Factors affecting CO2 emissions from private automobiles in Japan: The impact of vehicle occupancy

The road transport sector accounted for 18.8% of global CO2 emissions in 2016. Regional efforts are indispensable for reducing automobile emissions, especially considering the diversity in regional transportation systems. Existing studies of automobile emissions have focused on nationwide transportation systems or differences in city size without considering regionality and long-term changes in vehicle occupancy. In this study, we decomposed national and regional automobile emissions in Japan between 1990 and 2015 by the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index method. Statistical data that took vehicle occupancy into account were used. Results showed that nationwide vehicle occupancy increased (due to increased vehicle size and vehicle ownership), which increased emissions by 15.2% compared to 1990 levels. In highly populated regions, fuel efficiency decreased earlier than other regions thanks to the strengthening of ordinances regarding air pollution. In Western Japan, which includes less-populated prefectures, the rising popularity of mini-vehicles resulted in increased vehicle ownership and a decrease in occupancy but also led to improvements in fuel economy. To reduce automobile CO2 emissions, it will be essential to improve fuel efficiency and to increase vehicle occupancy through mechanisms, such as ridesharing and vehicle right sizing.