The World Resources Institute has published an interactive chart that shows a comparison of greenhouse gas emissions by country and economic sector. According to the data, the top 10 emitting countries, that include Japan, which ranks 6th, account for over two-thirds of global GHG emissions and play a key role to successfully fight climate change.

Looking only at Japan which contributes 2.5% of global GHG, the agriculture-derived emissions are relatively low. On the other hand, Japan depends on foreign countries for 60% of its calorie-based food (mainly maize and wheat, and maize for livestock feed). Although Japan is aging, the world population is expected to increase by about 2 billion to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, and it is predicted that most of the increase will occur in developing countries. Many of these developing countries are food exporters, and the effects of climate change have further destabilized agricultural production. Therefore, Japan, which relies on calorie-based food supply for international trade, is also required to participate and lead international cooperation in maintaining international food and nutrition security and mitigating and adapting to climate change.

Reference

World Resource Institute. This Interactive Chart Shows Changes in the World's Top 10 Emitters by Johannes Friedrich Johannes Friedrich, Mengpin Ge and Andrew Pickens - December 10, 2020 https://www.wri.org/blog/2020/12/interactive-chart-top-emitters

Contributor: IIYAMA Miyuki (Research Strategy Office)