Abstract
The economic development since the Industrial Revolution has been supported by the provision of energy, which has also increased the burden on the environment. While the industrialised countries account for the large proportion of the past and present energy consumption and environmental pollution, the contribution from the nations which are presently called “developing countries” is expected to exceed half the global energy requirements and environmental pollution in 30 years with their economic development. In addition, the environmental concerns have extended from the traditional and localised pollutions to those with wider time and regional perspective, called the global environmental problems such as climatic warming. The future task of the human kind is to ensure the stable energy demand and supply and to improve the environment, while allowing the economic progress. At the same time, the country and regional differences exist in their energy resource endowment, response potential to environmental protection, and other characteristics. Thus, the steady actions are needed, reflecting the specific circumstances, mutually learning other countries' experiences and exchanging technologies and information. The short-sighted uniform measures, such as the introduction of the common carbon tax would be counter-productive.
