Examining environmental risks from the viewpoint of de-population and infrastructure issues

Abstract

The Japanese population will decrease to 88 million in the 2050s. Moreover, the Japanese economy must be supported by half of the labor production population. In this process, infrastructure is aging, and the era of massive renewal is coming. It is important to create a sustainable infrastructure. To do so, we need to consider the balance of environment, economy, society, and technology. In this paper, environmental risks are discussed, In the past, the main issue was environmental pollution due to population growth and urbanization. Japan has faced various environmental problems, including pollution, heat island phenomena, and exhaust gas problems caused by traffic congestion during the growth period. When the population decreases, it is often considered that the environmental load might be reduced. However, regarding the process of shrinking of the city, it has not been noted that the cold spot phenomenon, which reduces the efficiency of the infrastructure network, may cause another environmental problem. In this paper, I consider this point using the old East Germany as an example and propose that similar trends will be seen in Japan. I would like to suggest that environmental risks must not be disregarded in the reconstruction of infrastructure.