116 N. KONO ET AL.
improvements) and social benefi ts via the development of energy and
electricity provisions for the poor. National governments play a critical
role in the development of policies on slum dweller accessibility to cleaner
energy sources. Local governments are equally responsible for encourag-
ing and cooperating with social groups and entrepreneurs in establishing
new business models for providing clean electricity, which is shown in the
case of the Yokohama government’s smart community initiative, through
which the government liaises with new business enterprises.
6.7 CONCLUSIONS
In the sections presented above, global warming mitigation policies imple-
mented in Yokohama were examined from an SC perspective, and each
measure was analysed across four sectors and three fi elds. The second
section discussed the Indian case and opportunities and barriers to the
realization of SC ideals. This section also analysed the Indian situation
across the same four sectors and three fi elds. The third section discussed
ways of employing new technologies in the country, with a specifi c focus
on energy factors. The results show that even the poorest areas, such as
Indian slums, have the capacity to adopt SC principles.
6.7.1 EKC and SC DevelopmentIn conclusion, we considered ways of adopting SC principles in developing
country cities. Table 6.10 visualizes the literature and interviews on each
country-level situation: cities in the poorest countries, in moderately devel-
oped countries, and in developed countries. This table reveals a tendency for
cities in moderately developed countries to experience an Environmental
Kuznets Curve (EKC) peak during processes of economic development.
The EKC is shown along the x – y coordinate, where the x -axis denotes
GDP per capita and the y -axis denotes environmental pollution and con-
sumption activity levels. The inversed U-curve denotes that pollution levels
increase as GDP levels increase, that they peak at the middle-income level,
and that they decrease as GDP levels approach the highest point.
It can be concluded that technical innovations are needed to increase
the effi ciency of new technology use (e.g., increased energy demand,
increasing waste levels and insuffi cient processing, traffi c increases and
associated externalities, and water demand increases). The demand
side must also follow environmental ethics to change behaviours. It is