xi
IEA Report
The Paris Agreement is not merely a hope. According to the International Energy
Agency (IEA), global carbon emissions have remained constant at 32.1 billion tons
during the four year period from 2013 to 2016. It is possible that CO 2 emissions,
though the overall level continues to increase, may have finally hit a ceiling. Over
the past three years, global GDP has achieved a growth rate exceeding 3%. It is a
commonly held belief that economic growth results in increased energy consumption and an increased level of CO 2 .
However, the 3-year period from 2013 revealed that economic growth does not
necessarily result in an increased level of CO 2 . This is referred to as the decoupling
of the economy and energy. The world has henceforth entered an era of simultaneously aiming at economic growth and suppressing CO 2 .
The main reason that CO 2 emissions have hit the ceiling is that such emissions
have started to decline in China and the United States, which are the first and second
largest CO 2 emitters in the world, respectively. In China, the consumption of coal
decreased due to increased energy-saving tactics, and at the same time, use of
renewable energy sources that do not generate CO 2 , such as hydroelectric and wind
power generation, has increased. Power supply from renewable energy sources
increased from 19% in 2011 to 28% in 2015. In the United States, the utilization of
renewable energy has increased, alongside a shift from coal to gas.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce CO 2 while achieving economic growth.
Japan’s Experiences as a Leading Country in Resolving Societal
Problems
If everyone can live life with dignity and material needs are satisfied, many difficulties can be overcome. For civilization to be sustained, it is necessary to secure people’s material needs while maintaining the global environment. After all, we will be
faced with the difficult task of simultaneously reducing energy consumption while
achieving economic growth. In fact, Japan, as a problem-solving developed country,
has the first-hand experience of dealing these problems and has shown that it is possible to solve them.
Figure 6 shows Japan’s GDP, energy consumption, and power consumption over
the past half a century. For two distinct periods of history, Japan achieved economic
growth without any change to energy consumption. The first instance was during a
12-year period from 1973 to 1985 when its GDP increased from ¥200 trillion to
¥300 trillion while energy consumption remained unchanged. The second instance
was in the most recent decade, in which energy consumption decreased while economic growth, although small, occurred. Electric power consumption also decreased.
Preface: From “Vision 2050” to “New Vision 2050”
IEA Report
The Paris Agreement is not merely a hope. According to the International Energy
Agency (IEA), global carbon emissions have remained constant at 32.1 billion tons
during the four year period from 2013 to 2016. It is possible that CO 2 emissions,
though the overall level continues to increase, may have finally hit a ceiling. Over
the past three years, global GDP has achieved a growth rate exceeding 3%. It is a
commonly held belief that economic growth results in increased energy consumption and an increased level of CO 2 .
However, the 3-year period from 2013 revealed that economic growth does not
necessarily result in an increased level of CO 2 . This is referred to as the decoupling
of the economy and energy. The world has henceforth entered an era of simultaneously aiming at economic growth and suppressing CO 2 .
The main reason that CO 2 emissions have hit the ceiling is that such emissions
have started to decline in China and the United States, which are the first and second
largest CO 2 emitters in the world, respectively. In China, the consumption of coal
decreased due to increased energy-saving tactics, and at the same time, use of
renewable energy sources that do not generate CO 2 , such as hydroelectric and wind
power generation, has increased. Power supply from renewable energy sources
increased from 19% in 2011 to 28% in 2015. In the United States, the utilization of
renewable energy has increased, alongside a shift from coal to gas.
Therefore, it is possible to reduce CO 2 while achieving economic growth.
Japan’s Experiences as a Leading Country in Resolving Societal
Problems
If everyone can live life with dignity and material needs are satisfied, many difficulties can be overcome. For civilization to be sustained, it is necessary to secure people’s material needs while maintaining the global environment. After all, we will be
faced with the difficult task of simultaneously reducing energy consumption while
achieving economic growth. In fact, Japan, as a problem-solving developed country,
has the first-hand experience of dealing these problems and has shown that it is possible to solve them.
Figure 6 shows Japan’s GDP, energy consumption, and power consumption over
the past half a century. For two distinct periods of history, Japan achieved economic
growth without any change to energy consumption. The first instance was during a
12-year period from 1973 to 1985 when its GDP increased from ¥200 trillion to
¥300 trillion while energy consumption remained unchanged. The second instance
was in the most recent decade, in which energy consumption decreased while economic growth, although small, occurred. Electric power consumption also decreased.
Preface: From “Vision 2050” to “New Vision 2050”