The Scale, Structure and Influencing Factors of Total Carbon Emissions from Households in 30 Provinces of China—Based on the Extended STIRPAT Model

Yong Wang,Yu Cheng,Guangchun Yang,Peipei Shang,Ying Dong

doi:10.3390/en11051125

Abstract

Household carbon emissions are important components of total carbon emissions. The consumer side of energy-saving emissions reduction is an essential factor in reducing carbon emissions. In this paper, the carbon emissions coefficient method and Consumer Lifestyle Approach (CLA) were used to calculate the total carbon emissions of households in 30 provinces of China from 2006 to 2015, and based on the extended Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology (STIRPAT) model, the factors influencing the total carbon emissions of households were analyzed. The results indicated that, first, over the past ten years, the energy and products carbon emissions from China’s households have demonstrated a rapid growth trend and that regional distributions present obvious differences. Second, China’s energy carbon emissions due to household consumption primarily derived from the residents’ consumption of electricity and coal; China’s products household carbon emissions primarily derived from residents’ consumption of the high carbon emission categories: residences, food, transportation and communications. Third, in terms of influencing factors, the number of households in China plays a significant role in the total carbon emissions of China’s households. The ratio of children 0–14 years old and gender ratio (female = 100) are two factors that reflect the demographic structure, have significant effects on the total carbon emissions of China’s households, and are all positive. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita plays a role in boosting the total carbon emissions of China’s households. The effect of the carbon emission intensity on total household carbon emissions is positive. The industrial structure (the proportion of secondary industries’ added value to the regional GDP) has curbed the growth of total carbon emissions from China’s household consumption. The results of this study provide data to support the assessment of the total carbon emissions of China’s households and provide a reasonable reference that the government can use to formulate energy-saving and emission-reduction measures.

Highlights

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) [1], China surpassed the US as the world’s largest emitter of carbon in 2007, and according to data on carbon dioxide emissions released by the BP World Energy Statistics Yearbook (2017) [2], China’s global share of carbon emissions rose from20.9% in 2005 to 27.5% in 2014 and remains on the rise
The results indicated that the total carbon emissions of Chinese residents during the study period demonstrated a rapid growth trend, which is an important component of total carbon emissions
In order to determine whether the impact of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita on China’s consumption of total carbon consumption using Stata12.0 software

Summary

Introduction

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA) [1], China surpassed the US as the world’s largest emitter of carbon in 2007, and according to data on carbon dioxide emissions released by the BP World Energy Statistics Yearbook (2017) [2], China’s global share of carbon emissions rose from20.9% in 2005 to 27.5% in 2014 and remains on the rise. Energies 2018, 11, 1125 large-scale, mechanized production, growing consumer demand, and improved living standards have caused China’s carbon dioxide emissions to increase every year. China has established a series of emissions reduction plans: at the World Climate Conference in Copenhagen in. In 2014, China increased its goal of peak carbon emissions to approximately 2030. In 2015, at the Paris summit, China reaffirmed its commitment of peak carbon emissions to approximately 2030; China has proposed that to approximately 2030, non-fossil energy consumption would account for about. How to achieve energy savings and emissions reduction and how to develop an appropriate path for China’s low-carbon development have become timely issues for scholars

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Conclusion