Fuel‐Specific Carbon Footprint Embodied in Japanese Household Lifestyles

Abstract

Currently, households are major emitters of the world's greenhouse gases (GHGs), given the massive amounts of energy that are consumed to fulfill residential demand (Ala-Mantila et al., 2014;Wiedenhofer et al., 2017). In fact, nearly one-third of global carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions, which are the largest component of GHGs, can be attributed to households (Wei et al., 2007). On the other hand, household consumption is complicated, diverse, and highly behavior-driven, which implies that the household sector could be the source of a considerable reduction in GHGs. Taking the household GHG emissions of the United Kingdom as an example, 37% of a future decrease in the UK's emissions can be achieved within its household sector, implying that households consume far more than is needed (Druckman & Jackson, 2010). The large share sees the household sector recognized as the most promising area for meeting various reduction targets. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) emphasized, for example, that the modification of household consumption is necessary if the world is to meet the 1.5-degree mitigation target it has set (IPCC, 2014). Similarly, in the intended nationally determined contribution (NDCs) of Japan, the household sector has been called on to decrease nearly 40% of its CO 2 emissions by 2030 in terms of its 2013 levels (UNFCCC, 2015). Given its enormous contribution to GHG emissions, as well as its potential for significantly reducing them, the way that we can best promote household efforts to help climate change mitigation has become a vital issue for most countries across the world (Aune et al., 2016;Shigetomi et al., 2018). However, households are the largest final consumption source, and their consumption is not just measured by direct fuel combustion, but also by the indirect emissions released in the supply chain. As a result, that

Estimation of carbon footprint of Indian households in Kalyani subdivision of district Nadia, West Bengal, India

“…A similar pattern was observed in EU (European Union) regions where the major contributor (13 -44 %) was transport fuel [36]. In contrast, heating and cooling were largest contributor in Japan for a specific season [37]. The rapidly changing lifestyles of other major Indian cities somehow affect their purchasing behaviour and personal choices that indirectly contribute to emissions, while the studied area is still in the process of fully absorbing modernism [34,38,39].…”

Carbon Footprint Differentiation in the Japanese Residential Sector Due To Income‐Driven Divergences in Consumption and Time Allocation

“…However, although the indirect emissions of the highest income group are consistently higher across all consumption categories (Figures 3 and 4), the opposite is observed for some direct emission categories. This is because lower‐income households tend to use disproportionately more kerosene for space heating, especially in poorer and remote areas such as Hokkaido, Tohoku or other mountainous areas (Long, Yoshida, et al., 2021). Beyond its generally higher emission factor compared to other fuel options for space heating (e.g., electricity), when kerosene is used for space heating, there is a need for good ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning (Lam et al., 2012; Long, Guan, et al., 2021).…”

Mixed diets can meet nutrient requirements with lower carbon footprints

“…Studies assessing the carbon footprint of diets have increasingly considered impacts across entire supply chains, from production, transport, processing, and cooking (30,40,41), including inputs among different industries in the countries or regions from which food items originate (42). For example, environmentally extended input-output tables have been used to quantify the carbon footprint of diets in different sectors and regions (43)(44)(45)(46), including in the United States (47), China (48,49), the European Union (50)(51)(52), and South Asia (53). Such consumption-based accounting methods can estimate the carbon footprint of diets and suggest appropriate options to promote low-carbon dietary transitions (54)(55)(56) but are yet to be mobilized effectively at the dish level.…”