JP7547585B2 - Apparatus and method for inducing actions to reduce greenhouse gases - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device and a greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement method that induces behavior to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from each household.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a greenhouse gas emission management system that helps individuals, families, corporations, and other organizations to accurately grasp the amount of greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere as a result of their various activities, and a greenhouse gas emission determination device that constitutes the system.

JP 2010-3192 A

Conventional technologies such as that disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 can manage greenhouse gas emissions, but they do not induce actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, so there is a risk that greenhouse gas emissions cannot be effectively reduced. In particular, it is difficult to get individual households to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The present invention was made by the inventor of the present application with a new focus on the above problem, and aims to provide a greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device and a greenhouse gas reduction action inducement method that can induce actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in each household.

To achieve the above object, a greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a first acquisition unit that acquires first emission information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by each household, a second acquisition unit that acquires second emission information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions to be compared, a calculation unit that calculates the amount of greenhouse gas reduction by subtracting the amount of emission indicated in the first emission information from the amount of emission indicated in the second emission information, and an output unit that outputs reward information including information for granting each household a reward according to the compensation obtained for the amount of reduction.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device calculates the amount of greenhouse gas reduction emitted by each household, and outputs reward information including information for granting each household a reward according to the compensation obtained for the amount of reduction. This may encourage each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to receive the reward. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device can induce each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The output unit may also output the bonus information including information for granting fungible tokens to each household according to the amount of reduction.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs reward information including information for granting fungible tokens to each household according to the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. This may encourage each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain the fungible tokens. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device can induce each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The output unit may also generate a non-fungible token that attests to the amount of reduction, and generate the fungible token according to the amount of reduction attested by the non-fungible token.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device generates a non-fungible token that certifies the amount of greenhouse gas reduction, and generates a fungible token corresponding to the amount of reduction certified by the non-fungible token. As a result, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device issues fungible tokens based on the amount of reduction certified by the non-fungible token, which makes it possible to prevent the value of the fungible token from decreasing and also to increase the value of the fungible token in the long term.

The output unit may also output the benefit information including information for granting the fungible tokens and the non-fungible tokens to each household.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device outputs reward information including information for granting fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens to each household. This allows each household to obtain, in addition to fungible tokens, non-fungible tokens that certify the amount of greenhouse gas reduction.

The output unit may also output the bonus information including information for granting each household a non-fungible token that certifies the amount of reduction.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs reward information including information for granting each household a non-fungible token that certifies the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. This may encourage each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain the non-fungible token. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device can induce each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The output unit may also output the bonus information including information for granting each household a bonus according to the compensation obtained from the carbon market for the amount of reduction.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs bonus information corresponding to the compensation obtained from the carbon market for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction emitted by each household. In other words, when compensation can be obtained from the carbon market for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs bonus information corresponding to that compensation. As a result, each household is likely to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain a bonus corresponding to the compensation from the carbon market, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device can induce behavior to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from each household.

The first acquisition unit may acquire, as the first emission information, first energy information indicating the amount of energy consumed by each of the households, and the second acquisition unit may acquire, as the second emission information, second energy information indicating the amount of energy consumed by each of the households prior to the first energy information.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device calculates the amount of greenhouse gas reduction corresponding to the amount of energy consumed by each household, and outputs bonus information corresponding to the compensation that can be obtained for that amount of reduction. This may encourage each household to take action to reduce the amount of energy they consume in order to receive the bonus. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device can induce greenhouse gas reduction behavior, which is to reduce the amount of energy consumed by each household.

The first acquisition unit may acquire, as the first emission information, environmentally conscious product information indicating the greenhouse gas emissions of an environmentally conscious product purchased by each of the households, and the second acquisition unit may acquire, as the second emission information, standard product information indicating the greenhouse gas emissions of a standard product corresponding to the environmentally conscious product.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device calculates the amount of greenhouse gas reduction that can be achieved by each household purchasing and using environmentally conscious products, and outputs bonus information according to the compensation that can be obtained for the amount of reduction. This can encourage each household to take action by purchasing and using environmentally conscious products in order to obtain the bonus. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device can induce each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gases by purchasing and using environmentally conscious products.

The first acquisition unit may also acquire information indicating the greenhouse gas emissions of an environmentally conscious product, output information for recommending the purchase of the environmentally conscious product to each of the households, and acquire information indicating that each of the households has purchased the environmentally conscious product, thereby acquiring the environmentally conscious product information corresponding to the environmentally conscious product as the first emission information.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs information to encourage each household to purchase environmentally conscious products, thereby encouraging each household to purchase and use environmentally conscious products. As a result, if each household purchases an environmentally conscious product, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device acquires information indicating that each household has purchased an environmentally conscious product, and acquires environmentally conscious product information corresponding to the environmentally conscious product as first emission information. In this way, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device can make it easier for each household to take action to purchase environmentally conscious products.

The output unit may also output the benefit information further including information for granting each household a benefit according to the compensation that the household receives for purchasing the environmentally conscious product.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs bonus information corresponding to the compensation that each household receives for purchasing an environmentally conscious product. In other words, when each household receives compensation from a company or the like that sold the environmentally conscious product in return for purchasing the environmentally conscious product, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs bonus information corresponding to the compensation. This may encourage each household to take action to purchase the environmentally conscious product in order to receive a bonus corresponding to the compensation for the purchase of the environmentally conscious product. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device can further induce each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gases by purchasing and using environmentally conscious products.

The first acquisition unit may also acquire information indicating that each of the households has purchased the environmentally friendly product from an external first processing unit, and the output unit may output the bonus information to the first processing unit.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device obtains information from the first processing unit indicating that each household has purchased an environmentally friendly product, and outputs bonus information to the first processing unit, making it easy to communicate with each household because it can communicate with each household via the same processing unit.

The first acquisition unit may also output information to the first processing unit for recommending the purchase of the environmentally conscious product to each of the households.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device can also output information to the first processing unit to encourage each household to purchase environmentally friendly products, and can further communicate with each household via the same processing unit, making it even easier to communicate with each household.

The first acquisition unit may also output information for recommending the purchase of the environmentally conscious product to each of the households to a second processing unit different from the first processing unit.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device preferably provides information for recommending the purchase of environmentally conscious products to each household at a location where each household is likely to take action to purchase environmentally conscious products, and this location may be different from the first processing unit. For this reason, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs information for recommending the purchase of environmentally conscious products to each household to a second processing unit different from the first processing unit. This allows the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device to communicate with each household via an appropriate processing unit.

A greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device according to another aspect of the present invention includes an output unit that acquires the amount of greenhouse gas reduction emitted by each household and outputs reward information including information for granting each household a reward according to the compensation obtained for the amount of reduction, and the output unit outputs the reward information including information for granting each household a fungible token according to the amount of reduction.

