on Japan's plans to release treated water from the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant into the north-west Pacific Ocean. The interview led to me setting up the @FukushimaSeas Twitter account to share news and the latest peer-reviewed science and data on the marine environmental situation relating to Fukushima Dai'ichi. Followers have reported they find the information valuable in keeping up-to-date and understanding the latest science about the water releases. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTe97BqAjsU |
| Description | Interview in Mainichi Shimbun on research activity on the Fukushima coast |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interviewed by Mainichi Shimbun - one of the leading newspapers in Japan - on our research programme on the Fukushima coast, with a focus on the activities carried out as part of the ESRC award. The interview was part of a series of articles marking the 10th anniversary of the Fukushima nuclear accident, and led to contact from other organisations (e.g. CBS News Canada) for interviews on the situation at Fukushima Dai'ichi. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://mainichi.jp/articles/20210315/k00/00m/040/105000c |
| Description | Invited Talk at Consulate General of Japan in Edinburgh's 'An Evening on Fukushima' Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The purpose of the event was to raise awareness and understanding among the general public in Edinburgh and Scotland more widely on the situation in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan, in 2019. Dr Leslie Mabon delivered a talk on greenspace and environmental management for post-disaster resilience, based on review work conducted as part of his ESRC-AHRC UK-Japan SSH Connections grant. This was followed by a film screening of 'Over the Sky' and 'Passing the Baton', two documentaries produced by US-based Japanese filmmaker Toko Shiiki - who also attended and provided a commentary on her films. Both presentations sparked questions and discussion afterwards. Postgraduate-level university students attending the talk were particularly interested in Dr Mabon's work, which led to increased engagement on social media and an invite to be interviewed for a university student research project. The event formed part of the Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-20. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| URL | https://www.edinburgh.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/itpr_ja/00_000454.html |
| Description | Invited expert presenter to World Bank Knowledge Sharing Series on Low Carbon and Climate-Smart Cities |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Invited speaker at World Bank Knowledge Sharing Series on Low Carbon and Climate-Smart Cities #4: Climate-Smart Urban Form, which was a Side Event at 13th Asia-Pacific City Summit on 27 October 2021. Over 100 people joined the session online, and feedback I received from the organisers afterwards said participants found the presentation useful and the need to consider skills and jobs for resilience to be an excellent point. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cVdU9DcL4c |
| Description | Invited seminar at Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, Texas A&M University |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Invited seminar on Coastal communities, major environmental change, and inherent resilience: insights from the Fukushima coast, delivered at Glasscock Center for Humanities Research, Texas A&M University, USA, 6 November 2020. The talk sparked discussion and questions about radiation risk and underpinning science more widely. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://youtu.be/LhvbEkJJN94 |
| Description | Lecturer and seminar to students at the International College of Innovation at National Chengchi University, Taiwan |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | A lecture and subsequent workshop was given to postgraduate students studying at the International College of Innovation at National Chengchi University in Taiwan, on the social and cultural importance of fisheries in Fukushima Prefecture and the complexities around the management of treated water at the Fukushima Dai'ichi site. The student body was international in nature, with students from Taiwan, South-East Asia, Europe and North America. Students discussed extensively as to whether or not they would choose to eat Fukushima fish, and reported an increase in understanding of the social dimensions of the situation on the Fukushima coast as a result of the class. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Naraha Channel appearance |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mabon was filmed on 26 January 2020 for a segment on 'Naraha Channel,' a web-based community TV channel hosted on YouTube for the community of Naraha Town, Futaba County, Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. In the segment - filmed in Japanese - Dr Mabon discusses his research to date in Naraha following the lifting in 2015 of the town's evacuation order that had been in place since the 2011 nuclear accident. The filming process inspired questions from participating community members about daily life in Scotland's coastal communities. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Op-Ed author, The group most affected never had a say in Fukushima water release,' 360 Info |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Leslie Mabon was contacted by Australian science news syndicate site 360Info to write an op-ed piece on the views of Fukushima's fishers in light of the planned releases of treated water from the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear plant, based on insights gained during the ESRC-funded research. The piece was syndicated among Australian and international news outliets, and let to follow-up contact from other news organisations for interviews. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://360info.org/the-group-most-directly-affected-never-had-a-say-in-fukushima-water-release/ |
