The Changes of Carbon Emission in China’s Industrial Sectors from 2002 to 2010: A Structural Decomposition Analysis and Input-Output Subsystem

Guoxing Zhang,Mingxing Liu

doi:10.1155/2014/798576

Abstract

Based on 2002–2010 comparable price input-output tables, this paper first calculates the carbon emissions of China’s industrial sectors with three components by input-output subsystems; next, we decompose the three components into effect of carbon emission intensity, effect of social technology, and effect of final demand separately by structure decomposition analysis; at last, we analyze the contribution of every effect to the total emissions by sectors, thus finding the key sectors and key factors which induce the changes of carbon emissions in China’s industrial sectors. Our results show that in the latest 8 years five departments have gotten the greatest increase in the changes of carbon emissions compare with other departments and the effect of final demand is the key factor leading to the increase of industrial total carbon emissions. The decomposed effects show a decrease in carbon emission due to the changes of carbon emission intensity between 2002 and 2010 compensated by an increase in carbon emissions caused by the rise in final demand of industrial sectors. And social technological changes on the reduction of carbon emissions did not play a very good effect and need further improvement.

Highlights

Since China is the largest CO2 emitter in the word, there is a huge pressure when facing the problems of global warming
(1) Viewing from the three subsystem components (DLC, IC, and EC), we know that in the latest eight years the internal component of the industrial sectors is the main component leading to the increase of total carbon emissions in China; viewing from the department, we find that the department whose carbon emissions increased the most is the department whose direct and indirect carbon emissions increased the most, it is direct carbon emissions increased the most instead of direct carbon emissions increased the most
(2) When considering the following three factors: carbon intensity effect, social technological effect, and the effect of final demand, we find that the main reason leading to the increase of total carbon emissions is the expansion of final demand

Summary

Introduction

Since China is the largest CO2 emitter in the word, there is a huge pressure when facing the problems of global warming. In the year of 2009 the Chinese government promised to reduce carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP by 40–45% in 2020 to be less than 2005 levels. China has set a target of reducing CO2 intensity per unit GDP by 17% in 2015 to be less than 2010 levels in the twelfth five-year plan [1]. The data of Chinese Energy Statistical Yearbook (2012) shows that China’s total carbon emissions in the industrial sectors indicated a continuous upward trend [3]. Investigating the underlying reasons of the carbon emission changes in China’s industrial sectors and studying different factors contributed to the total carbon emissions are essential for developing rational reduction policies and achieving emission reduction targets

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion