Measuring the rebound of Japan's per-industry household carbon footprints and emission inequalities during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021

Abstract

This study examined the COVID-19 crisis’ impact on household carbon footprints (CFs) in Japan associated with consumption changes from 2020 to 2021, focusing on the employment industries of household heads. We emphasized the influence of associated lifestyle shifts on inter-household emission inequalities, as indicated by the CF-Gini coefficient. Most of the average per-capita CFs were 2.9 % (range: -7.9–5.2 % among industries) lower in 2020 than pre-COVID-19 levels. However, in 2021, the average per-capita CF increased by 3.6 % (-12.2–17.2 %), and the CFs of most employment industries rebounded. This was likely due to the movement restriction relaxation stemming from increased COVID-19 vaccination and state-of-emergency declaration differences. Hence, lifestyle changes caused the CF-Gini to fall below pre-COVID-19 crisis levels, and the rebound of consumption demands became evident. Thus, greater attention should be directed toward demand, specifically for technological innovations and economic support measures that reduce the CF and emission inequalities.