Abstract
China is the largest CO2 emitter in the world and is still reliant on energy consumption for economic growth. Research has focused on effective approaches of reducing and mitigating CO2 emissions. This paper undertakes a decomposition study of energy-related CO2 emissions from the industrial and household sectors during the period 1996–2012, with the objectives of investigating trends of the changes in energy-related CO2 emissions, the driving forces of these changes, and approaches of mitigating CO2 emission. Results show the following: (1) the expansion of economic activity is the dominant stimulatory factor of the increase of CO2 emissions in China and that a sustained increase in CO2 emissions can be expected; (2) the decline in energy intensity and the adjustment of energy mix and industrial structure effectively mitigate CO2 emissions; and (3) the government should give more attention to enhancing the energy utility efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions in rural households.
Highlights
Global warming has caused widespread concern in the international community
The aggregate CO2 emissions increased from 3273.81 million tonnes (Mt) in 1996 to 8557.03 Mt in 2012, as a result of an annual growth rate of 6.19%
The amount of CO2 emissions decreased by 64.52 Mt from 1996 to 1998
Summary
Global warming has caused widespread concern in the international community. According to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [1], increase in anthropogenic CO2 emissions is a main contributor of global climate change. Over the last few decades, Chinese authorities and economic actors have adopted and implemented many advanced technologies, equipment, and mitigation policies in order to reduce energy consumption and CO2 emissions. High-consumption and high-emission problems still persist in China because of accelerating industrialization and urbanization. The Chinese government promised during the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in 2009 to reduce its CO2 emissions per unit of the gross domestic product (GDP) by 40% to 45% in 2020 relative to 2005 levels. It is necessary to know overall changes of CO2 emission. It is necessary to know what factors in recent years are driving these changes in order to find effective approaches of reducing and mitigating CO2 emissions
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