Professor Jiashuo Li was invited to write review on addressing the dual challenges of demographic transition and climate change.

Professor Jiashuo Li was invited to write review on addressing the dual challenges of demographic transition and climate change.

Professor Jiashuo Li from the Institute of Blue and Green Development has been invited by Cell Reports Sustainability to write a review on the duel challenges of demographic transition and climate change. The review titled “Additional efforts are required to mitigate climate change under rapid demographic transitions” investigates Japan’s aging society and its impact on carbon emissions, and emphasizes the need for policies tailored to demographic nuances to promote green technology adoption and achieve a sustainable future.

The escalating global aging population hinders sustainable economic growth and reshapes energy consumption and emission patterns, profoundly impacting climate change. Governments worldwide are actively taking measures to address the dual challenges of demographic transition and climate change. Against this backdrop, the review assesses recent research published in Cell Reports Sustainability on how demographic transitions affect household carbon emissions, emphasizing the need for additional emission reduction efforts in the context of rapid demographic changes.

The review focuses on the impact of an aging population in the Japan, revealing that emission reduction measures targeting small-scale and aging households may be crucial in addressing climate change. Policies targeting emission reduction in low-income and aging households can incentivize the adoption of energy-saving and environmental protection measures. Furthermore, the review emphasizes the importance of understanding the universality of the research findings and recognizing the differences among countries regarding social, economic, cultural, policy, and infrastructure development levels. Technological innovation is crucial in addressing the challenges of population aging, and it is necessary to take additional emission reduction efforts from the perspective of combining technological progress and policy adjustments. Population aging should be seen as an opportunity to drive economic development and technological innovation, thereby achieving dual benefits for climate and health.

Original article link：

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949790624000685

References:

[1] Long, Y., Yoshida, Y., Huang, L., Chen, P., Wu, Y., & Gasparatos, A. (2024). "Demographic transitions hinder climate change mitigation for Japan’s shrinking and aging households." Cell Reports Sustainability.