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Improving energy efficiency has been recognized as the most effective way to reduce the greenhouse effect and achieve sustainable development. From the perspective of air emissions, this paper adopts data envelopment analysis approach to evaluate the energy efficiency in China’s coastal areas over the period of 2000–2012. Carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide are treated as undesirable outputs of energy consumptions. The proposed global Epsilon-based measure is used to estimate the static energy efficiency with an annual cross-section of data. The weights of the three undesirable outputs are determined according to their treatment costs. A global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index based on directional distance function is employed to dynamically evaluate the energy efficiency. The results indicate the following in China’s coastal areas: (1) the level of economic development is positively related to energy efficiency scores; (2) energy efficiency scores decrease when considering undesirable outputs except Beijing and Hainan; (3) the Circum-Bohai Sea Economic Region greatly improves energy efficiency and has great potential of air emission; (4) the annual growth rate of Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index change is overestimated; (5) energy efficiency improvement is mainly driven by technological improvement, and scale efficiency and management level are the main obstacles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution is increasingly a focus of concern worldwide due to its adverse impacts on human health and profound influences on global ecosystem. Although the existing studies have paid much attention to the causes of pollutant emissions, they fail to distinguish between direct and indirect factors, yielding the mixed results. Direct causes denote energy-related factors, as air pollutants are mainly produced by energy utilization directly, while indirect elements refer to socio-economic factors, as these factors act on pollutant emissions through affecting energy-related aspects. This paper investigated the impacts of three dominant direct factors: total energy consumption (EC), energy structure (ES) and treatment technology (TT) on sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emissions in China during 1995–2014 using the logarithmic mean Divisia Index method. Distinguished from the previous studies which took particular interest in SO 2 emissions from the industrial sector, this study put the total amount of SO 2 emissions as the target. The results show that increased EC was the main reason for SO 2 enhancement, while increasingly advanced TT played a dominant role in inhibiting the emissions throughout the study period. In contrast, ES had an unusually slight effect on SO 2 emissions due to its minor variation in the meantime. On regional scale, the differences in relative contribution rates (RCRs) of EC, ES and TT among the eastern, central and western regions all gradually decreased over time; EC in central region had the largest improved effect, ES in eastern region held the greatest reduction effect, and TT in western region got the biggest inhibitory effect. At provincial level, most provinces (60%) had relatively quick EC growth and slow ES adjustment (i.e., reducing the coal consumption rate); only Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Sichuan had a relatively slow growth of EC and quick decrease in the percentage of coal consumption. Further, the projection of SO 2 emissions in four scenarios from 2015 to 2020 based on a grey projection model indicated that controlling both EC and ES would be the most efficient approach to SO 2 abatement followed by individually controlling EC and ES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing literature supports that exporting firms have better environmental performance. An interesting question thereby arises: the more exports, the better? To answer this question, we develop a method to decompose firm-level pollution emissions, and empirically investigate the relationship between export intensity and environmental performance using Chinese firm-level data. Our results indicate that the answer to this question is "No". First, OLS estimation shows that firms with higher export intensity have less pollution emissions, mainly because of smaller output scale and lower energy intensity (energy-to-labor ratio) rather than more advanced technologies. Second, we focus on PSM-DID estimation and find that only the increase in export intensity by a smaller extent is conducive to improving firms' environmental performance. This effect is driven by decreasing energy intensity and thereby improving energy efficiency. This finding implies that firms should focus on both domestic and foreign markets, when they improve export participation. Third, those relationships are found to be heterogeneous across the firms in terms of different pollutants, ownership types, industrial sectors and provinces. In particular, mainly for private and foreign-funded firms, technology-intensive sectors and coastal provinces, increasing export intensity can improve environmental performance. Our study provides an in-depth empirical evidence on the relationship between export intensity and environmental performance in China, and provides a new insight and a better understanding for exports and environment from a micro perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal heating by coal contributes considerably to the haze pollution in Chinese cities during cold period, e.g., Beijing 53%. It is widely considered that, as a supplement of natural gas, the use of coal-based synthetic natural gas (SNG) to replace coal for municipal heating is conductive to mitigate the haze pollution in metropolitan areas. Would it still be a good alternative if the whole life cycle of SNG were taken into consideration? In this study, SNG as an alternative for municipal heating is analyzed in comparison with coal. To target cleaner production, life cycle assessment methodology is used to analyze SNG contribution to haze pollutants and greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions, as well as energy consumption. Compared to coal heating route, SNG heating route could reduce 44% of the haze pollutants emissions from life cycle perspective and up to 98% of the emissions in urban area. Thus, if municipal heating were entirely supplied by natural gas and SNG, there would be 52% less haze pollutants emissions in winter of Beijing. However, this “good” performance is at the cost of transferring haze pollutants emissions from urban areas to SNG-producing regions. It is also at the cost of consuming 90% more coal and emitting 65% more GHGs than the coal heating route from life cycle point of view. To tackle the problems of haze pollutants transfer and the increase of GHGs emissions, the paper suggests implementing ecological compensation and carbon tax policies in the coal-based SNG industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pollution emissions have become a matter of public concern in recent years. However, the vast majority of existing researches on PM 2.5 pollution are from the natural science perspective, and few studies have been conducted from an economic point of view. This paper adopts provincial panel data from 2001 to 2012 and panel data models to analyze the key driving forces of PM 2.5 emissions at the regional level in China. The results show that economic growth is a decisive factor of PM 2.5 emissions. The impacts of urbanization on PM 2.5 emissions vary across regions and decrease continuously from the central region to the western and eastern regions. The effects of private cars and coal consumption on PM 2.5 emissions in the eastern region are greater than that in the central and western regions because of significant differences in R&D investment, private car ownership and total coal consumption. Energy efficiency improvement has greater potential to mitigate PM 2.5 emissions in the central and western regions than that in the eastern region due to its low level of technology. Hence, in order to effectively reduce emissions, the Chinese government should consider all these factors as well as regional heterogeneity in developing appropriate mitigation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an effective technology to reduce traffic pollution emissions, the new energy vehicle industry has developed rapidly in recent years, and the sales of new energy vehicles have doubled in 2021. Accurately forecasting methods provide important references for industrial policy deployment, infrastructure construction and energy demand estimation. In order to predict the development trend of China's new energy vehicle industry under the limited data samples, this paper proposes an optimized discrete grey power model to fit the nonlinear relationship between grey information factor and temporal factor. Firstly, the grey differential equation and its discrete form are directly constructed by using power accumulated data, which simplifies the integral solution process of the traditional grey power model. Secondly, fractional accumulation operator is introduced into the discrete model to ensure the new information priority of the original data. Then, the heuristic algorithm is used to accurately estimate the new parameters of the proposed model. Thirdly, the proposed discrete model is the unified form of two existing discrete grey power models, which expands the scope of modeling and has higher adaptability. Simulation experiments and two numerical cases are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Finally, the proposed method is used to predict the annual sales and ownership of new energy vehicles in China. The predicted results show that by 2025, China's new energy vehicle sales will reach 8.84 million, accounting for about 24% of the total vehicle sales, surpassing the industry development target (20%) set by the Chinese government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protecting our environment while maintaining economic growth, requires a delicate balance among interlinked sustainable development policies. In this paper, we examine China's economic industries, including a high-resolution of the country's electricity sector during 2020–2030, using a multi-objective optimization model based on Input-Output analysis. This model, investigates the synergy and trade-offs of sustainable development goals in maximizing employment and GDP while minimizing energy and water consumption, CO 2 emissions, and five major pollutants to advance a sustainable industrial structure adjustment pathway for China. Our results reveal that there exists both synergies and trade-offs among multiple objectives, e.g., synergy among goals of minimizing air pollutant emissions and trade-offs between minimizing energy consumption and maximizing employment. Through the planned industrial restructuring period (2020–2030), the GDP, employment, carbon emission, and energy consumption will increase respectively by, 96.1%, 7.2%, 16.8%, 16.8%, and 6.3%, while pollutant emissions would decrease. Moreover, our research indicates that energy and water conservation should be prioritized in industrial structure adjustment strategies and policies. Our model demonstrates how the synergies and trade-offs among multiple policy targets can empower policy-makers, especially in developing nations, to make more informed and optimized industrial structure adjustment policies for sustainable development. • A multi-objective optimization model based on the Input-Output model is proposed. • Synergies and trade-offs among policy targets are examined. • The structural adjustment of economic sectors with fine-resolution power sectors is investigated. • The compromise solution and the most recommended policy priority are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Facing the growing problem of carbon emission pollution, the scientific and reasonable division of environmental management power between governments is the premise and institutional foundation for realizing China's carbon emission reduction target in 2030. In this article, we directly assess the degree of environmental decentralization according to the allocation of