Abstract
The measurement and allocation of carbon emission responsibilities is a fundamental issue in China’s low-carbon development. However, existing studies of embodied carbon do not sufficiently consider the sectoral energy structure. In this work, we developed a high-resolution calculation method for embodied carbon that embeds the sectoral energy structure into traditional input–output methods, thus expanding the driving factors of SDA decomposition. Based on this method, we calculated the quantity, final consumption structure, and energy structure of embodied carbon in China’s 28 sectors from 2002 to 2018, drew a carbon emissions allocation Sankey diagram of China in 2018, and calculated the SDA decomposition results for 2002–2010 and 2010–2018. The results indicate that fixed capital formation was still the top contributor of embodied carbon, and it caused more coal consumption. “Construction for fixed capital formation” and “other services for domestic consumption” were the two most important drivers of carbon emissions. The final consumption quantity and energy intensity were the main factors that promoted and inhibited the growth of embodied carbon, respectively, while the effects of the input–output structure, sectoral energy structure, and carbon emission coefficient on reducing carbon emissions were obvious after 2010. This also revealed that policymakers should formulate differentiated emission reduction strategies according to the carbon emission characteristics of key sectors.
Highlights
Published: 23 February 2022Facing the increasingly severe challenges of climate change, global low-carbon development is imperative
The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed out that if the global warming caused by the continuous increase in carbon emissions is not curbed, it will lead to irreversible changes in the global ecosystem and cause widespread negative impacts
We found that current research does not consider sectoral energy structure as an independent driving factor in the structural decomposition analysis method (SDA) research related to carbon emissions
Summary
Published: 23 February 2022Facing the increasingly severe challenges of climate change, global low-carbon development is imperative. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) pointed out that if the global warming caused by the continuous increase in carbon emissions is not curbed, it will lead to irreversible changes in the global ecosystem and cause widespread negative impacts For this reason, it is necessary to keep the global temperature rise in this century below 2 ◦ C higher than the pre-industrial level and strive to further limit the temperature rise to 1.5 ◦ C [1]. It is necessary to keep the global temperature rise in this century below 2 ◦ C higher than the pre-industrial level and strive to further limit the temperature rise to 1.5 ◦ C [1] This means that people must fundamentally transform traditional production methods, lifestyles, and consumption methods, promote transition and innovation, and follow a green, low-carbon, and circular development path.
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