94. A Way to Support the Future Development of Hydropower Murakami Shoichi (Proceedings, Hydro 2003, Vol. I, Croatia, pp. 33–42). Abstract Hydropower is assumed to retain a massive potential, not yet exploited, roughly equivalent to the total electricity consumption today in the world and acknowledged as the only renewable energy which can be supplied massively. The resources are mostly distributed in developing regions where the demands are sure to expand rapidly in near future and it also seems to hold the possibility to be utilized to increase the human welfare in global views. But recently, not limited to hydropower, many projects related to water resources development have faltered mainly caused by unsettled tradeoffs with impacts on social and natural environment. In the 90s human right of development has been clearly affirmed when it is done meeting the concept of sustainable development so as to regard the intraand inter-generational equity more explicitly than ever. Under these trends, together with the embodiment of global warming protection measures, general concept of the public against hydropower seems to be gradually shifting. At present, the bygone rationale of development based on the simple economic analysis can no more be convincing alone. Under the diversified value concepts, some systematic approach is required to promote the realization of development so as to put the human thoughts over various aspects in order. But actually in the past, the field of hydropower have rarely applied such support system in contrast with other industrial fields. Maybe it is caused by the past powerful tool of judgement on the one side, and by remarkably incommensurable consequences on the other side. But now extricating itself from the transitory backward thoughts and being backed up by recent affirmation of concepts, hydropower should be fairly stated of its worth in the future human welfares. For this, only relying on the tenets of sustainable development is enough? Probably questions may be raised to what extent hydropower is worth offsetting other conflicting outcomes and what paradigm should be based upon to define relative propriety. Even though there may not possibly be any decisive solution in unified way, we should exert ourselves to seek the way to approach to its better solution and establish the belief in a course as much as possible in each practice. This paper propose a trial method as a trigger of future development of such ways, focusing to be a support to the proponents in charge of planning and promoting the projects who should preferably hold confidence and take accountability against the public. Decision-making is a permanent theme of social philosophy. From the long past, in many undertakings which had heavy impacts on the society, decisions have been made in various ways, at times overwhelming the public or complying to the public. Last century has been a period of drastic change of people's value system. Even though the UN offered the tenets of development, the difficulty to build the comprehensive values of undertakings are not facilitated. As many cases which have fallen to confusion, lack of the credibility among the participants seem to be the biggest bottleneck. Participatory process is not to comply with the preference of the majority. To attain to the decision, preferable for the welfare of human society through the process, the proponents should hold the selfconfidence based on the holistic understanding of the situations, which will produce the credibility against other participants. Needless to say such are to be established by person's discernment, but it seems needed to show some ways to arrange thinking in order as to attain to the concept. The proposed method is a trial in various thinkable approaches but not to be far apart from the practice. It is expected to be modified and strengthened in future. Those may be applicable to selection of alternatives and also to pre-appraisal from outside supporters. Top Keywords Renewable energy, Global warming, Diversified Planning, Promoting, Confidence, Accountability, Public. Top |