An Analysis of Determinant Factors on Carbon Dioxide Emission in Japanese Regions Using Regional Input-Output Model
2003 Volume 34 Issue 1 Pages 1-22
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2003 Volume 34 Issue 1 Pages 1-22
The global warming is the most important environmental issue for human society in terms of its scale and impact. The Japanese Government established the Global Worming Headquarters in December 1997 to implement effective measures against global warming-related issues. The Japanese Diet approved the Kyoto Protocol in May 2002, and accordingly, Japan has an obligation of greenhouse gas emissions reduction of 6% below 1990 levels.
The greenhouse gas emissions in Japan are mainly generated from energy sources, such as oil, coal and natural gas. They are closely related to the public life and economic activities. Therefore, it is necessary to take various measures for both energy supply and demand sides to achieve the reduction of greenhouse gases stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol.
The input-output analysis is a useful tool to examine the economic structural problems concerning the economic growth, the industrial structure and the environment. Various researches have been made to estimate the carbon dioxide emissions from the economic activities and the public life in Japan using input-output tables.
This paper aims to identify the relationships between the regional economic structure and the carbon dioxide emission in Japanese regions. The study employs regional input-output tables published by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the data for carbon dioxide emission intensity estimated by the National Institute for Environmental Studies for years 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990 and 1995.
The empirical study has revealed that the electricity and the transport sectors showed marked increases in carbon dioxide emissions during 1975-95, whereas most of the manufacturing sectors showed reduction during the same period. According to the analysis by region, the carbon dioxide emission showed a growing trend in each region due to an increase in final demand. The trend was the clearest in the capital region, Kanto.