According to this, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device acquires the amount of greenhouse gas reduction emitted by each household, and outputs reward information including information for granting each household a reward according to the compensation obtained for the amount of reduction. This may encourage each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain the reward. In particular, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs the reward information including information for granting each household fungible tokens according to the amount of reduction. This may encourage each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain the fungible tokens. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device can induce each household to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The present invention can be realized not only as such a greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device, but also as a greenhouse gas reduction action inducement method in which steps are characteristic processes performed by a processing unit included in the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device. The present invention can also be realized as a program for causing a computer to execute the steps included in the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement method, or as a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM on which the program is recorded. The program can then be distributed via the recording medium and a transmission medium such as the Internet. The present invention can also be realized as an integrated circuit equipped with a processing unit included in the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device according to the present invention can induce behavior to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in each household.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system including a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to an embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device in a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system according to an embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing a process (a method for inducing actions to reduce greenhouse gases) performed by a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to an embodiment to induce actions to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by each household. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system including a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to a first modified example of the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a process (a method for inducing actions to reduce greenhouse gases) performed by a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to a first modified embodiment of the present invention to induce actions to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by each household. 10 is a flowchart showing a process in which a first acquisition unit of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to the first modification of the embodiment acquires first emission information. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system including a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to a second modified example of the embodiment. 10 is a flowchart showing a process in which a first acquisition unit of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to a second modification of the embodiment acquires first emission information. 13 is a flowchart showing a process in which an output unit of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to the third modified example of the embodiment outputs special benefit information. FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system including a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to a fourth modified embodiment of the present invention. 13 is a flowchart showing a process (a method for inducing actions to reduce greenhouse gases) performed by a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to a fourth modified embodiment of the present invention to induce actions to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by each household.

Below, a greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device and a greenhouse gas reduction action inducement method according to an embodiment of the present invention (including its modified examples) will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiments described below are all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, components, the arrangement and connection of the components, steps, and the order of steps shown in the following embodiments are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present invention.

(Embodiment)
[1. Description of the configuration of the greenhouse gas reduction action induction device 100]
First, a configuration of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 will be described. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system 10 including the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 in the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system 10 according to the present embodiment.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement system 10 is a system that induces behavior to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by each household 20. Greenhouse gases are gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, or fluorocarbons that have the property of absorbing heat from the sun and warming the earth's surface. As shown in FIG. 1, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement system 10 includes a greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100, an information providing unit 200, and a first processing unit 300. The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100, the information providing unit 200, the first processing unit 300, and each household 20 (three households 20 in FIG. 1) are connected via a communication network 30. A household 20 is a unit consisting of a family (household) of multiple people living in a single house or a room in an apartment, multiple cohabitants, or one individual, and is a concept different from a company. Each home 20 has a communication device such as a smartphone, tablet, or personal computer, and is connected to the communication network 30 by the communication device. The communication network 30 is a computer network such as the Internet, including a wired or wireless LAN (Local Area Network).

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 is a platform (computer or software, etc.) that induces greenhouse gas reduction behavior emitted by each household 20. The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 may be realized by a general-purpose computer system such as a personal computer executing a program, or may be realized by a dedicated computer system. The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 acquires information such as the first emission information 151 and the second emission information 152 described later, calculates the amount of greenhouse gas reduction using the information, and outputs the bonus information 154 according to the amount of reduction. Specifically, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 acquires the first emission information 151 and the second emission information 152 via the communication network 30, and also acquires information from the information providing unit 200. Then, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 calculates the amount of greenhouse gas reduction using the first emission information 151, the second emission information 152, and the information from the information providing unit 200. Furthermore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 outputs to the first processing unit 300 bonus information 154 that corresponds to the compensation obtained for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction.

The information providing unit 200 provides information to the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 via the communication network 30. The information providing unit 200 is a processing unit that provides the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 with information, etc., necessary for the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 to calculate the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. The information providing unit 200 is a processing unit (computer system, etc.) owned by the business operator that owns the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100, another company, or a country, etc.

The first processing unit 300 acquires the reward information 154 output by the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 via the communication network 30, and grants rewards to each household 20. The first processing unit 300 is a processing unit included in a website such as an EC (Electronic Commerce) site that conducts electronic commerce, or a processing unit (such as a computer system) owned by a points company that grants points.

The greenhouse gas reduction action inducement system 10 configured as above will be described in more detail below, focusing on the configuration of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100. As shown in FIG. 2, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 includes a first acquisition unit 110, a second acquisition unit 120, a calculation unit 130, an output unit 140, and a memory unit 150. As shown in FIG. 1, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 also includes an input unit such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display unit such as a liquid crystal display, but detailed description of these will be omitted.

The first acquisition unit 110 acquires first emission information 151 indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by each household 20. Specifically, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires the first emission information 151 from each household 20 via the communication network 30. In this embodiment, the first emission information 151 is first energy information indicating the amount of energy consumed by each household 20. Specifically, the first emission information 151 is a collection of information including image data such as a meter reading slip or receipt indicating the consumption amount of at least one of electricity, gas, and fuel such as kerosene consumed by each household 20.

In this embodiment, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 distributes an app (application software) that transfers the contents of meter reading slips or receipts for fuels such as electricity, gas, and kerosene to communication devices such as smartphones, tablets, and personal computers owned by each household 20. Each household 20 uses the communication device to transmit image data of meter reading slips or receipts indicating the consumption amount of fuels such as electricity, gas, and kerosene in a predetermined period (e.g., one month) to the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100. The first acquisition unit 110 acquires the image data transmitted from each household 20 as first emission information 151. In this way, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires first energy information indicating the amount of energy consumed by each household 20 as first emission information 151. The first acquisition unit 110 writes the acquired first emission information 151 to the storage unit 150.

The first acquisition unit 110 further acquires information necessary for calculating the greenhouse gas reduction amount from the information providing unit 200 via the communication network 30. In this embodiment, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires information indicating at least one of the basic units (emission basic unit) of fuel such as electricity, gas, and kerosene from the information providing unit 200. The basic unit (emission basic unit) is the amount of greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide, etc.) emitted in the process of producing a certain amount of electricity, gas, or fuel such as kerosene. The first acquisition unit 110 writes the acquired information indicating the basic unit into the storage unit 150. The first acquisition unit 110 may write the information indicating the basic unit into any data in the storage unit 150, but in this embodiment, it is written into the first emission information 151 stored in the storage unit 150.

In addition, if a company such as an electric power company, a gas company, or an oil company holds information such as the first emission information 151 or the information indicating the above-mentioned unit of consumption, the first acquisition unit 110 may acquire the first emission information 151 or the information indicating the above-mentioned unit of consumption from the company. The information indicating the unit of consumption may be written in advance to the storage unit 150, in which case the first acquisition unit 110 does not need to acquire the information indicating the unit of consumption from the information providing unit 200. The acquisition period of the first energy information in the first emission information 151 (the period during which each household 20 consumed energy) is not limited to one month, and various periods such as three months or six months can be selected.

