Structural decomposition analysis of agricultural Non-CO2 greenhouse gas emission intensity in China

Abstract

Agriculture is China's primary emitter of non-CO2 greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, and it is crucial to understand the drivers and contributions of agricultural non-CO2 GHGs emission intensity (ANCGI) for formulating effective emission reduction policies. Based on a decomposition analysis approach, this study explains the factors that driving the change of ANCGI from the perspectives of environment, economy, and scale. And by calculating the contribution of these three factors in 31 Chinese provinces between 2000 and 2019 using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) technology. The findings show that the ANCGI in China has declined by about 3.6% per year on average over the past 20 years, and the main factor affecting its decline is the economic level, contributing more than one third. The ANCGI is negatively impacted by the environment, with a contribution value of −1.60%; and the scale effect contributes 1.21% to the decrease in the ANCGI. Therefore, improving the level of agriculture environment in each province and transitioning to a high-quality development model are important ways to reduce the ANCGI in China.