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Based on the two-level Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method and Tapio index, this paper constructed an expanded decomposition model for decoupling elasticity and effort index of industrial carbon emissions, and further quantitatively analyzed the delinking indicators on industry growth and environmental pressures in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) economic band from 1996 to 2010. The results indicate that: (1) together with the rapid economic growth, industrial energy-related carbon emissions in BTH region rose from 44477.43 × 10 4 t in 1996 to 105602.33 × 10 4 t in 2006 and then declined to 64426.71 × 10 4 t in 2010, with an average annual growth rate of 2.94%. Our results also show that carbon emissions in BTH region were dominated by the secondary industry, which accounted for about 80% of total carbon emissions. (2) “Weak decoupling” was the main characteristic during the 9th Five-Year Plan period (1996–2000) and 11th Five-Year Plan period (2006–2010), particularly “strong decoupling” in 2007; while “weak coupling” was the main characteristic during the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2001–2005). (3) The rapid economic growth was the main factor responsible for industrial decoupling blocking. The energy structure and energy intensity made significant contributions to the industrial decoupling progress. The industrial structure effect had varied considerably over the years without showing a clear trend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is pursuing the development of low-carbon eco-cities to limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emissions; however, it is unclear what constitutes a low-carbon eco-city and how to evaluate it. The eco and low-carbon indicator tool for evaluating cities (ELITE cities) was developed by researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 2012 to evaluate cities’ performance by comparing them against benchmark performance goals as well as rank them against other cities in China. ELITE cities measures progress on 33 key indicators selected to represent priority issues within eight primary categories. An excel-based tool was then developed to package the key indicators, indicator benchmarks, explanation of indicators, point calculation functions and transparency-oriented data recording instructions. ELITE cities could be a useful and effective tool for local city government in defining the broad outlines of a low-carbon eco-city and assessing the progress of cities’ efforts towards this goal. ELITE cities can also be used by higher-level governments to assess city performance and discern best practices. This paper explains the general framework of the ELITE cities tool, the methods by which the indicators and indicator benchmarks were established, and a detailed guide on tool applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]