environmental managers among different levels of government. By incorporating fiscal decentralization indicators, the provincial panel data and dynamic spatial econometric model are used to empirically test the impact of environmental decentralization on carbon emissions from a spatial perspective. The results show that (1) China's provincial carbon emissions have significant inertia dependence and spatial path dependence. The increase (decrease) of provincial carbon emissions will lead to the increase (decrease) of carbon emissions in neighboring regions. (2) At the national level, environmental decentralization, environmental administrative decentralization, and environmental monitoring decentralization significantly reduce China's carbon emissions, while environmental supervision decentralization and fiscal decentralization significantly increase carbon emissions. Similarly, the interaction of environmental decentralization and its decomposition indicators and fiscal decentralization also significantly promotes carbon emissions, and the impact is related to the types of environmental management decentralization. (3) The carbon emission effects of environmental decentralization in different regions are heterogeneous. The inhibition effect of environmental decentralization, environmental administrative decentralization, and environmental monitoring decentralization on carbon emissions in the western region is significantly greater than that in the eastern and central regions, but the inhibitory effect of the interaction of environmental decentralization and its decomposition index and fiscal decentralization on carbon emissions in the eastern region was significantly stronger than that in the central and western regions. The above results provide theoretical support for China to construct a differentiated carbon emission environmental management system from two aspects of regional differences and environmental management power categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) policy is an important initiative for China to fulfill its international commitment to carbon emission reduction and achieve low-carbon transformation. In this context, this study investigated whether the LCCP policy of China has achieved carbon emission reduction from the production and consumption perspectives and how its underlying mechanism and spatial spillover effect. Using the panel dataset of 285 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2019, this study applied the staggered DID model to examine the effects and its underlying mechanism of the LCCP policy on carbon intensity (CI) and carbon emission per capita (CP). We also conducted heterogeneity and spatial spillover effect analyses using the textual quantification method and spatial DID. Our results show that the LCCP policy effectively reduced CI and CP, but these effects did not appear until the third year of implementation. The above conclusions passed a series of robustness and endogeneity tests. Reducing industrial emissions, improving technological innovation, and optimizing the efficiency of energy usage were three important mechanisms to reduce CI and CP, validating the effectiveness of the LCCP policy. Command-mandatory and voluntary LCCP policy tools achieved better results, and the LCCP policy exerted a significant emission reduction effect on second-tier pilot cities as compared to others. The carbon emission abatement of the LCCP policy has also demonstrated a spatial spillover impact on neighboring cities. This study focused on analyzing the mechanism paths and spatial spillover effects of the LCCP policy impact and provided an important decision-making reference in promoting the LCCP policy for not only China but also other developing countries. Specifically, low-carbon pilot experiences and typical cases should be refined, ways for accelerating the greening and cleaning of energy usage must be explored, and regional joint control and collaborative governance should be established to achieve China's low-carbon transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's construction industry makes important contributions to energy consumption and pollution emissions. It is significant to improve energy efficiency in the construction industry. Since 2011, the introduction of China's carbon emission trading policy has had a great impact on energy conservation and emission reduction. The implementation of the carbon emission trading policy provides us with an opportunity to find solutions to improve the energy efficiency of the construction industry (EECI) in China. In this article, the implementation of carbon emission trading is regarded as a quasi-natural experiment, and the impact of the carbon emission trading policy on the energy efficiency of the construction industry is evaluated by analyzing the panel data related to the energy of the construction industry in 30 provincial regions from 2008 to 2016 through a difference-in-differences method. The main conclusions are as follows. First, the carbon emission trading policy can improve EECI. Second, the carbon emission trading policy can achieve the policy effect of improving EECI by optimizing the allocation of construction machinery resources and enhancing regional technical innovation. At the same time, strengthening government environmental regulation can strengthen the policy effect as well. Finally, some policy implications based on the study are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing the driving factors of PM2.5 pollution in different industries is of great significance for developing energy conservation and emission reduction policies in China's industries. In this study, the consumption-based PM2.5 emissions of China's industries are estimated by using an input–output model; on this basis, the generalized Divisia index method (GDIM) is used to measure the contributions of driving factors to the changes in PM2.5 emissions from China's six major industries. The results show that China's consumption-based PM2.5 emissions presented a downward trend from 2007 to 2015, the changes in industrial PM2.5 emissions had a much higher impact on China's total PM2.5 