ABSTRACT
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its second report in December 1995. The report stated that, in addition to a marked increase in carbon dioxide concentrations since the Industrial Revolution, extant levels of greenhouse gasses are having a deleterious impact on the natural environment and human society. Since that time, countries around the world have started to address the issue by implementing specific measures directed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Global warming issues have become increasingly apparent in the form of ecological and economic damage. In addition to global warming, issues related to resource and waste management, such as resource scarcity, resource recovery and recycling, and landfill consumption often arise against a dilemma between various conservation measures. For example, while recycling activities help to conserve virgin resources and reduce landfill consumption, they can also have the effect of increasing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing global warming. It is thus very important to systemically consider all aspects related to greenhouse gas emissions, resource recovery and recycling, and landfill consumption in relation to the economy. I believe that input–output (IO) tables are useful knowledge frameworks for examining this dilemma and for analyzing the interdependencies between the economy, ecosystems, and the atmospheric environment.
