of life is also low, while developed countries have a high quality of life but also a high degree of environmental impact.

Therefore, both the OECD’s Green Growth and the UNEP’s Green Economy can be understood as proposing an ideal process for achieving a sustainable society, based on a view of the troubled global situation of the environment, the economy, and the society. Faced with these global trends, defining socioeconomic structure is a critical issue for Japan.

## Section 3 Socioeconomic Activities and Environmental Impacts in Japan

Efforts to reduce environmental impacts while achieving economic growth has become a global trend. To achieve these goals, Japan can learn from the Green Economy and Green Growth proposals by the UNEP and the OECD in terms of promoting initiatives that support sustainable development for the Japanese environment and economy. The following provides an overview of Japan's environment, economy, and society through statistical data related to the environment and the economy and the entire globe.

## Relationship between Economic Affluence and Ecological Footprint

Note: Some large value countries are eliminated to facilitate visualization

Source: Ministry of the Environment based on the UN database

Relationship among Environment, Economy, and Society from the Ecological Footprint Viewpoint

Source: Global Footprint Network (2010), UNDP (2009)

## 1 Socioeconomic Activities and Emissions of Substances with Environmental Impact

Measuring environmental impact can provide basic information to understand the integrated progress of the environment and the economy.

In this regard, the relationship between GDP growth and emissions of substances causing environmental impact such as carbon dioxide, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, or waste since 1990 is examined (Figure 1-3-1). In terms of the relationship between the emission of carbon dioxide and other impact substances and socioeconomic activity in Japan, this shows that carbon dioxide tends to fluctuate with GDP. On the other hand, sulfur oxides show a downward trend (decoupling) in spite of economic growth. Nitrogen oxides and waste have shown this decoupling trend since the first half of the 2000s.

Here is a more detailed look at carbon dioxide as a cause of global warming. Carbon dioxide emissions tend to increase with global economic growth. Developing countries in particular will increasingly need to take countermeasures against climate change due to their rapidly increasing carbon dioxide emissions accompanying their economic growth.

Figure 1-3-2 shows the trend in the relationship between GDP per capita and carbon dioxide emissions by country. Higher inclinations of the lines represent greater emissions of carbon dioxide against economic growth. In China, there has been a notable increase in carbon dioxide emissions with economic growth. Korea also shows a similar tendency of economic growth accompanied by uncontrolled emissions of carbon dioxide.

Some developed countries such as Sweden are reducing their carbon dioxide emissions despite economic growth. In Japan, carbon dioxide emissions tended to increase slightly until 2007, however, as a whole, Japan has been controlling carbon dioxide emissions relatively well even in times of economic expansion or improvement.

A sustainable society for the world to seek is a low carbon society without compromising economic growth. The data does not indicate the decoupling of economic growth with increase in carbon dioxide emissions, however, does indicate the possibility to reduce the environmental impact and the climate change with economic growth as shown in some countries. On the other hand, significantly growing countries such as China are drastically increasing their emissions of carbon dioxide, thus have a great deal of potential to contribute to countermeasures against climate change.

Economic disparities among developing countries are an emerging global issue. The reduction of these disparities and the environmental issues need to be dealt with as a package.

The effect of economic growth shows the similar tendency in carbon dioxide emissions and in waste. In Asia, the waste production seems to increase with economic growth (Figure 1-3-3). However, waste production in Japan has not increased much despite economic growth.

These global conditions, especially in Asia, suggest that Japan should pursue a society that can achieve both economic growth and low environmental impact, by system and technological innovation and demand restructure that contribute to constructing a low carbon society. Japan's leading and advanced technologies and systems can contribute to the global Green Economy.