emissions changes than other industries and occupied a dominant position. The generalized Divisia index decomposition analysis results show that investment, output and energy consumption scale were the primary contributors to the increase of PM2.5 emissions in six sectors, with investment scale contributing the most. The investment PM2.5 emission intensity, output PM2.5 emission intensity and energy consumption PM2.5 intensity play a major role in suppressing PM2.5 emissions, while investment efficiency and energy intensity have a smaller inhibitory effect. Therefore, the government should guide investments to more high-end, low-emission industries and encourage companies to increase green investments and use renewable energy and clean energy. Avoiding excessive investments and improving investment efficiency in related industries can also effectively alleviate PM2.5 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve carbon neutrality and carbon reduction goals, China needs to consider industrial structure and trade. This study aims to test the validity of environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis at the industry level in China and study the different impact of Sino-US trade in intermediate goods and trade in final goods on China's environment. To do so, we used the annual data of China's 25 sectors in 1990–2015 and classified 25 sectors into three main industries. Based on the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence and Technology framework, we investigated the validity of EKC hypothesis and the driving factors of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results show that (1) EKC hypothesis is verified for the country and the tertiary industry. (2) Compared with the primary industry and the secondary industry, the economic growth of the tertiary industry brings less GHG emissions. (3) Intermediate goods exported to all sectors in the USA will increase GHG emissions in the country and the three main industries, but final goods exported to consumers in the USA will reduce GHG emissions except the tertiary industry. From our results, the EKC hypothesis is a suitable model for environmental policy in tertiary industry, but it does not apply to the primary industry and the secondary industry. Environmental policy in the primary industry and the secondary industry needs to focus on reducing energy intensity. In the case of exports to the USA, intermediate goods pollute the environment, while final improve the environment. Thus, China needs to increase controls on exports of intermediate goods with low added value and high pollution and gradually shift to the production of environmentally friendly final goods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) has been viewed as an emission abatement option with great potential in China as coal has dominated China's energy consumption. China has already started to pay attention to CCS, as well as to the proposed the concept of ‘CCUS’ (which adds CO 2 Utilization into the chain of capture, transportation and storage). However, CCS is still in the early stages of its technological development, and the high cost, with several internal and external uncertainties make the role that CCS can play in China's future emission reduction unclear. From the perspective of general equilibrium analysis, this paper introduces CCS into a regional energy–economy–environment integrated assessment model, and makes a comprehensive evaluation of CCS's potential for future development and contribution to emission abatement in China. At climate policy level, the potential contribution of CCS in emission abatement has been evaluated against different future emission constraint scenarios in China. At technological level, the effects of endogenous learning and policy incentives on CCS have been investigated, and the substitution capacities of CCS and Non-hydro renewables to fossil energy have been discussed, as well as their technology penetration rates. Furthermore, the impact of CO 2 utilization on the development of CCS has also been discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China is currently experiencing rapid urbanization. The building sector plays an important role in China's energy conservation and emission reduction. An increasing amount of energy will be steadily consumed in the building sector as the urbanization process accelerates. China's government attaches great importance to building energy efficiency (BEE). How does the urbanization process affect building energy consumption (BEC)? How much energy can be saved in the building sector through implementation of energy polices? These questions are critical for government development strategies and planning. Thus, in this paper, an econometric model (co-integration technique) is developed to analyze how China's BEC is affected by macroeconomic variables in the context of urbanization, and also forecast the BEC and BEE potential until 2020 under different scenarios. The research result shows that occupants’ lifestyles, residents’ living standards, and energy price have significant influences on BEC. The building sector is likely to contribute approximately 20% to China's energy conservation through electricity pricing reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing conflict between economic growth, energy and environment in China has restrained the country's economic development. In this work we investigated the interaction among the Chinese economy, energy production and consumption and the impacts of concomitant air emissions from 2000 to 2011, using an indicator system based on energy, emergy and money units. The results show that China's rapid economic growth has promoted tremendous expansion in energy production and consumption, which have led to increasing the impact of emissions in this study period. During the time examined, energy production and use efficiencies and the structure of the energy sector improved slightly; the self-sufficiency of energy use fluctuated, as petroleum took on an increasingly strong dependence on imports; fossil energy, mainly coming from coal, still has a majority share in energy production and consumption