The second acquisition unit 120 acquires second emission information 152 indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions to be compared. Specifically, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires the second emission information 152 to be compared (standard) with the first emission information 151 from each household 20 via the communication network 30. In this embodiment, the second emission information 152 is second energy information indicating the amount of energy consumed by each household 20 in the past before the first energy information. The above "past" can be set appropriately by the user, and is, for example, the same period of the previous year (one month one year ago, etc.). Specifically, the second emission information 152 is a collection of information including image data such as meter reading slips or receipts indicating the consumption amount of at least one of electricity, gas, and fuel such as kerosene consumed by each household 20 in the past. Each household 20 uses the above-mentioned app distributed by the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 to transmit image data of a meter reading slip or receipt or the like indicating the amount of electricity, gas, and fuel such as kerosene consumed in a past period (e.g., one month one year ago) to the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100. The second acquisition unit 120 acquires the image data transmitted from each household 20 as second emission information 152. In this way, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires second energy information indicating the amount of energy consumed by each household 20 prior to the first energy information as the second emission information 152. The second acquisition unit 120 writes the acquired second emission information 152 to the memory unit 150.

The second acquisition unit 120 further acquires information necessary for calculating the greenhouse gas reduction amount from the information providing unit 200 via the communication network 30. In this embodiment, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires information indicating at least one of the basic units (emission basic unit) of fuel such as electricity, gas, and kerosene from the information providing unit 200. The basic unit is a value for the same period as the acquisition period of the second energy information, for example, a value for the same period of the previous year (such as one month one year ago). The second acquisition unit 120 writes the acquired information indicating the basic unit into the storage unit 150. The second acquisition unit 120 may write the information indicating the basic unit into any data in the storage unit 150, but in this embodiment, it is written into the second emission information 152 stored in the storage unit 150.

In addition, if a company such as an electric power company, a gas company, or an oil company has information such as the second emission information 152 or the information indicating the above-mentioned basic unit, the second acquisition unit 120 may acquire the second emission information 152 or the information indicating the above-mentioned basic unit from the company. If information equivalent to the second emission information 152 has been stored in the memory unit 150 in the past (such as one year ago), the second acquisition unit 120 may acquire the information as the second emission information 152, and in this case, it is not necessary to acquire the second emission information 152 from each household 20. The information indicating the basic unit may be written in the memory unit 150 in advance, and in this case, the second acquisition unit 120 may not acquire the information indicating the basic unit from the information providing unit 200. Alternatively, if the information indicating the basic unit acquired by the second acquisition unit 120 is the same information indicating the basic unit acquired by the first acquisition unit 110, the second acquisition unit 120 may not acquire the information indicating the basic unit from the information providing unit 200. In other words, the second acquisition unit 120 may determine whether the information indicating the unit consumption is the same as the information acquired by the first acquisition unit 110, and if it is determined that they are the same, it may not acquire the information indicating the unit consumption, and if it is determined that they are not the same, it may acquire the information indicating the unit consumption. The acquisition period of the second energy information in the second emission information 152 (the period during which each household 20 consumed energy) is not limited to one month in the past year, but may be three months in the past year, six months, six months in the past year, two years in the past, etc., and various periods can be selected. The same applies to the target period of the unit consumption.

The calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the emission amount indicated in the first emission information 151 from the emission amount indicated in the second emission information 152. Specifically, the calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the first emission information 151 and calculates the greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the second emission information 152. Then, the calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the calculated greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the first emission information 151 from the calculated greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the second emission information 152.

More specifically, the calculation unit 130 reads out at least one of the consumption amounts of fuels such as electricity, gas, and kerosene, consumed by each household 20, and at least one of the basic units of fuels such as electricity, gas, and kerosene, from the first emission information 151 stored in the memory unit 150. The calculation unit 130 then multiplies the read-out consumption amount by the basic unit to calculate the emission amount of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, etc.) indicated in the first emission information 151. Similarly, the calculation unit 130 reads out at least one of the consumption amounts of fuels such as electricity, gas, and kerosene, consumed in the past by each household 20, and the basic unit from the second emission information 152 stored in the memory unit 150. The calculation unit 130 then multiplies the read-out consumption amount by the basic unit to calculate the emission amount of greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, etc.) indicated in the second emission information 152. At this time, the calculation unit 130 calculates the emission amount indicated in the second emission information 152 corresponding to the emission amount indicated in the first emission information 151 by calculating a three-month moving average, or by referring to the emission amount for the same period of the previous year, and further correcting them based on weather conditions, etc. Then, the calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the calculated greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the first emission information 151 from the calculated greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the second emission information 152. Then, the calculation unit 130 writes the calculated greenhouse gas reduction amount to reduction amount information 153 stored in the storage unit 150, thereby storing it in the storage unit 150.

The output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation obtained for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. The benefit is a benefit according to the environmental value of the greenhouse gas reduction, and is, for example, points, coupons, or electronic money that can be used on a website such as an EC site or at a retail store. A benefit that increases the user's score (rank) may be used as the benefit. In this embodiment, the benefit is a benefit according to the compensation obtained from the carbon market 40 for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. In other words, the output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation obtained from the carbon market 40 for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. The carbon market 40 is a carbon market in which countries and international organizations around the world set a price on carbon emissions in order to encourage companies or consumers to efficiently reduce greenhouse gas emissions through economic incentives.

Specifically, when an enterprise having the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 sells the amount of greenhouse gas reduction calculated by the calculation unit 130 through the carbon market 40 and receives compensation (profit), the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 acquires information on the compensation (profit). The greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 may acquire information on the compensation automatically when the compensation is received, or may acquire information on the compensation through input from the enterprise. When the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 acquires information on the compensation, the output unit 140 outputs, to the first processing unit 300, privilege information 154 including information for granting a privilege corresponding to the compensation to each household 20. That is, in order to return a portion of the compensation to each household 20 as an incentive according to the amount of greenhouse gas reduction (to each household 20, a benefit according to the compensation), the output unit 140 outputs bonus information 154 to the first processing unit 300 and requests each household 20 to return the compensation. Specifically, the output unit 140 reads the amount of greenhouse gas reduction from the reduction amount information 153 stored in the memory unit 150, generates bonus information 154 from the amount of reduction and information on the compensation, and stores the generated bonus information 154 in the memory unit 150. The output unit 140 also outputs bonus information 154 to the first processing unit 300.

As a result, the first processing unit 300 grants each household 20 the benefit indicated in the information included in the benefit information 154. Specifically, the first processing unit 300 grants each household 20 points, coupons, or electronic money that can be used on websites such as EC sites or retail stores, a benefit that increases the user's score (rank), etc. The output unit 140 may output the greenhouse gas emissions and greenhouse gas reduction amounts calculated by the calculation unit 130 to the first processing unit 300. In this case, the first processing unit 300 may notify (feed back) each household 20 of the acquired greenhouse gas emissions and reduction amounts, etc., to present the effects of the greenhouse gas reduction efforts in each household 20.

The output unit 140 may output the bonus information 154 to each household 20 without going through the first processing unit 300, thereby granting each household 20 the bonus indicated in the information included in the bonus information 154. The output unit 140 may output various information such as the greenhouse gas emission amount, the greenhouse gas reduction amount, and the bonus information 154 calculated by the calculation unit 130 to a display unit such as a liquid crystal display provided in the greenhouse gas reduction behavior induction device 100 for display.

