IGES Comparative study on the Development of low-carbon cities in China, Japan and South Korea
1 carbon dioxide emission trend and policy framework for low-carbon development
(1) carbon dioxide emission trend. In 2019, China, Japan and South Korea accounted for more than 33% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and their per capita carbon emissions were all higher than the world average. 1 China's carbon dioxide emissions are the highest among the three countries. According to the emission reduction targets set in China's National Climate change Plan (2014-2020) and the 13th five-year Plan (2016-2020), by 2019, China's carbon emission intensity has decreased by 18.2% compared with 2015 and 48.1% compared with 2005, and the 2020 carbon emission intensity reduction target has been overfulfilled ahead of schedule. From 1990 to 2019, Japan's carbon dioxide emissions showed a gradual increase-slow decline trend, reaching a peak in 2013. Since 2014, Japan's carbon dioxide emissions have shown a continuous downward trend, which is mainly related to the reduction of energy consumption in Japan's manufacturing industry and the widespread use of renewable energy and low-carbon electricity. Except during the Asian financial crisis, carbon dioxide in South Korea showed an increasing trend from 1990 to 2019. Compared with 1990, South Korea's per capita emissions increased by more than 2.5 times in 2017, higher than in China and Japan over the same period. Through the improvement of energy efficiency and the transformation of low-carbon energy, South Korea's carbon intensity fell by 27% in 2017 compared with 1990. All three countries have set national independent contribution targets in accordance with the Paris Agreement, promising to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 (Japan and South Korea) and 2060 (China).
