Japan’s decarbonization pathway: Demographic change and emissions intensity

Authors

  • Adedolapo Adekoya Funso-Alao Thompson Rivers University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29173/bcelnfe733

Keywords:

Japan, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, IPAT/Kaya framework, decarbonization, climate policy, Paris Agreement, decomposition, emissions intensity, economic growth, climate targets, energy transition, net-zero

Author Biography

Adedolapo Adekoya Funso-Alao , Thompson Rivers University

Adedolapo Adekoya Funso-Alao is a graduate student from Nigeria in the Master in Environmental Economics and Management program at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, Canada. She is especially interested in how businesses can grow while still caring for people and the planet. Her studies focus on sustainability in business, environmental policy, and cost–benefit analysis, and she enjoys linking economic ideas to real‑world challenges faced by communities and companies.

References

Cover photo: Mira, J. (n.d.). Vibrant Tokyo nightlife on a busy street [Photograph]. Pexels. https://www.pexels.com/photo/vibrant-tokyo-nightlife-on-a-busy-street-31376480/ Encyclopaedia Britannica. (n.d.). Negotiations and agreement. In Paris Agreement. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Paris-Agreement-2015/Negotiations-and-agreement

Kii, M. (2020). Reductions in CO2 emissions from passenger cars under demography and technology scenarios in Japan by 2050. Sustainability. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12176919

Ministry of the Environment, Japan. (2016, December 5). Japan’s national greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal year 2015. https://www.env.go.jp/en/headline/2287.html

Oshiro, K., Gi, K., Fujimori, S., Van Soest, H., Bertram, C., Després, J., Masui, T., Rochedo, P., Roelfsema, M., & Vrontisi, Z. (2019). Mid-century emission pathways in Japan associated with the global 2 °C goal: National and global models assessments based on carbon budgets. Climatic Change, 162, 19131927. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-019-02490-x

Silva Herran, D., & Fujimori, S. (2021). Beyond Japanese NDC: Energy and macroeconomic transitions towards 2050 in emission pathways with multiple ambition levels. Sustainability Science, 16, 489501. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00930-1

Sugiyama, M., Fujimori, S., Fujimori, S., Wada, K., Endo, S., Fujii, Y., Komiyama, R., Kato, E., Kurosawa, A., Matsuo, Y., Oshiro, K., Sano, F., & Shiraki, H. (2019). Japan's long-term climate mitigation policy: Multi-model assessment and sectoral challenges. Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2018.10.091

Sugiyama, M., Fujimori, S., Wada, K., Oshiro, K., Kato, E., Komiyama, R., Herran, D., Matsuo, Y., Shiraki, H., & Ju, Y. (2021). EMF 35 JMIP study for Japan’s long-term climate and energy policy: Scenario designs and key findings. Sustainability Science, 16, 355374. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00913-2

Sustainable Governance Indicators [SGI]. (2023, September 16). Japan: Environmental sustainability. https://www.sgi-network.org/2024/Japan/Environmental_Sustainability

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. (2015). Paris Agreement [PDF]. https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/english_paris_agreement.pdf

World Bank. (n.d.). Japan. In DataBank: World Development Indicators. https://data.worldbank.org/country/japan

Yamada, K., , R., Yamamoto, M., Ueda, H., & Sakai, S. (2023). Japan’s greenhouse gas reduction scenarios toward net zero by 2050 in the material cycles and waste management sector. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management, 25, 18071823. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10163-023-01650-7

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Published

2026-02-27

How to Cite

Funso-Alao , A. A. (2026). Japan’s decarbonization pathway: Demographic change and emissions intensity. Future Earth: A Student Journal on Sustainability and Environment. https://doi.org/10.29173/bcelnfe733

Issue

2026: Special Issue: Ambition vs. Action — Growth, Emissions, and Climate Targets in the Paris Agreement Era

Section

Commentaries and Opinions

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