The storage unit 150 is a memory that stores data and the like for inducing actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from each household 20. Specifically, the storage unit 150 stores the above-mentioned first emission information 151, second emission information 152, reduction amount information 153, and special offer information 154. Note that the first emission information 151, second emission information 152, reduction amount information 153, and special offer information 154 may be rewritten each time the data is updated, or the data may be accumulated.

[2. Description of the Processing Flow of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Action Inducing Device 100]
Next, a process (a method for inducing greenhouse gas reduction action) for inducing greenhouse gas reduction action in each household 20 by the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 will be described. Fig. 3 is a flowchart showing a process (a method for inducing greenhouse gas reduction action) for inducing greenhouse gas reduction action in each household 20 by the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, first, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires first emission information 151 indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by each household 20 (S102, first acquisition step). Specifically, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires first energy information indicating the amount of energy consumed by each household 20 as the first emission information 151. More specific processing performed by the first acquisition unit 110 is as described above.

Next, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires second emission information 152 indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions to be compared (S104, second acquisition step). Specifically, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires, as the second emission information 152, second energy information indicating the amount of energy consumed by each household 20 prior to the first energy information. More specific processing performed by the second acquisition unit 120 is as described above.

Next, the calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the emission amount indicated in the first emission information 151 from the emission amount indicated in the second emission information 152 (S106, calculation step). Specifically, the calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the first emission information 151 and the greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the second emission information 152, and calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount from the calculated greenhouse gas emission amount. More specific processing performed by the calculation unit 130 is as described above.

Next, the output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation obtained for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction (S108, output step). Specifically, the output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation obtained from the carbon market 40 for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. More specific processing performed by the output unit 140 is as described above.

The greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 executes the above process for all target households 20, inducing all target households 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In this manner, the process (greenhouse gas reduction action inducing method) in which the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 induces each household 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions ends. In this manner, the present invention can be realized not only as the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100, but also as a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing method having steps that are characteristic processes performed by a processing unit included in the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100.

[3. Description of Effects]
As described above, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention calculates the amount of reduction in greenhouse gases emitted by each household 20, and outputs benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation obtained for the amount of reduction. This may encourage each household 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to receive the benefit. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 can induce each household 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gases emitted.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 also outputs bonus information 154 according to the compensation obtained from the carbon market 40 for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction emitted by each household 20. In other words, when compensation is obtained from the carbon market 40 for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 outputs bonus information 154 according to the compensation. As a result, each household 20 may take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain a bonus according to the compensation from the carbon market 40, and therefore the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 can induce each household 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 also calculates the amount of greenhouse gas reduction corresponding to the amount of energy consumed by each household 20, and outputs reward information 154 corresponding to the compensation that can be obtained for the amount of reduction. This may encourage each household 20 to take action to reduce the amount of energy they consume in order to receive the reward. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 can induce greenhouse gas reduction behavior, which is to reduce the amount of energy consumed by each household 20.

In this way, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 (greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement system 10) can record and manage greenhouse gas emissions (including indirect emissions) and reductions at the individual (household) level, and can promote environmentally conscious behavior at the individual (household) level. In other words, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 provides individuals (households) with awareness of environmental consideration by presenting them with greenhouse gas emissions associated with their daily lives. Next, based on this, behavioral changes of individuals (households) such as energy-saving behavior are encouraged. Furthermore, the effects of these behavioral changes of individuals (households) are manifested as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and are returned as incentives. Through these, greenhouse gas emissions and reductions at the individual (household) level can be managed, and environmentally conscious behavior is encouraged in individuals (households), promoting reductions in greenhouse gas emissions at the individual (household) level.

[4. Description of Modifications]
Although the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 according to the present embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The embodiment disclosed here is illustrative and not restrictive in all respects, and the scope of the present invention includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

(Variation 1)
In the above embodiment, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 is not limited to acquiring the first emission information 151 and the second emission information 152 from each household 20. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system 11 including the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 according to the first modification of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a process (a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing method) in which the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 according to the first modification of the present embodiment induces an action to reduce greenhouse gas emitted by each household 20. FIG. 5 is a flowchart corresponding to FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process in which the first acquisition unit 110 of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 according to the first modification of the present embodiment acquires the first emission information 151.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires first emission information 151 indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by each household 20. Specifically, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires the first emission information 151 from the information provision unit 200 or the first processing unit 300 via the communication network 30. In this modified example, the first emission information 151 is environmentally conscious product information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emitted by an environmentally conscious product purchased by each household 20. An environmentally conscious product (goods) is a product (goods) that is environmentally conscious (has excellent environmental efficiency) or contributes to environmental conservation, and is also called an environmentally conscious product (goods), an environmentally compatible product (goods), an environmental conservation product (goods), an environmental protection product (goods), an environmentally harmonious product (goods), etc. An environmentally conscious product is a product that takes the environment into consideration in the product life cycle and contributes to energy conservation or resource conservation, etc. An environmentally conscious product is a product that achieves resource conservation by recycling materials, etc., or that realizes energy conservation in the manufacturing process, or a product that has energy-saving performance, etc. The first emission information 151 is a collection of information including data indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions, such as energy-saving performance, for environmentally conscious products purchased by each household 20. The first emission information 151 may also be information indicating the rank (energy-saving rank, etc.) of the environmentally conscious product (A rank, B rank, C rank, etc.).

In this modified example, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions of the environmentally conscious product from the information provision unit 200. That is, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires environmentally conscious product information (energy saving performance, etc.) of the environmentally conscious product from the information provision unit 200. The information provision unit 200 in this modified example is a processing unit (computer system, etc.) owned by a company (BtoC company) that sells environmentally conscious products. The first acquisition unit 110 then outputs information to the first processing unit 300 for recommending the purchase of the environmentally conscious product to each household 20. The first processing unit 300 in this modified example is an EC site or the like that lists various products including the environmentally conscious product. On the EC site, various products are labeled (ranked) according to the superiority or inferiority of greenhouse gas emissions, etc., and a notice that the environmentally conscious product is recommended is posted. When each household 20 browses the information posted on this EC site and purchases an environmentally conscious product on the EC site, the EC site (first processing unit 300) transmits information indicating that each household 20 has purchased an environmentally conscious product to the first acquisition unit 110.

As a result, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires information indicating that each household 20 has purchased an environmentally conscious product from the external first processing unit 300 (EC site). By acquiring information indicating that each household 20 has purchased an environmentally conscious product from this external first processing unit 300, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires environmentally conscious product information (energy saving performance, etc.) corresponding to the environmentally conscious product as the first emission information 151. The first acquisition unit 110 may acquire the environmentally conscious product information acquired from the information providing unit 200 as the first emission information 151, or may acquire new environmentally conscious product information from the first processing unit 300. In this way, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires environmentally conscious product information indicating the greenhouse gas emissions of the environmentally conscious product purchased by each household 20 as the first emission information 151. The first acquisition unit 110 writes the acquired first emission information 151 to the memory unit 150.

