Inventory analysis of transport in Japan based on input-output tables

Abstract

To clarify the environmental burden imposed by different modes of transport in Japan, we performed inventory analysis of each mode every five years from 1985 to 2000 through input-output analysis. Emissions of CO2, SOx and NOx from railways, road traffic, aviation and coastal shipping were evaluated in relation to the construction and maintenance of infrastructures, the manufacture and maintenance of vehicles and the supply and consumption of operational energy. As a result, it became evident that the environmental burden per unit of traffic for railways is lower than that of other transport modes. It was also apparent that 20-60 percent of the total CO2 emission for each transport mode was related to the infrastructures and vehicles themselves.