Estimation of CO2 Emissions Embodied in Domestic Trade and Their Influencing Factors in Japan
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
The article is well written. The structure of the article is correct. It has a clearly stated purpose. The research methods were discussed, as well as the results and conclusions.
The problem of the research carried out is, of course, the time span, which the authors are slightly aware of and justify the fact that their research ends in 2010. By 2022, these are really outdated data. Could the authors explain how much they think the situation may have changed over the past 12 years? To what extent do the authors believe that the overall picture of the situation in Japan would be similar, or rather significantly different? What are the arguments for this?
The article lacks justification for taking up the topic. I am asking the authors to indicate why the topic and research they undertook is important and why it should inform an international audience around the world? The authors did not propose a new research method and discuss the internal situation of Japan - in my opinion there is no justification why the obtained results may be of interest to the reader all over the world? What is the purpose of carrying out such research in other countries? To what extent this type of research can be an indicator of the policy of combating excessive CO2 emissions in the world?
Author Response
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Reviewer 2 Report
- The manuscript's English language should be improved by the authors.
- Introduction needs to enrich the readers with recent papers related to your work, which gives the reader a clear visual of the gap that those studies have not address and covered by this study.
- The results are not enough to defend the importance of work, please add more quantitative outcomes.
- The reviewer couldn't see the significant objectives of the current work. It would be better if you add a separate section with Key objectives heading.
- Why this study is more important and how it could contribute to solving the relevant problem.
- The methodology part doesn't clear; it may not catch the attraction. Try to make it more concise and briefer.
Author Response
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Reviewer 3 Report
Introduction
- The authors present the current panorama of carbon generation and the global carbon credit market from the point of view of bilateral carbon credit import/export relations between countries. However, the authors indicate that it is necessary to assess the microeconomic context of the carbon market. In this sense, the authors propose a survey of the generation of greenhouse gases in Japanese municipalities and the interdependence relations between the municipalities as importers or exporters of carbon.
Materials and methods
- The experiment was well designed and the factors analyzed are clearly described. The elaboration of prediction models using official statistical data from municipal governments makes the study more applicable to the Japanese regional sphere. However, this issue of regionalism does not detract from the study carried out, since it allows the replication of the research in other parts of the world.
The mathematical tool for the elaboration of prediction models (LMDI) was correctly described and well justified for the study carried out.
Results and discussion
- The study presented interesting information on how each sector contributes as an importer and/or exporter of carbon. However, as pointed out by the authors themselves, there are carbon contributions beyond domestic waste and therefore it is possible to make very specific correlations for Japanese cities as data on CO2 generation. Another limitation pointed out in the study that allows for a more up-to-date overview stems from the period in which the official results were obtained for the elaboration of carbon import/export prediction models. With official data with approximately 10 years of publication, they will not reflect the contemporary reality of the evaluated cities. However, as the first models of this nature, it will serve to review public policies and decision-making that may allow for more up-to-date surveys and assist in the establishment of the carbon market also for microregions.
Conclusions
- The final considerations are in agreement with the results obtained from the study and, according to the authors' initiative, it allowed the forwarding of possible action plans that allow the municipalities that made the database available to understand their potential in a future carbon market.
Author Response
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Reviewer 4 Report
Review of the paper: sustainability-1795920
Estimation of CO2 emission embodied in domestic trade and its influencing factors 2 in Japan
In this paper, author (s) are interested in a case study of CO2 emission resulting from domestic trade between Japan’s regions. The approach in analyzing the existing data is mainly based on the log-mean Divisia index decomposition (LMDI) method. The LMDI permits an evaluation of influencing factors in CO2 emissions.
The data analysis allows to have a general overview in order to adopt a more sustainable approach relatively to the CO2 emissions in Japan. The paper is well written and the presented methodology as well as the recommendations are of useful interest. The overall scientific contribution of the presented work is satisfactory.
Minor recommendation
- Page 5: equation (1) requires a bibliographic reference.
Author Response
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Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
In my opinion the authors have improved the scientific soundness of the article. I believe the article is worth to publish in Sustainability Journal
