2011 Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 48-58
Objective. In this paper, we focus on the environmental administration of local government and the environmental activities of consumers. First, using the National Survey of Family Income and Expenditure for the City of Yokohama, we analyze the existing consumption activities of citizens and the associated CO2 emissions. Next, we calculated CO2 emissions by utilizing the CO2 emission factor which is equivalent to the carbon-footprint for each expense item. Finally, we estimate price elasticities for each item and simulate the effect of environmental policies, such as the promotion of organic farming, the eco-point system, and price changes for electricity and fuels.
Results and Discussion. We found that different consumers react differently to such environmental policies depending on their expenditure patterns. If the information concerning carbon-footprints for various goods and items is readily available in the future, policy assessments and simulation analysis will become increasingly accurate.
Conclusions. Our paper shows that the role of local government is essential in carrying out environmental policies. This especially holds true for policies affecting consumers. Local governments can ascertain the current status of individual households much better than the national government can, so they will have a more important role in creating a sustainable consumption society.