The second acquisition unit 120 acquires second emission information 152 indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emission to be compared. Specifically, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires the second emission information 152, which is the comparison target (standard) of the first emission information 151, from the information provision unit 200 or the first processing unit 300 via the communication network 30. In this modified example, the second emission information 152 is standard product information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emission of a standard product corresponding to the above-mentioned environmentally conscious product. A standard product is a standard product (goods) that is less environmentally conscious (has a large amount of greenhouse gas emission) than an environmentally conscious product. A standard product is the most widely manufactured and sold (best-selling) product among products in the same category as the environmentally conscious product, or an older type product (a product from one year ago, etc.) than the environmentally conscious product. The second emission information 152 is a collection of information including data indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emission, such as the energy saving performance of the standard product.

In this modified example, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires second emission information 152 (standard product information (energy saving performance, etc.)) indicating the greenhouse gas emission amount of a standard product from the information provision unit 200. In this case, the information provision unit 200 may be a processing unit (computer system, etc.) owned by a business operator, other company, or a country that holds the standard product information (energy saving performance, etc.). In this way, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires standard product information indicating the greenhouse gas emission amount of a standard product corresponding to an environmentally conscious product as the second emission information 152. The second acquisition unit 120 writes the acquired second emission information 152 to the storage unit 150. Note that the second emission information 152 (standard product information) may be written in advance to the storage unit 150, in which case the second acquisition unit 120 acquires the second emission information 152 from the storage unit 150.

The calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the first emission information 151 from the greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the second emission information 152. Specifically, the calculation unit 130 reads out the environmentally conscious product information from the first emission information 151 stored in the memory unit 150, and calculates the greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide, etc.) emission amount of the environmentally conscious product. Similarly, the calculation unit 130 reads out the standard product information from the second emission information 152 stored in the memory unit 150, and calculates the greenhouse gas (carbon dioxide, etc.) emission amount of the standard product. Then, the calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the greenhouse gas emission amount of the standard product from the greenhouse gas emission amount of the environmentally conscious product. When the household 20 purchases multiple environmentally conscious products, the calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount of the multiple environmentally conscious products by multiplying the greenhouse gas reduction amount by the number of purchases, etc. The calculation unit 130 then writes the calculated greenhouse gas reduction amount to reduction amount information 153 stored in the storage unit 150, thereby storing the reduction amount in the storage unit 150.

The output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154, which further includes information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation that each household 20 receives for purchasing the environmentally conscious product. In other words, the output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154, which includes information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the reduction in greenhouse gases and the compensation that each household 20 receives for purchasing the environmentally conscious product. In this manner, in this modified example, the benefit is a benefit according to the compensation obtained from the carbon market 40 for the amount of greenhouse gases reduced, and the compensation (sales promotion expenses, etc.) that each household 20 receives from the company (BtoC company) that sells the environmentally conscious product for the purchase of the environmentally conscious product. The benefit is the same as the benefit in the above embodiment, such as points, for example.

Specifically, when a business operator having the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 receives compensation (profit) from a business operator (BtoC business operator) that sells environmentally friendly products, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 acquires information on the compensation (profit). The greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 may automatically acquire information on the compensation when the compensation is received, or may acquire information on the compensation through input from the business operator. When the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 acquires information on the compensation, the output unit 140 outputs, to the first processing unit 300, reward information 154 including information for granting a reward to each household 20 according to the compensation. The process performed by the output unit 140 and the subsequent process performed by the first processing unit 300 are the same as those in the above embodiment, and therefore detailed description will be omitted.

Next, the process (method of inducing greenhouse gas reduction behavior) in which the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 inducing each household 20 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in this modified example will be described. The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 executes the following process for all target households 20, inducing all target households 20 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

As shown in FIG. 5, first, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires first emission information 151 indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions emitted by each household 20 (S112, first acquisition step). Specifically, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires, as the first emission information 151, environmentally conscious product information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from environmentally conscious products purchased by each household 20.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires information indicating the greenhouse gas emissions of the environmentally conscious product (S202). The first acquisition unit 110 then outputs information to the first processing unit 300 to recommend that each household 20 purchase the environmentally conscious product (S204). The first acquisition unit 110 then acquires information indicating that each household 20 has purchased the environmentally conscious product from the external first processing unit 300, thereby acquiring environmentally conscious product information corresponding to the environmentally conscious product as first emission information 151 (S206). More specific processing performed by the first acquisition unit 110 is as described above.

Returning to FIG. 5, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires second emission information 152 indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emission to be compared (S114, second acquisition step). Specifically, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires standard product information indicating the amount of greenhouse gas emission of a standard product corresponding to the environmentally conscious product as the second emission information 152. More specific processing performed by the second acquisition unit 120 is as described above.

Next, the calculation unit 130 calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the first emission information 151 from the greenhouse gas emission amount indicated in the second emission information 152 (S116, calculation step). More specific processing performed by the calculation unit 130 is as described above.

Next, the output unit 140 outputs to the first processing unit 300 the benefit information 154, which further includes information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation that each household 20 receives for purchasing the environmentally conscious product (S118, output step). More specific processing performed by the output unit 140 is as described above.

As described above, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 according to this modified example can achieve the same effects as the above embodiment. In particular, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 calculates the amount of greenhouse gas reduction that each household 20 will achieve by purchasing and using environmentally conscious products, and outputs bonus information 154 according to the compensation that will be obtained for the amount of reduction. This may encourage each household 20 to take action by purchasing and using environmentally conscious products in order to obtain the bonus. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 can induce each household 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gases by purchasing and using environmentally conscious products.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 also outputs information to encourage each household 20 to purchase and use environmentally conscious products, thereby encouraging each household 20 to do so. As a result, if each household 20 purchases an environmentally conscious product, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 acquires information indicating that each household 20 has purchased the environmentally conscious product, and acquires environmentally conscious product information corresponding to the environmentally conscious product as the first emission information 151. In this way, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 can easily encourage each household 20 to take action to purchase environmentally conscious products.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 also outputs bonus information 154 according to the compensation that each household 20 receives for purchasing an environmentally conscious product. In other words, when each household 20 receives compensation (sales promotion fees, etc.) from a company or the like that sold the environmentally conscious product in return for purchasing the environmentally conscious product, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 outputs bonus information 154 according to the compensation. This may encourage each household 20 to take action to purchase the environmentally conscious product in order to receive a bonus according to the compensation for the purchase of the environmentally conscious product. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 can further induce each household 20 to purchase and use environmentally conscious products, which is a greenhouse gas reduction behavior.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 also acquires information indicating that each household 20 has purchased an environmentally friendly product from the first processing unit 300 (EC site), and outputs bonus information 154 to the first processing unit 300 (EC site). This allows the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 to communicate with each household 20 via the same processing unit (via the same EC site), making it easy to communicate with each household 20.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 also outputs information to the first processing unit 300 for recommending the purchase of environmentally friendly products to each household 20, which allows further communication with each household 20 via the same processing unit (EC site), making communication with each household 20 even easier.

