Industrial structure adjustment is one solution for responding economic slowdown and environmental problems occurred during China’s rapid industrialization. Such an adjustment may also lead to carbon emission reduction since it encourages industrial innovation and resource efficiency. However, few studies have been conducted on examining the effect of industrial structure adjustment on carbon emission reduction. Under such a circumstance, this study develops an integrated evaluation model based on Input-Output Analysis and Social Network Analysis to quantify the evolutionary trends of industrial structure, demonstrate the inner-relationship between different sectors and investigate the industrial structure-related carbon emissions. China and Japan were selected as case study countries. Results show that industrial structure was gradually improved in China and various connections were established between different sectors. For Japan, the industrial network densities were lower than for China and exhibited a downward trend that reflected the weakened relationship between different industries. Service sectors dominated the Japanese economy, as shown by the relatively higher degree centrality and betweenness centrality of service sectors. The electricity and heat production sector was further investigated to illustrate the industrial structure-related carbon emissions. Finally, this study concluded that compared to the industrial structure features in a developed country, such as Japan, China’s industrialization is still in its infancy. Thus, it is crucial to prepare industrial structure adjust policies so that the overall social-economic performance can be improved

Taking dioxin emissions from incineration and the recycling of home electric appliances in Japan as two case studies, this paper aims to clarify the impact of environmental policy on technological innovation. For our case studies, relevant Japanese patent data were gathered and analyzed for the period 1990–2008. To demonstrate that environmental regulations induce technology innovation, we conducted statistical analysis to compare the number of patents related to each regulation between the period under regulation and period outside the regulation. The results show that after the regulations were introduced, new technological developments occurred for most technological types and the total number of related patent applications was larger even when controlling for other exogenous and endogenous factors such as business cycles and expenditures in Research and Development (R&D). We finally argue that while a possible weakness in these types of direct regulations is the lack of incentives for further innovations, they can still induce innovation if they are flexible and with specific targets

The rise in GHG emissions associated with the combustion of fossil fuels for electricity generation, coupled with energy security issues and the likely future scarcity of non-renewable resources, has called the attention to explore the potential of renewable and clean energy alternatives. Argentina has enjoyed a rapid economic growth after the 2002 financial crisis. However, this economic recovery has caused a huge increase in energy demand that already surpassed the domestic production capacity and pushed the country to import natural gas for electricity production. As a consequence, currently more than two thirds of electricity is generated from natural gas and other fossil fuels that are causing not only an increase in GHG emissions but other pollutants as well. Taking advantage of its stunning cattle sector, this research explores the potential of biogas production in Argentina using Buenos Aires province, the province with the largest inventory, as a case study. Through the use of GIS suitability analysis, the study first identifies the potential sites for the location of the biogas plants based on geographical, environmental and socio-economic criteria. The study couples these findings with the selection and identification of optimal sites through the use of spatial statistical analysis and taking into account cattle farm size and economically feasible transportation distances. In this step, the study proposes three different scenarios that range from onsite plants for large-scale farms to centralized biogas plants for small-scale and mid-scale farms. The results of the study suggest that by using only 1.5% of the manure produced in the province, it could be possible to meet not only the cattle farms electricity demand but also up to 2.06% of the demand in the province. These results open up a great opportunity for the country since it could be possible to not only address energy security issues with domestic resources, but at the same time to provide environmental benefits in a sustainable way

Summary: The closing of material loops is a critical challenge in industrial ecology. It relies mainly on the utilization of recovered materials/parts/products in the original and principal production system while their original function is retained at the highest level possible. In this study, advanced loop‐closing systems for the recycling of end‐of‐life vehicles and electric household appliances are first designed in “Hyogo Eco‐town.” Second, a methodology for evaluating the eco‐efficiency of these systems is developed. Finally, the eco‐efficiency of the designed advanced loop‐closing strategies for the two products is evaluated, based on the results of materials flow analysis and life‐cycle assessment. The results show that, compared with conventional recycling systems, when an industrial complex and an advanced loop‐closing system for end‐of‐life vehicles are established, the total economic value increases by 114% and the eco‐efficiency in terms of the amount of direct material input is improved by 57%. This system permits the utilization of the by‐products, wastes, and recovered materials that originate from other industrial sectors as input to production activities. In the case of end‐of‐life electric household appliances, an advanced loop‐closing strategy to lengthen the product life with parts reuse improves the eco‐efficiency in terms of carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) emissions by 4% compared with the conventional replacement of the appliance with a new product along with the material recycling option.