The Action Plan for Achieving a Low-carbon Society is aiming automakers to sell one unit of next generation vehicle out of every two new vehicles by 2020, and the NIES has made a trial calculation in the case that the promotion of hybrid vehicles will spread rapidly. The trial calculation estimated that if all new automobiles sold were hybrid vehicles by 2020 with their diffusion rate reaching 40%, $ CO_{2} $ emissions of the transport sector would be reduced by 3%, compared to the base year.

Next, we will look at a case where conversion from automobiles to public transportation is progressing. Toyama city in Toyama prefecture projected a full-scale LRT (Light Rail Transit) by launching a new route (1.1 km) converting to a street car with the relevant route (6.5 km), in order to stop the vicious circle, including the motorization in which the decreasing number of Toyama-ko line users reduces the number of trains operated which further reduces the number of users. Toyama city’s dependency on vehicles is high compared to the national average, and transport share by

CO₂ Reduction Effects by Switching from Minivans to Next Generation Electric Vehicles

Source: National Institute for Environmental Studies “Research on reduction of environmental load by a review of daily use transportation”

density becomes higher (Figure3-3-18). Therefore, urgent review to develop proper wastewater treatment facilities by sufficiently reflecting regional characteristics, including the importance of economic efficiency and water quality, taking changes of social conditions into account, such as the recent trend of population decline is being promoted in the "Prefectural Plan"—a comprehensive plan on wastewater treatment formulated by each prefecture. The dissemination of wastewater facilities will contribute to regional invigoration, including the promotion of settlement, industrial development and improvement of sightseeing attractiveness—due to the development of regional living and social infrastructure—in addition to water environment improvement, such as the reduction of bubbles and foul odor from smell floating on rivers and lakes, for example.

Furthermore, biomass such as biogas and sludge generated during the process of wastewater treatment is planned to be effectively used, and treated water is utilized to maintain the

means of transport for public transportation has remained at 4.2% with vehicles having about 72% share. The average number of users using the Toyama-ko line after its conversion to LRT on weekdays jumped to about 4,900 in 2006, from about 2,200 (2.2 folds) during the period operated by the West Japan Railway Company. The average number of users during weekends has also increased by 5.3 fold and especially the percentage use among the aged has been high. Passengers transferring from buses and automobiles have reached about 25% and 22% on weekdays and weekends respectively, and $ CO_{2} $ emissions from vehicle use are considered to be reduced. Toyama city's LRT introduction has affected many fields, including the formation of a barrier-free city in the age of aging society with fewer children, and economic effects such as an increase in tourists and residential construction numbers, in addition to the development of a compact community focusing public transportation and the formation of a low-carbon society without depending on vehicle traffic.

CO₂ Reduction Scenario of Transport Sector

Source: National Institute for Environmental Studies "Transportation in Low Carbon Society"

water volume of chatter water and rivers. In addition the usage of flush toilet water, is to be used cyclically valuable resource.

## (3) Regional approaches of the local consumption of locally produced products

## A The status of Japan’s food mileage

Japan’s self-sufficiency rate of food supply is about 40% on a calorie basis, and self-sufficient rate of timber is only about 20%. The majority of our lives being supported by imported products.

“Food mileage” is an index which represents environmental load that arises from food transportation, multiplying the transported food (ton) by the mileage (km). It shows that the longer the distance between a production site and a