(Variation 2)
In the above-mentioned modified example 1, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 is not limited to outputting information for recommending the purchase of environmentally conscious products to each household 20 to the first processing unit 300. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system 12 including the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 according to modified example 2 of this embodiment. Fig. 7 is a diagram corresponding to Fig. 4. Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a process in which the first acquisition unit 110 of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 according to modified example 2 of this embodiment acquires the first emission information 151. Fig. 8 is a flowchart corresponding to Fig. 6.

As shown in FIG. 7, in this modified example, the first acquisition unit 110 outputs information to the second processing unit 400, which is different from the first processing unit 300, for recommending the purchase of environmentally conscious products to each household 20. The second processing unit 400 is a processing unit (computer system, etc.) owned by a retailer or the like that sells environmentally conscious products in person. When the second processing unit 400 acquires information that recommends the purchase of an environmentally conscious product, the retailer recommends the purchase of the environmentally conscious product by displaying the environmentally conscious product in a corner or advertising it with a POP (Point of Purchase). When a user belonging to the household 20 purchases an environmentally conscious product from the retailer based on this recommendation, the retailer encourages the user to perform point processing using a point card. When the user performs point processing, information indicating that the household 20 to which the user belongs has purchased an environmentally conscious product is transmitted to the first processing unit 300. The first processing unit 300 in this modified example is a processing unit (computer system, etc.) owned by a point company that grants points. The first processing unit 300 transmits information indicating that the household 20 to which the user belongs has purchased an environmentally conscious product to the first acquisition unit 110. Other processes performed by the first acquisition unit 110 are similar to those in the above embodiment or variant 1, and therefore will not be described. The processes performed by the second acquisition unit 120, the calculation unit 130, and the output unit 140 are also similar to those in the above embodiment or variant 1, and therefore will not be described.

In this modification, in the process (greenhouse gas reduction action induction method) in which the greenhouse gas reduction action induction device 100 induces reduction action of greenhouse gas emitted by each household 20, the process (S112 in FIG. 5) in which the first acquisition unit 110 acquires the first emission information 151 is as follows. As shown in FIG. 8, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires information indicating the greenhouse gas emission amount of the environmentally conscious product (S302). More specific processing performed by the first acquisition unit 110 is the same as that of the above embodiment or modification 1. Then, the first acquisition unit 110 outputs information for recommending the purchase of environmentally conscious products to each household 20 to the second processing unit 400, which is different from the first processing unit 300 (S304). More specific processing performed by the first acquisition unit 110 is as described above. Then, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires, from the first processing unit 300, information indicating that each household 20 has purchased an environmentally conscious product, and thereby acquires environmentally conscious product information corresponding to the environmentally conscious product as first discharge information 151 (S306). More specific processing performed by the first acquisition unit 110 is similar to that in the above-described embodiment or variant 1. In addition, subsequent processing performed by the second acquisition unit 120, the calculation unit 130, and the output unit 140 (S114 to S118 in FIG. 5) is similar to that in the above-described embodiment or variant 1.

As described above, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 according to this modification can achieve the same effects as the above embodiment or modification 1. However, it is preferable that the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 provides information for recommending the purchase of environmentally conscious products to each household 20 at a location where each household 20 is likely to take action to purchase environmentally conscious products (such as a face-to-face retailer that makes sales recommendations), and this location may be different from the first processing unit 300. For this reason, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 outputs information for recommending the purchase of environmentally conscious products to each household 20 to the second processing unit 400, which is different from the first processing unit 300. This allows the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 to communicate with each household 20 via an appropriate processing unit.

(Variation 3)
In the above-described embodiment, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 may output any type of bonus information 154. Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing a process in which the output unit 140 of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 according to the third modification of this embodiment outputs the bonus information 154. Fig. 9 shows a modification of the process (S108, output step) in which the output unit 140 shown in Fig. 3 outputs the bonus information 154.

In this modified example, as in the above embodiment, the output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation obtained for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction, but the information (benefit) included in the benefit information 154 is different from that in the above embodiment. The benefit is a fungible token according to the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. In other words, in this modified example, the output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a fungible token according to the amount of greenhouse gas reduction.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9, first, the output unit 140 generates a non-fungible token that certifies the amount of greenhouse gas reduction (S402). Specifically, the output unit 140 reads and acquires the amount of greenhouse gas reduction from the reduction amount information 153 stored in the storage unit 150, and generates (issues) a non-fungible token (NFT: Non-Fungible Token) corresponding to the amount of reduction. The non-fungible token is non-fungible digital data (token) recorded on the blockchain, and can be used to certify the amount of greenhouse gas reduction (or the compensation obtained from the amount of greenhouse gas reduction (e.g., compensation obtained from the carbon market 40)). The output unit 140 stores information indicating the generated (issued) non-fungible token in the benefit information 154 of the storage unit 150.

Then, the output unit 140 generates a fungible token corresponding to the reduction amount attested by the non-fungible token (S404). Specifically, the output unit 140 reads and acquires the non-fungible token from the benefit information 154 of the storage unit 150, and generates (issues) a fungible token (FT: Fungible Token) corresponding to the reduction amount attested by the non-fungible token. The fungible token is fungible digital data (token) recorded on the blockchain, and is a token that can exchange an asset for another asset of the same type and value. In this embodiment, the fungible token is data (token) indicating the amount of greenhouse gas reduction, or data (token) indicating the compensation obtained from the amount of greenhouse gas reduction (such as compensation obtained from the carbon market 40). The output unit 140 stores information indicating the generated (issued) fungible token in the benefit information 154 of the storage unit 150.

Then, the output unit 140 outputs the reward information 154 including information for granting fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens to each household 20 (S406). That is, the output unit 140 outputs the reward information 154 including information indicating the non-fungible token that certifies the amount of greenhouse gas reduction, and information indicating the fungible token corresponding to the amount of reduction certified by the non-fungible token. Specifically, the output unit 140 reads and acquires the reward information 154 including information indicating the fungible token and information indicating the non-fungible token from the memory unit 150, and outputs the reward information 154 to the first processing unit 300. Then, the first processing unit 300 grants (outputs) the fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens (benefits) included in the reward information 154 to each household 20. The output unit 140 may output the benefit information 154 to each household 20 without going through the first processing unit 300, thereby granting (outputting) the fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens (benefits) included in the benefit information 154 to each household 20. Since these tokens have potential market value, each household 20 (individual or group) can actualize the value (actualize the potential value of the tokens granted as benefit information 154) in the carbon market 40, etc. after acquiring the tokens.

The output unit 140 may increase the value of the fungible tokens by utilizing at least a portion of the fungible tokens for trading with the carbon market 40 or for investing in environmental protection activities, and may grant (output) the increased valued fungible tokens to each household 20. For example, the output unit 140 may grant (output) a portion (a fixed ratio) of the fungible tokens that it generates (issues) to each household 20, or may grant (output) the remaining fungible tokens (a fixed ratio) to each household 20 after managing them.

Other processes in this modified example are similar to those in the above embodiment, and therefore will not be described in detail. This modified example can also be applied to the process in modified example 1 above, in which the output unit 140 shown in FIG. 5 outputs the bonus information 154 (S118, output step).