| Description | Presentation to fishers and local government in Kashima Fishing Port, Minamisoma City, Fukushima Prefecture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Project PI Dr Mabon and Project Co-PI Prof Kawabe visited Kashima Fishing Port in Minamisoma City in Fukushima Prefecture on Tuesday 19 March 2019. The purpose of their visit was to present the concept of their ESRC-AHRC UK-Japan SSH Connections grant on 'Building social resilience to environmental change in marginalised coastal communities' to fishers and management staff from the Kashima Fisheries Cooperative, and to staff from Minamisoma City Government. Dr Mabon and Prof Kawabe provided short presentations (approx. 10 minutes in Japanese) to the group, after which time they discussed the project with the assembled fishers, fisheries cooperative staff, and city government officials. Dr Mabon also took the opportunity to present initial findings from a project into local identity and social media images of marine produce, which was undertaken as part of the Revitalisation Approach of Minamisoma-supported project he and Prof Kawabe undertook, and which will be developed further during the ESRC-AHRC project. The subsequent group discussion helped to identify areas of interest which Dr Mabon and Prof Kawabe could explore during their research to generate insights valuable to the fishing communities. As a result of the session, the younger fishers in particular expressed interest in learning more about how they could utilise social media to develop a local post-disaster fisheries identity. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Public Outreach Forum for Geologic Carbon Storage |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mabon was an expert panelist at the workshop 'Public Outreach Forum for Geologic Carbon Storage', held by the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taipei, Taiwan on 6 February 2020. During this, he shared insights on communicating risk and community engagement for sub-seabed carbon dioxide storage developed through the UK-Japan SSH grant. Audience members reported increased knowledge of some of the challenges of public engagement for carbon dioxide storage, and learning from international experiences. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Quoted expert in Global Voices article on releases of treated water from the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interviewed and quoted as an expert in the Global Voices news site article on the response to the Japanese Government's approval of plans to release treated water from Fukushima Dai'ichi into the Pacific Ocean. The reporter collating the story commented on how the insights from our research into the social and cultural dimensions of Fukushima fisheries added an important yet under-recognised aspect to understanding the situation in Fukushima. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://globalvoices.org/2021/04/17/japan-announces-timeline-to-dilute-dump-radioactive-fukushima-wa... |
| Description | Reseach blog related to the project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | PI Mabon provides periodical updates on project progress via his own personal research blog, within which he has assigned a category specific to the UK-Japan grant for ease of finding posts: https://energyvalues.wordpress.com/category/esrc-ahrc-ssh-connections/ |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019,2020 |
| URL | https://energyvalues.wordpress.com/category/esrc-ahrc-ssh-connections/ |
| Description | Research design for marine social science |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mabon delivered a postgraduate research design workshop at Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, which provided training to 9 Masters-level students in the Department of Marine Policy and Culture in research design for marine social science. Students reported they found the presentation useful, and would incorporate the strategies into their own research design for their MSc theses. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Talk to youth of Fukushima to support SDGs voluntary local review |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mabon gave a talk titled 'Fukushima Dai'ichi and the treated water issue: the social and environmental situation in 2021' to a group of students from Fukushima Prefecture, who are conducting a voluntary local review into the Sustainable Development Goals. The talk was also open to the public, and sparked discussion on the future of the Fukushima coast and the decommissioning of the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear plant. The findings will feed into a voluntary local review of the SDGs in Fukushima Prefecture, to be released spring 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | The sea, food and fishers' lives in Fukushima |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Dr Mabon delivered a guest talk on the sea, food and fishers' lives in Fukushima as part of the 'Japan Events in Glasgow' series organised by University of Glasgow within the Japan-UK Season of Culture 2019-20. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | Twitter account established to keep track of the marine environment in Fukushima |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Twitter account @FukushimaSeas established as a legacy of project, to enable longer-term knowledge-sharing on news and latest peer-reviewed science produced relating to the marine environment and the ongoing situation at the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant. As the activity requires minimal input and also fits with the PI's ongoing research interests and further plans, it can continue indefinitely at no cost. This account was set up as a legacy output from the project, in response to the need identified for reliable yet factual information on the situation with the treated water at the Fukushima Dai'ichi plant that could provide English-language audiences with information on which to come to an informed understanding of what is happening on the ground. Followers have reported they find the posts informative and helpful in making sense of what is going on, especially when it comes to translating news stories from Japanese to English. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://twitter.com/FukushimaSeas |
| Description | Young Academy of Scotland Research the Headlines Blog: Water releases at Fukushima nuclear plant |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Blog post summarising the latest research underpinning the safety of the planned releases of treated water from the Fukushima Dai'ichi nuclear power plant in Japan. The aim of the post was to add context to some of the popular news media reporting around the water releases by providing explanation as to the underpinning science. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://researchtheheadlines.org/2020/11/17/will-the-planned-water-releases-from-the-fukushima-daiic... |