研究テーマResearch theme

Adaption to Tianjin, China, Based on a Retrospective Pattern Study on the Petrochemical Industry Development, and the correlated Process of SO2 Abatement in Yokkaichi, Japan

研究内容の概要Overview

Tackling environmental issues has always been harder than human awareness. Yokkaichi Air Pollution has been one of the primal examples of Asian countries for abating industry related heavy pollutions. From the start point to the peak of Yokkaichi Air Pollution took no longer than a decade, but the abating process lasts more than half a century. Yokkaichi Air Pollution is not an isolated case. After entering the 21st century, the urgency of countermeasures against pollution, climate change has become a consensus amongst the scientists and well accepted by most of the governments around the world, to lead to a more dignified, sustainable future.
Thus, in my study, I chose Yokkaichi Air Pollution as the representative for past exemplary cases to support an empirical study on petrochemical industrial cities. From the past experiences in Yokkaichi City, Japan, making observations on how Yokkaichi Air Pollution started in the city, how Yokkaichi City started and continued to reduce and control SO2 pollution, and a 4-stage model for better understanding Energy-Pollution-Industry-Economy situations in petrochemical city is given.
Like Yokkaichi City, Tianjin was also one of the most heavily polluted industrial cities in Northern China. In abating SO2 pollution, similarities exist in Tianjin's past and present with Yokkaichi City. Therefore, in my dissertation, the 4-stage model from Yokkaichi City is adopted in Tianjin to verify its feasibility. Under this 4-Stage model, which consists of Early Stage - Second Stage - Third Stage - After Pollution Stage, Yokkaichi is at After Pollution Stage, whereas Tianjin is currently at Stage 3. Through an extended STIRPAT model, both cities' drivers for environmental impacts, i.e., SO2 annual concentration, including population, production GDP/GDP per capita, energy efficiency, citizens behavior are all taking into consideration as part of the indexes for description of petrochemical industrial cities' development. I reckon that the efficacy of regional environmental policies in Yokkaichi related to SO2 pollution can help clarify the pollution pattern in Tianjin. Meanwhile, Northern China's regional integration policy will be re-examined for its long-term effects in Tianjin. As vicinity cities of Tianjin are all under the influence of the integrational policy, the geographic relations between Tianjin and its vicinity indicated that optimizing energy source structure and industrial structure upgrade (if possible) in Tianjin are crucial in the next 2 to 3 decades.

研究成果をどのように社会に役立てるか
（還元の構想）Giving back to society

I would like to emphasize that my research is tightly connected with solving environmental issues.
To achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), solidarity and cooperations are essential. Learning from Yokkaichi's past, understanding Tianjin's presentation, it will help more Asian cities to fighting for its sustainable and affluent future.
With the overdependence on fossil fuels, the negative impacts are evidently unable to be ignored. Among those negative impacts, "How to" are constantly asked and discussed. For industry, how to reduce pollution from the whole industrial procedure? How to find substitute energy source but still maintaining stabilized? How to limit substitute energy and pollution disposing cost while achieving pre-set environmental aims? For governments, how to balance environmental governance with national economic growth? How to choose between rewarding positive actions towards sustainable developments and punishing negative actions? How to regulate single individuals just as regulating cooperations? How to decide between a plausible fossil fuel based stable economy, and a choppy possibility with renewable energies as the gain? For individuals, how is our everyday life affected by the countermeasures against fossil fuels? Will life expenses be higher than we could bear? How could we do to　alleviate pollution while keeping the cost of living under control?...
These questions mean that to fulfill the missions, solidarity and cooperation are necessary. Every country, organization, and individual needs to make an extra effort. the retrospective study on air pollution in Yokkaichi would be useful for other Asian cities and able to maintain its unique and important value. Fossil fuels, especially crude oil, may continuously be exploited as the main energy source in the next few decades. Thus, experiences of SO2 air pollution in Yokkaichi and Tianjin's could be of universal value.

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