As described above, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 according to this modified example can achieve the same effects as the above-mentioned embodiment or modified example. In particular, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 outputs bonus information 154 including information for granting fungible tokens to each household 20 according to the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. This may encourage each household 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain fungible tokens. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 can induce each household 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 also generates a non-fungible token that certifies the amount of greenhouse gas reduction, and generates a fungible token corresponding to the amount of reduction certified by the non-fungible token. As a result, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 issues fungible tokens based on the amount of reduction certified by the non-fungible token, so that it is possible to prevent the value of the fungible token from decreasing and to increase the value of the fungible token in the long term. In particular, the non-fungible token is a unique crypto-asset on the Internet using blockchain technology, and it is possible to identify and certify who has reduced how much. Therefore, the non-fungible token is positioned as an environmental value certificate, and when it is sold on the carbon market 40, etc., the non-fungible token can be written off to prevent double counting of the certificate.

In addition, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens to each household 20. As a result, each household 20 can obtain, in addition to the fungible tokens, a non-fungible token that proves the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. In other words, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting, to each household 20, a non-fungible token that proves the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. As a result, each household 20 can take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain the non-fungible tokens. Therefore, according to the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100, it is possible to induce reduction actions of greenhouse gases emitted by each household 20. In particular, since the fungible tokens are proven (backed up) by the non-fungible tokens, their value can be maintained, and since they are crypto-assets that can be traded (exchanged for legal tender or other crypto-assets) not only on a specific platform but also widely on the Internet, their value can be further increased. This is expected to provide a strong incentive for each household 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In addition, the output unit 140 may output the bonus information 154 including the fungible token and the bonus information 154 including the non-fungible token separately, rather than including both the fungible token and the non-fungible token in the bonus information 154. Furthermore, the output unit 140 may output only one of the bonus information 154 including the fungible token and the bonus information 154 including the non-fungible token. In this case, the output unit 140 may generate (issue) only one of the fungible token and the non-fungible token.

(Variation 4)
In the above-described embodiment, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100 does not necessarily have to include the first acquisition unit 110, the second acquisition unit 120, and the calculation unit 130. Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing system 13 including a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100a according to a fourth modification of the present embodiment. Fig. 11 is a flowchart showing a process (a greenhouse gas reduction action inducing method) in which the greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device 100a according to the fourth modification of the present embodiment induces an action to reduce greenhouse gases emitted by each household 20.

As shown in FIG. 10, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100a in this modified example does not include the first acquisition unit 110, the second acquisition unit 120, and the calculation unit 130, unlike the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 in the above embodiment. In other words, in this modified example, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100a includes an output unit 140 and a memory unit 150a. The output unit 140 in this modified example has the same configuration as the output unit 140 in the above embodiment (performs the same process). The memory unit 150a stores the same bonus information 154 as in the above embodiment. As a result, the first acquisition unit 110, the second acquisition unit 120, and the calculation unit 130 in the above embodiment are located outside the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100a. In addition, the memory unit 150 in the above embodiment is a memory unit 150b that stores the first emission information 151, the second emission information 152, and the reduction amount information 153 similar to those in the above embodiment. The rest of the configuration of this modification is the same as that of the above embodiment, so a detailed description will be omitted.

In this modified example, in such a configuration, the output unit 140 acquires the amount of greenhouse gas reduction emitted by each household 20 from the external storage unit 150b, and outputs the reward information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a reward according to the compensation obtained for the amount of reduction. That is, in the above embodiment, the output unit 140 acquires the amount of greenhouse gas reduction from the storage unit 150 included in the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100, but in this modified example, the output unit 140 acquires the amount of greenhouse gas reduction from outside the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100a. Subsequent processing performed by the output unit 140 in this modified example (processing after acquiring the amount of reduction) is the same as subsequent processing performed by the output unit 140 in the above embodiment. In this modified example, as in the above modified example 3, the output unit 140 outputs the reward information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a fungible token according to the amount of greenhouse gas reduction.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, the output unit 140 reads and acquires the amount of greenhouse gas reduction emitted by each household 20 from the external storage unit 150b (S502, reduction amount acquisition step). Then, the output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation obtained for the acquired reduction amount (S504, benefit information output step). In this way, the output unit 140 acquires the amount of greenhouse gas reduction emitted by each household 20, and outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a benefit according to the compensation obtained for the reduction amount (S502 to S504, output step). In this modified example, the output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a fungible token according to the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. The process by which the output unit 140 outputs the bonus information 154 is similar to the process in Variation 3 above (S402 to S406 in FIG. 9), so a detailed description will be omitted.

As described above, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100a according to this modification can achieve the same effects as the above embodiment or the modification. That is, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100a acquires the amount of reduction in greenhouse gas emitted by each household 20, and outputs reward information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a reward according to the compensation obtained for the amount of reduction. As a result, each household 20 is considered to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain the reward. In particular, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100a outputs the reward information 154 including information for granting each household 20 a fungible token according to the amount of reduction. As a result, each household 20 is considered to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to obtain the fungible token. Therefore, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100a can induce each household 20 to take action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

In particular, in this modification, the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device 100a does not include the first acquisition unit 110, the second acquisition unit 120, and the calculation unit 130 in the above embodiment, and therefore the configuration can be simplified. Note that in this modification, the output unit 140 performs the same processing as in the above modification 3, but may also perform the same processing as in either of the above embodiment and modifications 1 and 2.

(Other Modifications)
In the above embodiment, the output unit 140 outputs the benefit information 154 including information for granting a benefit (fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens in Modification 3) to each household 20, and grants the benefit information 154 to each household 20 via the first processing unit 300, etc. In this case, the household 20 to which the benefit information 154 is to be granted may be rephrased as a person (individual) who represents the household 20. In other words, the output unit 140 may grant a benefit (fungible tokens and non-fungible tokens in Modification 3) to a person (individual) who represents the household 20.

In the above embodiment, the business operator who owns the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 receives compensation (profit) from the carbon market 40 for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction, but the business operator may receive compensation (profit) from a place other than the carbon market 40, such as a general company that purchases the amount of greenhouse gas reduction. In this case, the output unit 140 of the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement device 100 outputs special offer information 154 according to the compensation obtained from the general company or the like for the amount of greenhouse gas reduction.

In the above embodiment, the second acquisition unit 120 acquires second energy information indicating the amount of energy consumed by each household 20 in the past before the first energy information as the second emission information 152. However, the second acquisition unit 120 may calculate the standard amount of energy consumed for each household 20 based on information such as the area classification, family structure, and housing structure, and acquire the calculated information as the second emission information 152.

In the above embodiment, the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 has a memory unit 150, but it may not have a memory unit 150 and may exchange data with an external memory.

In the above embodiment, in the method for inducing greenhouse gas reduction actions, the first acquisition unit 110 acquires the first emission information 151, and then the second acquisition unit 120 acquires the second emission information 152, but this is not limited to the above. The first acquisition unit 110 may acquire the first emission information 151 after the second acquisition unit 120 acquires the second emission information 152, or the second acquisition unit 120 may acquire the second emission information 152 at the same time that the first acquisition unit 110 acquires the first emission information 151.

