The Glasgow Declaration called for scientifically based measurements of CO₂ emissions in the tourism industry to monitor progress toward the achievement of the goals of the Paris Agreement. Despite the economic and employment downturn caused by COVID-19, there are limited cases of environmental assessments related to tourism. In this study, we estimated the CFP of the tourism industry in the G20 countries before and after COVID-19. By combining the MRIO and Tourism Satellite Accounts, we clarified the different impacts on the markets for domestic tourism and inbound tourism, aiming to provide a quantitative basis for setting scientifically grounded goals towards the transition to sustainable tourism. The GHG emissions from tourism mainly stem from transportation, but souvenirs, accommodations, and food and beverages also result in significant differences among countries. The pandemic has greatly impacted the tourism industry. In 2020, the GHG emissions from both domestic and inbound tourism significantly decreased due to the decrease in the number of tourists. In some countries, measures against COVID-19 influenced these figures, and although signs of recovery were observed in 2021, the degree of reduction varied by country. These emission reductions should be the goals pursued by the tourism industry in the post-COVID-19 era, and efforts should be made to achieve sustainable tourism.

In recent times, clothing upcycling has emerged as a sustainable solution to tackling textile waste. Despite its popularity, there remains a limited understanding of the factors driving individuals’ upcycling behavior. This study delves into the determinants of clothing upcycling behavior within the Japanese population. Administered via an online survey involving 433 participants in Japan, this research utilized structural equation modeling to assess a theoretical model that integrates personal norms, attitudes, social norms, perceived behavioral control, and intention within the theory of planned behavior. The outcomes reveal that both personal norms and perceived behavioral control exert a substantial influence on individuals’ intentions to participate in upcycling activities. Interestingly, the impact of attitude on upcycling intentions is moderate, while subjective norms surprisingly showed no significant influence. These findings contribute to the pro-environmental behavior literature and can guide the development of focused interventions that promote sustainable fashion consumption through upcycling.

The Glasgow Declaration called for scientifically based measurements of CO2 emissions in the tourism industry to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. Despite the economic and employment downturn caused by COVID-19, there are limited cases of environmental assessments related to tourism. This study estimates the carbon footprint of the tourism industry in major G20 countries before and after COVID-19. Understanding the characteristics of inbound tourism and domestic tourism is important as they impact different markets. GHG emissions from tourism mainly stem from transportation, but the type of travel and country differences also make souvenirs, accommodation, and food and beverages significant emission factors. The pandemic has greatly impacted the tourism industry. In 2020, GHG emissions from both domestic and inbound tourism significantly decreased, affecting the number of tourists. In some countries, measures against COVID-19 influenced these figures, and although signs of recovery were observed in 2021, the reduction rates varied by country. These emission reductions should be the goals pursued by the tourism industry in the post-COVID-19 era, requiring efforts to achieve sustainable tourism.

To date, clothing has been produced and disposed of in large quantities. It is also known that each process, from the procurement of raw materials to production, transportation, sales, laundry, and disposal, has a significant environmental impact. According to the Global Fashion Agenda, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the fashion industry account for 4% of the global total. Therefore, apparel makers are shifting from a linear economy to a circular economy. For example, the Japanese start-up Curelabo Co., Ltd. (Okinawa, Japan) developed jeans (bagasse washi jeans) made from bagasse, which is a residual material derived from sugarcane after the extraction of cane juice. Furthermore, the use of improved dyeing reduces boiler fuel consumption and eliminates the need for detergents and acid. For disposal, the used jeans and their production waste are processed into biochar for carbon sequestration. In this study, we attempted to calculate GHG emissions using life cycle assessment (LCA) for the circular economy model developed by Curelabo Co., Ltd. GHG emissions from the production of bagasse washi jeans were 1.09 × 10¹ kg-CO_2e. Dyeing, bleaching, and fabric finishing, known as the wet processes, were found to contribute a large proportion of GHG emissions due to their high energy consumption. Furthermore, the entire lifecycle of GHG emissions from bagasse washi jeans, including transport, sales, laundry, and disposal, were 1.53 × 10¹ kg-CO_2e. First, the use of bagasse washi yarn for the weft reduced by 2.99 × 10⁻¹ kg-CO_2e compared with the use of conventional 100% bleached cotton yarn. Second, compared with conventional dyeing, GHG emissions from the improved dyeing process were reduced by 2.78 kg-CO_2e. Third, the disposal of the used jeans and their production waste into biochar reduced GHG emissions by 9.01 × 10⁻¹ kg-CO_2e. Additionally, GHG emissions can be reduced by re-inputting waste in the paper-making process and by using liquefied natural gas as boiler fuel in the dyeing process.

Land use change is considered to be one of the key direct drivers of ecosystem erosion and biodiversity loss. The Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) serves as a robust tool for environmental impact assessment, featuring an advanced framework and indicators for assessing global biodiversity loss. In this research, we utilized the Species Distribution Model (SDM) to evaluate 6569 species across five taxonomic groups. We simulated habitat change and losses induced by land use changes under sustainable future scenarios from the present to 2100. This enables us to assess spatial extinction risks based on shifts in the global distribution of species. Our findings reveal a global biodiversity extinction risk of approximately 4.9 species/year, equivalent to an extinction rate of 745.9 E/MSY. Notably, higher-risk hotspots have been identified in regions such as South America, South Australia, and New Zealand. Although future sustainable scenarios involving land intensification may mitigate the biodiversity extinction rate, the objective of reaching 10 E/MSY by the end of this century remains a distant goal. By providing a more rational basis for biodiversity loss, the indicators of spatial extinction risk demonstrate the advantage of effectively reflecting regional characteristics.

Approximately 20% of CO₂ emissions from Japanese households are attributed to heating usage. Consequently, as part of its climate change policy, the Ministry of the Environment has promoted the “WARM BIZ” campaign, which encourages setting room temperatures to about 20 °C during heating, through practices such as layering clothing. However, according to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of clothing, the environmental impacts of clothing production, washing, and drying are significant. Therefore, it is essential to evaluate heating usage within the clothing lifecycle to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction effect of practicing WARM BIZ. In this study, we calculated the household heating energy consumption in four regions of Japan, and, by incorporating these data, estimated the GHG emissions over the clothing’s lifecycle, from production and use to disposal. The results showed that those practicing WARM BIZ had approximately 9 to 26% lower GHG emissions over the entire lifecycle than those who were not. Furthermore, by using the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) index, it was shown that by adding a light long-sleeved shirt (0.18 clo), light long pants (0.18 clo), and a cardigan (0.37 clo) to the standard clothing scenario, the room temperature could be set 3.1 °C lower than the current setting, potentially reducing GHG emissions over the entire lifecycle by approximately 18%.