Trends and Spatial Distribution of Embedded Carbon Footprints in China

Abstract

This paper develops an environment input-output (EIO) model to calculate embedded carbon footprints (ECF) from a consumption perspective, based on which an analysis is conducted on the trends and spatial distribution of urban households' ECF in China. The results demonstrate that energy efficiency improvements might not definitely result in a reduction of China's ECF, which is consistent with the Jevons paradox. Survival-oriented emissions account for over 35% of China's ECF, but the percentage is declining gradually. Although development-oriented emissions only take up 15% of the total ECF, the recent years has witnessed a dramatic increase of the percentage. These findings indicate the broad scope of China's ECF. Furthermore, a significant discrepancy on the spatial distribution of ECF is observed and is attributed to the diversity of economic development stages, consumptive policies, and consumption patterns among regions. Finally, relevant policy implications are derived and discussed.