of the nation; the environmental loading intensity of energy consumption decreased slightly while that of energy production increased; most of the impacts of energy-related emissions are derived from their impact on human health; the impact of emissions from energy production made an increasing contribution to the total impact. Generally speaking, China's economic growth still heavily depends on energy-intensive industries that put great pressure on energy supply and pollution control. Although China has made obvious progress in energy mix optimization to save energy and reduce emissions, the pace of improvement still fell behind that of economic growth. Finally, this paper discussed some related issues and presented corresponding suggestions to further coordinate the relationship between the economy, energy production and consumption and the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of China's CO2 emissions has become a major focus of the growing concerns, globally, for its potential impact on Climate Change. In this paper, supply chain paths that drive changes in life cycle CO2 emissions in China from 1992 to 2007 were identified, based on SPD (structural path decomposition) analysis of China's input–output tables and energy demand changes, over this study period. The study period was divided into three stages: 1992–1997, 1997–2002 and 2002–2007. The influence on changes of CO2 emissions derived from final demand was divided into six factors: direct CO2 emission intensity (e); industrial structure (A); product structure of final demand (ψ); category composition of final demand (Δ); per capita final demand (Y), and population (P). The detailed analysis reveals that direct CO2 emissions intensity (e) was the dominant factor in reducing China's CO2 emissions, while per capita final demand (Y) was the major single factor increasing the emissions. The largest influence on CO2 emissions from the viewpoint of supply chain paths was found to be “Chemical industry → exports”. The supply chain paths with high emissions at different stages during the study were “Metal smelting → exports”, “Nonmetallic products → fixed capital” and “Metal smelting → fixed capital”, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To mitigate the climate change and reduce energy consumption, the Chinese government has applied a variety of polices during the last two decades. Based on data from Industrial enterprises emission and pollution database (IEPED) and Annual Survey of Industrial Firms (ASIF), this study takes Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Plan (ESER) since 2006 as a policy shock to explore the impact of the ESER on industrial firms' energy consumption behavior. The result shows: Firstly, ESER encourages industrial firms to consume less coal, petroleum and natural gas on average. Secondly, by dividing the firms into several groups by the ownership structure, the firm size and the firm age, this paper finds different firms have different strategies in terms of changing their energy consumption to respond ESER. For example, public firms work harder on reducing coal and petroleum consumption per production while private firms prefer to use more natural gas per production. Thirdly, the dynamic effect analysis portrays that traditional fossil fuel intensity declines immediately after energy conversation policy, while the negative effect on industrial firms' natural gas intensity could occur with some delay. Lastly, in terms of total energy consumption, average coal and petroleum consumption of polluted industries and that of non-polluted industries have no difference after the policy. In addition, ESER only has a short-term effect on energy consumption. These results are helpful in understanding how to design an efficient environmental regulation system and protect the environment simultaneously. • This study explores the impacts of the Energy Saving and Emission Reduction Plan (ESER) on firms' energy consumption behavior based on industrial firm data. • ESER encourages firms to consume less traditional energy (coal and fossil fuels) and clean gas. For different firms, their energy intensity changes distinctively in response to ESER. • The dynamic effect analysis portrays that traditional fossil fuel intensity declines immediately after energy conversation policy, while the negative effect on clean gas intensity occur with some delay. • ESER has a short-term and lagged effect on total energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and increased greenhouse gas emissions boost the global average temperature to less than 2°C, which is the estimated breakeven point. The globe is moving into blue pollution economies as the environmental sustainability objective becomes more distorted. The study looked at three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, namely (i) affordable and clean energy; (ii) industry, innovation, and infrastructure; and (iii) climate change, to see how far the Chinese economy has progressed toward green and clean development strategy. In the context of China, the "pollution damage function" was intended to refer to carbon damages related to carbon pricing, technological variables, sustained economic growth, incoming foreign investment, and green energy. The data was collected between 1975 and 2019 and analyzed using various statistical approaches. The results of the autoregressive distributed lag model suggest that carbon taxes on industrial emissions reduce carbon damages in the short and long run. Furthermore, a rise in inbound foreign investment and renewable energy demand reduces carbon damages in the short term, proving the "pollution halo" and "green energy" hypotheses; nonetheless, the results are insufficient to explain the stated results in the long run. In the long run, technology transfers and continued economic growth are beneficial in reducing carbon damages and confirming the potential of cleaner solutions in pollution mitigation. The causal inferences show the one-way relationship running from carbon pricing and technology transfer to carbon damages, and green energy to high-technology exports in a country. The impulse response