Notice of Retraction: Impact Factors and Its Spatio-Temporal Disparity Analysis of the Industrial SO2 Emissions Using the STIRPAT Model

Abstract

Using the STIRPAT model, this paper analyzes the impact of population, affluence and technology on industrial sulfur dioxide (SO2) effusions in China, and the spatio-temporal disparity of the effects for coastal and inland regions over the period 1995-2005. Our main results show, from the year of 1995 to 2005, the importance of effects on industrial SO2 emissions of the percentage of population aged older than 60 and population has increased, and that of urbanization and GDP per capita has decreased in the coastal/inland area. The percentage of population aged older than 60 has the greatest impact on industrial SO2 emissions, followed by energy intensity, population, urbanization and GDP per capita in China in 2005. For the past 11 years, accumulative effects on industrial SO2 emissions of population, energy intensity and the percentage of population aged older than 60 in the coastal area is obviously significantly greater than that in the inland area, and that of GDP per capita in the coastal area is significantly less than that in the inland area. Meanwhile, there is no significant difference between the effect of urbanization on emissions for the coastal and inland area. For China, energy intensity has the greatest accumulative impact on industrial SO2 emissions for the past 11 years, followed by urbanization, GDP per capita, population, and the percentage of the population aged older than 60. Therefore, these empirical results indicate that the impact of population, affluence and technology on industrial SO2 emissions varies in different spatio-temporal scales. Thus, policy-makers should consider these matters fully when they construct their long-term strategies of industrial SO2 abatement.