A historical time series for inter-industrial embodied carbon transfers within China

Abstract

China has made ambitious carbon emission reduction commitments at the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris in 2015. However, the policies that have been adopted are based on the production accounting principle and are excessively concentrated in high and direct carbon intensity industries. This production-based accounting can lead to unfair responsibility for emissions reduction, mismatch in economic development, and carbon leakage. Embodied CO2 emissions depict the accumulated emissions generated in the production process of a product, and it is based on the consumption accounting principle. This accounting method addresses some shortcomings on production responsibility, thus providing a new perspective for carbon emission reduction. Based on 1992–2012 input-output tables and direct carbon emissions of China, this study calculated the embodied carbon transfer within 28 industries. A visualized dynamic embodied carbon database was constructed, covering all industries in China within a 20-years period. We characterized the embodied carbon transfer structure among different industries in China. The main embodied carbon input and output sectors were identified, and targeted industry emission reduction recommendations are provided. The power industry (an upstream industry), and the construction industry (a downstream industry) were considered typical net export and import industries. These sectors are suitable for formulating emission reduction policies from their respective supply and demand sides. The chemical industry is in the middle of the industrial chain, where the input and output are equal. Therefore, policies that affect both supply and demand can achieve better results. This paper provides detailed data to support China’s overall arrangement of industrial carbon emission reduction.