Analysis of Agricultural CO2 Emissions in Henan Province, China, Based on EKC and Decoupling

Zhenjie Wang,Donghui Lv

doi:10.3390/su14031931

Abstract

Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions is highly concerning. Both the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis and decoupling analysis indicate a dynamic relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution, and each method has its own emphasis. The objective of this paper is to investigate the nexus between grain production and agricultural carbon emissions for the main grain-producing areas in China. Taking Henan Province, the second largest agricultural province, as an example, this paper examines the relationship between grain production and agricultural CO2 emissions during 2000–2019, using the EKC hypothesis and decoupling analysis. The results are as follows: (1) The estimation model of CO2 EKC shows the climbing stage of an inverted U-shaped relationship, which suggests that agricultural economic growth occurred at the cost of an increase in agricultural CO2 emissions in Henan Province during the past 20 years. (2) The results of the decoupling analysis show that incidences of weak decoupling and expansive coupling states took up most of the study period, accompanied by an occasionally strong decoupling state; decoupling and coupling states alternated irregularly, and no clear development trends were observed. (3) Considering the shape of the CO2 EKC and the decoupling state, environmental policies encouraged decoupling, but suffered from time lags and poor continuity; long-term incentives, such as an ecological compensation policy, could perhaps drive carbon emission reduction. On this basis, Chinese agricultural policy should combine environmentally targeted interventions with measures supporting production and farmers’ incomes, and environmental policy should also adapt to economic growth. Only when both supplement each other can sustainable agricultural goals be achieved.

Highlights

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutralIn the past 50 years, the economic growth mode of high inputs and high emissions has caused a series of environmental problems, which have affected the sustainable development of the economy and society [1]
There was a downward trend in agricultural CO2 emission intensity (CI), which indicates that Henan Province has the potential for a low-carbon agriculture, despite its unclear development path
The objective of this paper was to investigate the nexus between grain production and agricultural carbon emissions in Henan Province during 2000–2019, using both the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC)

Summary

Introduction

In the past 50 years, the economic growth mode of high inputs and high emissions has caused a series of environmental problems, which have affected the sustainable development of the economy and society [1]. As global warming becomes increasingly prominent, the question of how to deal with the economy–environment relationship is increasingly becoming a global concern, and green new deals to improve the development mode and reduce pollutant emissions are being promoted. In academic circles, there is a large body of studies on the relationship between economic growth and environmental pressure. The shape of the economy–environment relationship or the decoupling/coupling state has implications for environmental policymaking [4,5]. According to a report by the with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion