Abstract
In order to meet climate change mitigation goals, nations such as Japan need to consider strategies to reduce the impact that lifestyles have on overall emission levels. This study analyzes carbon footprints from household consumption (i.e., lifestyles) using index and structural decomposition analysis for the time period from 1990 to 2005. The analysis identified that households in their 40s and 50s had the highest levels of both direct and indirect CO2 emissions, with decomposition identifying consumption patterns as the driving force behind these emissions and advances in CO2 reduction technology having a reducing effect on lifestyle emissions. An additional challenge addressed by this study is the aging, shrinking population phenomenon in Japan. The increase in the number of few-member and elderly households places upward pressure on emissions as the aging population and declining national birth rate continues. The analysis results offer two mitigatory policy suggestions: the focusing of carbon reduction policies on older and smaller households, and the education of consumers toward low-carbon consumption habits. As the aging, shrinking population phenomenon is not unique to Japan, the findings of this research have broad applications globally where these demographic shifts are being experienced.
Highlights
To meet the global climate change mitigation target of limiting global warming to just 1.5 ◦ C [1], an extensive effort toward reducing carbon emissions throughout our lifestyles is critical
Household carbon footprints (CF) is defined as the sum of direct carbon emissions induced by driving a passenger motor car, cooking and household heating (D), and indirect carbon emissions generated through the supply chain due to household consumption (S)
CO2 emissions induced by Japanese household consumption from 1990 to 2005 are shown in indirect CO2 emissions continuously increased, with an annual average increase of 6.6 Mt in 1990–2005
Summary
To meet the global climate change mitigation target of limiting global warming to just 1.5 ◦ C [1], an extensive effort toward reducing carbon emissions throughout our lifestyles is critical. Consumption-based accounting [2,3] quantifies direct or territorial emissions due to fuel combustion and indirect emissions generated through the supply chains of goods and services, allowing for the consideration of broader abatement options from both the demand and supply sides [4]. This is known as a “cradle-to-gate” (i.e., from raw material extraction to final consumption) assessment. Almost 65% of CF are induced by household consumption [8]
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