2.1 Introduction
Although the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, there is still no clear consensus
as to whether developed countries should take the lead in reducing emissions. In
2019, the United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement on the grounds that it
affected its own interests. Against this background, the emission reduction actions of
Asian countries are worthy of attention. Among the top 12 emitters of carbon
dioxide, two-thirds are in Asia (Fig. 2.1). China, Japan, and South Korea ranked
first, fifth, and seventh globally, accounting for about 33.44% of emissions in 2018
(IEA 2019). Therefore, climate change countermeasures taken in China, Japan, and
South Korea will be critical for global emission reductions.
One difficulty in negotiating emission reductions is the need to simultaneously
balance interests among developed countries, among developing countries, and
between developed and developing countries. China, Japan, and South Korea are
developing, developed, and semi-developed countries, respectively; thus cooperation among them could serve as a pilot for global cooperation (Fig. 2.2). Moreover,
China, Japan, and South Korea are all large energy consumers reliant on fossil fuels.
Transition from a high energy consumption society to a low-carbon society, called
decarbonization, is a pressing issue. In this chapter, we analyze the current situation
in these three countries from the perspectives of economy, energy, and the environment. Then, we clarify the limits of economic growth and environmental impact
when building a decarbonized society among these countries. Finally, we develop a
China 27.96%
India
United States
14.90%
7.37%
Russia
4.60%
Japan, 3.41%
Germany 2.13%
South Korea 2.07%
Iran 1.95%
Saudi Arabia 1.70%
Canada 1.65%
Indonesia 1.59%
Mexico 1.37%
Others 29.31%
Fig. 2.1 Proportion of global carbon dioxide emissions contributed by the largest emitters in 2018.
Source: IEA (2019)
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X. Qian et al.
Although the Paris Agreement was adopted in 2015, there is still no clear consensus
as to whether developed countries should take the lead in reducing emissions. In
2019, the United States withdrew from the Paris Agreement on the grounds that it
affected its own interests. Against this background, the emission reduction actions of
Asian countries are worthy of attention. Among the top 12 emitters of carbon
dioxide, two-thirds are in Asia (Fig. 2.1). China, Japan, and South Korea ranked
first, fifth, and seventh globally, accounting for about 33.44% of emissions in 2018
(IEA 2019). Therefore, climate change countermeasures taken in China, Japan, and
South Korea will be critical for global emission reductions.
One difficulty in negotiating emission reductions is the need to simultaneously
balance interests among developed countries, among developing countries, and
between developed and developing countries. China, Japan, and South Korea are
developing, developed, and semi-developed countries, respectively; thus cooperation among them could serve as a pilot for global cooperation (Fig. 2.2). Moreover,
China, Japan, and South Korea are all large energy consumers reliant on fossil fuels.
Transition from a high energy consumption society to a low-carbon society, called
decarbonization, is a pressing issue. In this chapter, we analyze the current situation
in these three countries from the perspectives of economy, energy, and the environment. Then, we clarify the limits of economic growth and environmental impact
when building a decarbonized society among these countries. Finally, we develop a
China 27.96%
India
United States
14.90%
7.37%
Russia
4.60%
Japan, 3.41%
Germany 2.13%
South Korea 2.07%
Iran 1.95%
Saudi Arabia 1.70%
Canada 1.65%
Indonesia 1.59%
Mexico 1.37%
Others 29.31%
Fig. 2.1 Proportion of global carbon dioxide emissions contributed by the largest emitters in 2018.
Source: IEA (2019)
38
X. Qian et al.