ABSTRACT

This chapter focuses on the importance of the sustainability of local resource use and compares patterns of production and consumption in selected prefectures in Japan. The results from principal component analysis (PCA) show a strong association between population density, gross domestic product (GDP) and resource use, in general. PC1 was negatively correlated to population density but showed a positive relationship with per capita natural capital and water use. PC2 was negatively related to per capita GDP, the ecological footprint, per capita carbon emissions and electricity demand, thereby, suggesting a gradient of economy and energy use. PC3 was negatively related to agricultural production and self-sustainability of food. Per capita proportion of renewable electricity, per capita carbon sequestration, self-sufficiency of water, food and cultural services (such as field school destinations of junior high schools) were high in prefectures with less dense populations. Overall, the study revealed that rural areas have higher resource self-sustainability, though economic power and the population are concentrated in urban areas. The study suggested that rural areas must be compensated for the cost of the production of renewable resources and the ecosystem services they generate. The main message is that the ‘local ecological footprint’ based on self-sufficiency is an important index for local sustainability evaluation, which in turn contributes to measuring the national or ‘global footprint’.