estimates suggested that carbon tax, inbound foreign investment, and technology transfers likely decrease carbon damages for the next 10 years. On the other hand, continued economic growth and inadequate green energy sources are likely to increase carbon pollution in a country. The variance decomposition analysis suggested that carbon pricing and information and communication technology exports would likely significantly influence carbon damages over time. To keep the earth's temperature within the set threshold, the true motivation to shift from a blue to a green economy required strict environmental legislation, the use of green energy sources, and the export of cleaner technologies. Source: Authors' self-extract [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient energy is crucial in reducing CO2 emissions. The researchers are digging for a new efficient source of energy in the modern era. Therefore, this study explores the dynamic impacts of energy efficiency and renewable energy consumption on CO2 emissions from 1991 to 2019 for China. By using the non-linear ARDL approach, we found that a negative shock in energy efficiency has a positive impact on CO2 emissions in long run. Furthermore, renewable energy consumption with positive shock has a negative significant impact on CO2 emissions, but negative shock in renewable energy consumption leads to increase pollution emissions in long run. Besides, positive shocks to energy efficiency and renewable energy consumption have also a favorable negative effect on CO2 emissions in the short run. While a negative shock in energy efficiency has only unobservable negative impacts on CO2 emissions in the short run. Based on findings, some policy measures are suggested to attain environmental sustainability in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper employs a spatial dynamic panel model to forecast China's energy consumption in 2011–2020. We find that energy consumption would continue to increase at least till 2020, with annual growth rates of 10% in 2011–2015 and 6% in 2016–2020. A higher proportion of service sectors in the economy and technological progress reduce energy demand. However, the latter appears to have dwindled impact since 2001. Strong spatial dependence implies copying behaviour in energy consumption across regions. Therefore, more efficient energy control at the disaggregated level can have multiplied impact on the country's goal in energy saving and carbon emission reducing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analysed the energy consumption of urban households in Nanjing and the influencing factors in this energy consumption. The households studied were located in three urban districts of Nanjing: the city centre, a spontaneous residential area around the old city, and a planned satellite town. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on building characteristics, household characteristics, use of domestic appliances, and fuel oil consumption. Energy use was analysed by conversion into CO2 emissions. The study found that household use and transport were the two main contributors to domestic energy consumption. Household electricity consumption showed obvious seasonal characteristics (higher in summer than in other seasons), while transport energy consumption showed geographical characteristics (the old town had lowest transport energy consumption). Highly efficient devices may not render buildings more energy-efficient, so architects should seek to reduce the need for such devices. Energy consumption and income were generally positively correlated. Family structure also influenced energy consumption, with high-income families and small families consuming more energy per capita. Economic and social factors were found to be equally important to technical factors for energy efficiency. Based on the findings, some possible policies are recommended. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reports China''s eco-efficiency trends and the cause of their dynamic behavior during the period 1978–2010. We show three main results. First, in general, eco-efficiency indicators increased for resource utilization, energy consumption and emissions for air and water, and relative decoupling occurred in China at a high level in the global context. Second, decoupling from economic growth has been absolute for the discharge of soot, chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen. Third, during the years 2001–2010, the decoupling level was very low, and resource utilization was almost coupled with GDP due to the high consumption and dramatic increase of mineral extraction. The causes of the observed dynamics of eco-efficiency and decoupling were also explored, with the conclusion drawn that the effect of technology was the predominant positive factor while structure effects were the negative factors for resource and energy efficiency; the technological effect of pipe-end treatment played a dominant role in the improving eco-efficiency of pollutant emissions and decoupling from economic growth. Furthermore, implications for further policymaking to setting proper targets for the relative decoupling of resource use, especially for mineral resource use and economic growth, are suggested. