Impact of energy on the environment the case of Japan

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine how energy resources affect Ja-pan’s environment, using data over a period from 2000 to 2014. Today, prevention of environmental pollution and conservation of environment have a dimension exceeding national borders. The risks that result from us-ing of fossil fuels increasingly (petroleum, coal, and gas) must be decreased. To decrease such risks, besides to increasing of energy productivity, energy resources that emit less greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (like Carbon-dioxide (CO2)) must be preferred. To examine the impact of energy on the Japan’s environment, a linear function was used to develop a model us-ing carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and total energy consumption of Japan. CO2 is the dependent variable and energy consumption as the independent variable. A regression analysis was run on the model to know the relationship between these variables. The empirical results showed a positive relationship between CO2 and energy consumption. The result also showed Japan is highly reliable on non-renewable energy resources such as fossil fuels for its energy needs and these non-renewable energy resources have greater impact on the environment.