The present invention can be realized not only as the greenhouse gas reduction action induction device 100 and the greenhouse gas reduction action induction method, but also as a program for causing a computer to execute steps included in the greenhouse gas reduction action induction method. In other words, each component of the greenhouse gas reduction action induction device 100 may be realized by a program execution unit such as a CPU or processor reading and executing a software program recorded on a recording medium such as a hard disk or semiconductor memory. Furthermore, the present invention can be realized as a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium on which the program is recorded, such as a flexible disk, hard disk, CD-ROM, MO, DVD, DVD-ROM, DVD-RAM, BD (Blu-ray Disc (registered trademark)), or semiconductor memory. The program can be distributed via the recording medium and a transmission medium such as the Internet. The present invention can also be realized as an integrated circuit having a processing unit included in the greenhouse gas reduction action induction device 100. In other words, each functional block of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 or 100a shown in FIG. 2, 4, 7, or 10 may be realized as an LSI (Large Scale Integration) integrated circuit. These may be individually integrated into a single chip, or may be integrated into a single chip that includes some or all of them. In this way, each component of the greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 100 may be configured with dedicated hardware, or may be realized by executing a software program suitable for each component.

In addition, configurations constructed by combining any of the components in the above embodiments and their variations are also included within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can be applied to greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducement devices that can induce behavior to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in each household.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10, 11, 12, 13 Greenhouse gas reduction action inducement system 20 Home 30 Communication network 40 Carbon market 100, 100a Greenhouse gas reduction action inducement device 110 First acquisition unit 120 Second acquisition unit 130 Calculation unit 140 Output unit 150, 150a, 150b Storage unit 151 First emission information 152 Second emission information 153 Reduction amount information 154 Special information 200 Information provision unit 300 First processing unit 400 Second processing unit

Claims (13)

a first acquisition unit that acquires first emission information indicating an amount of greenhouse gas emitted by each household;
a second acquisition unit that acquires second emission information indicating an emission amount of the greenhouse gas to be compared;
a calculation unit that calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the emission amount indicated in the first emission information from the emission amount indicated in the second emission information;
an output unit that outputs reward information including information for granting a reward to each of the households according to a reward obtained for the amount of reduction;
The output unit is
generating a non-fungible token evidencing said reduction;
Using the generated non-fungible token, generate a fungible token according to the reduction amount attested by the non-fungible token;
and outputting the benefit information including information for granting both the generated non-fungible tokens and the generated fungible tokens to each of the households. The first acquisition unit acquires, as the first emission information, first energy information indicating an amount of energy consumed by each of the households;
The greenhouse gas reduction action inducing device according to claim 1 , wherein the second acquisition unit acquires, as the second emission information, second energy information indicating an amount of energy consumed by each of the households in the past prior to the first energy information. a first acquisition unit that acquires first emission information indicating an amount of greenhouse gas emitted by each household;
a second acquisition unit that acquires second emission information indicating an emission amount of the greenhouse gas to be compared;
a calculation unit that calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the emission amount indicated in the first emission information from the emission amount indicated in the second emission information;
an output unit that outputs reward information including information for granting a reward to each of the households according to a reward obtained for the amount of reduction;
The first acquisition unit acquires, as the first emission information, environmentally conscious product information indicating greenhouse gas emissions of environmentally conscious products purchased by each of the households;
The second acquisition unit acquires , as the second emission information, standard product information indicating an amount of greenhouse gas emission of a standard product corresponding to the environmentally conscious product,
The output unit generates a non-fungible token that certifies the amount of reduction, generates a fungible token according to the amount of reduction certified by the non-fungible token, and outputs the fungible token and the benefit information including information for granting the non-fungible token to each household.
A device to induce behavior to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the output unit outputs the reward information including information for granting each of the households a reward according to a compensation obtained from a carbon market for the amount of reduction. The first acquisition unit,
Obtain information showing the greenhouse gas emissions of environmentally friendly products,
outputting information for recommending the purchase of the environmentally friendly product to each of the households;
The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device according to claim 3 , wherein the first emission information is obtained by acquiring information indicating that each of the households has purchased the environmentally conscious product, and acquiring the environmentally conscious product information corresponding to the environmentally conscious product. The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device according to claim 3, wherein the output unit outputs the benefit information further including information for granting each of the households a benefit according to the compensation that each of the households receives for purchasing the environmentally conscious product. The first acquisition unit acquires information indicating that each of the households has purchased the environmentally conscious product from an external first processing unit,
The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device according to claim 3 , wherein the output unit outputs the special benefit information to the first processing unit. The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device according to claim 7 , wherein the first acquisition unit outputs, to the first processing unit, information for recommending each of the households to purchase the environmentally conscious product. The greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device according to claim 7 , wherein the first acquisition unit outputs information for recommending each of the households to purchase the environmentally conscious product to a second processing unit different from the first processing unit. an output unit that acquires the amount of greenhouse gas reduction in each household and outputs reward information including information for granting each household a reward according to the amount of reduction;
The output unit is
generating a non-fungible token evidencing said reduction;
Using the generated non-fungible token, generate a fungible token according to the reduction amount attested by the non-fungible token;
and outputting the benefit information including information for granting both the generated non-fungible tokens and the generated fungible tokens to each of the households. A method for inducing greenhouse gas reduction behavior by using a greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device, comprising:
a first acquisition step in which the greenhouse gas reduction behavior invitation device acquires first emission information indicating an amount of greenhouse gas emitted by each household;
a second acquisition step in which the greenhouse gas reduction action invitation device acquires second emission information indicating an emission amount of the greenhouse gas to be compared;
a calculation step in which the greenhouse gas reduction action induction device calculates the greenhouse gas reduction amount by subtracting the emission amount indicated in the first emission information from the emission amount indicated in the second emission information;
an output step in which the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device outputs reward information including information for granting a reward to each of the households according to a reward obtained for the amount of reduction;
In the output step, the greenhouse gas reduction action invitation device
generating a non-fungible token evidencing said reduction;
Using the generated non-fungible token, generate a fungible token according to the reduction amount attested by the non-fungible token;
outputting the benefit information including information for granting both the generated non-fungible tokens and the fungible tokens to each of the households. A method for inducing greenhouse gas reduction behavior by using a greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device, comprising:
an output step in which the greenhouse gas reduction behavior inducing device acquires an amount of reduction in greenhouse gas emitted by each household, and outputs reward information including information for granting a reward to each household according to a compensation obtained for the amount of reduction;
In the output step, the greenhouse gas reduction action invitation device
generating a non-fungible token evidencing said reduction;
Using the generated non-fungible token, generate a fungible token according to the reduction amount attested by the non-fungible token;
outputting the benefit information including information for granting both the generated non-fungible tokens and the fungible tokens to each of the households. A program for causing a computer to execute the steps included in the method for inducing actions to reduce greenhouse gases according to claim 11 or 12 .

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