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyzes the interactions among China''s economic growth and energy consumption and emissions during 1978–2007. Conventional energy and emergy are applied to quantify energy consumption and emissions’ impact respectively. Several indicators, based on emergy, energy and monetary units, are applied to depict the relationships among economic growth and energy consumption and emissions’ impact. The results show that energy consumption and emissions’ impact rise simultaneously. Therein, nonrenewable energy resources possess absolute share in total energy consumption and undertake primary responsibility for increasing emissions’ impact, and NH3–N in wastewater leads to the most emissions’ impact on environment. Energy mix and energy efficiency and pollution control make some achievements, but their improvements fall far behind economic growth rate. As a result, the structure of China''s economy has been obviously optimized; however, the improvement of the relationship between China''s economy, energy and environment is far behind that of its economic structure in this period. Therefore, China will continue to face huge pressure on resources and environment its rapid economic growth brings about in future. Those study results imply that enhancing energy efficiency, optimizing economic structure and strengthening pollution control will still be the main tasks for China''s governments in future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Road transport today is responsible for a significant and growing share of anthropogenic emissions and energy consumption. This paper attempts to address the possible policy measures to reduce the energy consumption and mitigate the harmful emissions, especially greenhouse gas (GHG) from China''s road transportation sector. Five scenarios, which assess electric or/and hybrid vehicles, are designed and examined to estimate the potentials for reducing consumption and emissions. It is concluded that comprehensive and appropriate strategies be promoted to minimize the adverse impacts of China''s road vehicles on energy demand and environmental sustainability. For future policy implementation, it is appropriate to promote both high-efficient pure electric and hybrid vehicles simultaneously and improve shares of both types by a wide margin. To be more specific, significant energy saving and emissions reduction can be achieved by promoting electric vehicles in some subsectors (such as Passenger vehicle (PV), Light truck (LT), Bus and Motorcycle (MC)), and by promoting hybrid vehicles in other subsector (Heavy truck (HT)). Our results can provide better insights for both policy makers and practitioners in the field. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper employs an extended Kaya identity as the scheme and utilizes the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI II) as the decomposition technique based on analyzing CO2 emissions trends in China. Change in CO2 emissions intensity is decomposed from1995 to 2010 and includesmeasures of the effect of Industrial structure, energy intensity, energy structure, and carbon emission factors. Results illustrate that changes in energy intensity act to decrease carbon emissions intensity significantly and changes in industrial structure and energy structure do not act to reduce carbon emissions intensity effectively. Policy will need to significantly optimize energy structure and adjust industrial structure if China's emission reduction targets in 2020 are to be reached. This requires a change in China's economic development path and energy consumption path for optimal outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In order to further study the realization of carbon intensity target, find the key influencing factors of CO2 emissions, and explore the path of developing low-carbon economy, this paper empirically studied the influences of urbanization level, economic level, industry proportion, tertiary industry proportion, energy intensity and R&D output on CO2 emissions in Beijing using improved STIRPAT (stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence and technology) model. The model is examined using partial least square regression. Results show that urbanization level, economic level and industry proportion positively influence the CO2 emissions, while tertiary industry proportion, energy intensity and R&D output negatively do. Urbanization level is the main driving factor of CO2 emissions, and tertiary industry proportion is the main inhibiting factor. In addition, along with the growth of per capita GDP, the increase of CO2 emissions does not follow the Environmental Kuznets Curve model. Based on these empirical findings and the specific circumstances of Beijing, we provide some policy recommendations on how to reduce carbon intensity. Beijing should pay more attention to tertiary industry and residential energy consumption for carbon emission reduction. It is necessary to establish a comprehensive evaluation index of social development. Investing more capital on carbon emission reduction science and technology, and promoting R&D output is also an efficient way to reduce CO2 emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper uses nonparametric efficiency analysis technique to estimate the energy efficiency, potential emission reductions and marginal abatement costs of energy-related CO2 emissions in China. We employ a non-radial slacks-based data envelopment analysis (DEA) model for estimating the potential reductions and efficiency of CO2 emissions for China. The dual model of the slacks-based DEA model is then used to estimate the marginal abatement costs of CO2 emissions. An empirical study based on China’s panel data (2001–2010) is carried out and some policy implications are also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Reducing environmental pressure is a major concern for China but despite the improvements in energy efficiency, its gross carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have maintained an upward trend, consistent with the Jevons Paradox. A fundamental shift is thus needed at all levels, including the household. This paper explores the embedded carbon footprint (ECF) of Chinese urban households associated with activities, such as food, personal transport, communications, education, recreation, health and hygiene. It uses an input–output model for carbon emissions and 2003–2009 urban household data. The results show that the total ECF emission intensity increases when an individual''s consumption is higher than 10,000 Yuan (¥). Structural changes are further observed with consumption expenditure above ¥10,000: food, clothing and other survival-oriented emissions intensities as well as education, health and development-oriented emissions intensities reduce; transport, recreation, housing and enjoyment-oriented emissions intensities increase or remain stable and the total emissions intensity increases. Currently per capita consumption expenditure of Chinese urban residents exceeds ¥10,000 and as income continues to rise, China will remain on a high-carbon track. There is a need for better policies, management and behavioural change and the study provides some policy suggestions, including a carbon quota system to guide individual consumption. