Several recent theories emphasize the negative effects of an aging population on economic growth, either because of the lower labor force participation and productivity of older workers or because ...aging will create an excess of savings over desired investment, leading to secular stagnation. We show that there is no such negative relationship in the data. If anything, countries experiencing more rapid aging have grown more in recent decades. We suggest that this counterintuitive finding might reflect the more rapid adoption of automation technologies in countries undergoing more pronounced demographic changes and provide evidence and theoretical underpinnings for this argument.
Revealing the complex correlation between population aging and CO2, and projecting their future dynamics are fundamentally necessary to inform effective policies toward a low-carbon and sustainable ...development in China. Differing from the existing studies, this study highlighted a quantitative investigation on the impact of aging on CO2 emissions across the different stages of regional development in China through a STIRPAT model based on balanced provincial panel data from 1995 to 2019, and projected the demographic change and CO2 emissions till 2050 by employing cohort model and scenario analysis. It is found that CO2 emissions in China has witnessed a significant growth during 1995–2019, and will exhibit an inverted U-shaped growth till 2050 with its peak appears between 2030 and 2040. Statistically, every 1% growth of aging population will cause a 0.62% increase in CO2 emissions in China. However, a big regional difference was also detected as aging contributed to CO2 reduction in the eastern region, but stimulated CO2 emissions in the central and western regions. Policy implications for achieving a low-carbon and aging-oriented sustainable development may include the integration of aging into the decision-making in industrial structure upgrading and CO2 emission reduction at both national and region levels, the promotion of further transition to low-carbon consumption and green products in the eastern region, and strengthening the deep fusion of aging-oriented industries with local resource and environmental endowment in the central and western regions such as the development of eco-agriculture and green pension industries.
•Correlation between aging and CO2 emissions in China was examined.•1% increase of aging will exert a 0.62% upward pressure on CO2 emissions in China.•Future changes of demography and CO2 emissions till 2050 was projected.•Effect of aging on CO2 emissions was different cross China regions.•Policy implications for low-carbon and aging-oriented development were proposed.
•Carbon emission coefficient, energy structure and energy consumption effect are responsible for the increase of HCEs.•Energy structure, energy consumption and household effect are responsible for ...the decrease of HCEs.•An energy behavior framework is utilized for explaining the elderly's energy consumption habits.•A micro data is used for explaining the impact of various factors on HCEs.
Household carbon emissions (HCEs) are playing an increasingly important role in driving climate change in Japan, a country characterized by population aging, considering older adults’ less environmentally friendly behaviors. We investigate the driving force of HCEs from elderly households using the logarithmic mean divisia index model and a microlevel household dataset. Furthermore, we decompose the change in HCEs generated by elderly families from 2017 to 2021 into four factors, primarily from the perspective of residents’ energy behavior. The results imply that energy consumption per elderly household is the leading determinant explaining the increase in HCEs, followed by energy structure and number of elderly households, whereas the carbon emission coefficient is responsible for diminishing HCEs. Our evidence suggests making interventions to enhance elderly residents’ environmental behaviors and making improvements in energy quality and technology in the power generation process.
In the context of China's rapid population aging and internet expansion, this study examines the impact of information and communication technologies on the of older adults’ health. Using the China ...Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study 2011–2018, we find that internet access improves older adults' self-reported health, mental health, and activities of daily living (ADL). Further investigations provide evidence for several underlying mechanisms, including improving social participation, promoting healthy behaviors, and encouraging intergenerational interactions. Heterogeneity analyses show that disadvantaged groups, such as those with any ADL difficulty and without social participation or a spouse, benefit more from internet access.
•This paper investigates how access to the internet affects older adults' health.•We find that internet access improves older adults' self-reported health, mental health, and activities of daily living.•Mechanisms include improving social participation, promoting healthy behaviors, and increasing intergenerational interaction.•The effects are more salient among disadvantaged groups, revealing that internet expansion can alleviate health inequality.
The benefits of the artificial fixation of reactive nitrogen (Nr, nitrogen N compounds other than dinitrogen), in the form of N fertilizers and materials are huge, while at the same time posing ...substantial threats to human and ecosystem health by the release of Nr to the environment. To achieve sustainable N use, Nr loss to the environment must be reduced. An N-budget approach at the national level would allow us to fully grasp the whole picture of Nr loss to the environment through the quantification of important N flows in the country. In this study, the N budgets in Japan were estimated from 2000 to 2015 using available statistics, datasets, and literature. The net N inflow to Japanese human sectors in 2010 was 6180 Gg N yr−1 in total. With 420 Gg N yr−1 accumulating in human settlements, 5760 Gg N yr−1 was released from the human sector, of which 1960 Gg N yr−1 was lost to the environment as Nr (64% to air and 36% to waters), and the remainder assumed as dinitrogen. Nr loss decreased in both atmospheric emissions and loss to terrestrial water over time. The distinct reduction in the atmospheric emissions of nitrogen oxides from transportation, at −4.3% yr−1, was attributed to both emission controls and a decrease in energy consumption. Reductions in runoff and leaching from land as well as the discharge of treated water were found, at −1.0% yr−1 for both. The aging of Japan's population coincided with the reductions in the per capita supply and consumption of food and energy. Future challenges for Japan lie in further reducing N waste and adapting its N flows in international trade to adopt more sustainable options considering the reduced demand due to the aging population.
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•Nitrogen budgets in Japan from 2000 to 2015 were estimated for all sectors.•Reactive nitrogen loss to the environment in 2010 was 1960 Gg N yr−1.•Another 3800 Gg N yr−1 was rendered useless by conversion to dinitrogen.•Reactive nitrogen loss to air and water decreased from 2000 to 2015.•There is room for further reductions in nitrogen waste in Japan.
To assess levels of numerical, structural, timing and spatial aspects of ageing of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.
Population projections for 15 Australian regions were created ...by a multi‐state cohort‐component model.
The older (45‐plus) population grew from 29,815 in 1986 to 167,259 in 2016. In the subsequent 30 years, we project growth to 448,785 people. Growth rates of the older population vary: from 200% in the 60–64‐year‐old group to 800% growth in the 85‐plus age group by mid‐century. This strong numerical ageing is reflected in a shift in structural ageing by about six percentage points. Selected areas outside of capital cities are structurally older than many cities. Numerical ageing is strongest in capital cities and New South Wales. Cohort flow is the primary driver of ageing.
Numerical and structural ageing is projected to increase significantly to mid‐century with important spatial variations. Population ageing is largely irreversible.
High numerical growth in the older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population poses implications for increased demand for a range of health and care services. Variations in spatial and timing aspects of ageing indicate demand will peak earlier in some geographical locations relative to others.
Projecting future air pollution and related health burdens remains challenging because of the complex interactions among future emissions, population, and climate change. In this study, we estimated ...the premature deaths attributed to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3) from 2015 to 2100 under four socioeconomic climate scenarios based on an age-stratified assessment method. We found that PM2.5 will decrease in all shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) scenarios and O3 will decrease in the SSP1-2.6 and SSP2-4.5 scenarios, contributing to a decrease in premature mortality together with the declining total population in China. However, the benefits of a decline in population size and PM2.5 and O3 concentrations over time will be largely offset by population aging, and premature death caused by PM2.5 and O3 will continue to rise till 2060–2080. This impact was greater for the O3-related deaths than those for PM2.5. Our study highlights the importance of future prevention strategies that must jointly improve air quality and susceptibility to aging.
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