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Civil aviation in China has developed rapidly in recent years, and the effects of civil aviation emissions on the atmospheric environment should not be neglected. The establishment of emission inventories of atmospheric pollutants from civil aviation contributes to related policy formation and pollution control. According to the 2010’s China flight schedules, aircraft/engine combination information and revised emission indices from the International Civil Aviation Organization emission data bank based on meteorological data, the fuel consumption and HC, CO, NO x , CO2, SO2 emissions from domestic flights of civil aviation in China (excluding Taiwan Province) in 2010 are estimated in this paper. The results show that fuel consumption in 2010 on domestic flights in China is 12.12 million tons (metric tons), HC, CO, NO x , CO2 and SO2 emissions are 4600 tons, 39,700 tons, 154,100 tons, 38.21 million tons and 9700 tons, respectively. The fuel consumption and pollutant emissions of China Southern Airline are responsible for the largest national proportion of each, accounting for 27% and 25–28%, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The biogas-linked agriculture has experienced a rapid development in recent years in rural China, which serves both as part of the country''s developmental strategies of cleaner energy and an important reaction to sustainable agriculture call. This paper provides an overview of the economic and environmental performance of biogas-linked agrosystem (BLAS) in China by focusing on efficiency, emission mitigation effect and sustainability. An emergy synthesis combing emergy accounting and emergetic ternary diagram are utilized to evaluate the overall BLAS and its four subsystems (i.e., planting subsystem, breeding subsystem, aquaculture subsystem and biogas subsystem) in terms of current status and future development. Our findings indicate that despite a high energy transformity at system scale and a great dependence on economic input, BLAS advantages itself with high biogas production efficiency and significant emission mitigation effect. Furthermore, the sustainability zone analysis shows that the overall BLAS, planting and aquaculture subsystems maintain medium-term sustainability under all policy scenarios, despite the fact that breeding and biogas subsystems stay in an unsustainable situation due to their relatively severe environmental load. Among all the studied future options, continual biogas construction and effective technological revolution instead of expanding investment in traditional agriculture are preferable routes to further improve the system performance. Last but not least, emissions mitigation, energy efficiency and system sustainability are unveiled to be positively correlated within BLAS, which entitles it a promising energy alternative to enhance biogas energy utilization in the local agriculture in face of today''s energy crisis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: With the intensification of global warming, the issue of carbon emissions causes more and more attention in recent years. In this paper, China’s 30 provincial-level administrative units are divided into five emission regions according to the annual average value of provincial CO2 emissions per capita during 1990 and 2010. The regional differences in impact factors on CO2 emissions are discussed using STIRPAT (stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology) model. The results indicate that although GDP (Gross domestic product) per capita, industrial structure, population, urbanization and technology level have different impacts on CO2 emissions in different emission regions, they are almost always the main factors in all emission regions. In most emission regions, urbanization and GDP per capita has a bigger impact on CO2 emissions than other factors. Improving technology level produces a small reduction in CO2 emissions in most emission regions, but it is still a primary way for CO2 reduction in China. It’s noteworthy that industrial structure isn’t the main factor and improving technology level increases CO2 emissions in high emission region. Different measures should be adopted for CO2 reductions according to local conditions in different regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The interplays among economy and energy and environment have been widely concerned. This paper put forward several indicators to quantify the relationships among economic growth and energy consumption and CO2 emission. As an example, these indicators were applied to evaluate the comprehensive performances of China during 1990–2007. The results show that Chinese people has been living a better life with Chinese rapid economic growth but not synchronously in urban and rural areas. Non-carbon energy resources share has increased; however, fossil energy resources have still acted as the main driver for Chinese economic growth during this period. Technical progress has improved the fossil energy efficiency of Chinese economic activity, which leads to CO2 emission per unit GDP and CO2 emission per capita unit GDP dropping simultaneously; however, the two indicators’ annual decline rates become smaller and smaller, which reflects that technical progress’ role is dropping and economic scale''s effect is climbing. People''s survival has a rising contribution to CO2 emission. CO2 emission per capita has increased, which shows that economic scale has greater impact on CO2 emission than technical progress does. Relatively speaking, Chinese development patterns have become more and more sustainable during this period. Finally, based on the related issues being discussed, some corresponding suggestions are put forward for Chinese government to further coordinate the relationship among economic development and energy consumption and CO2 emission. The proposed indicators can form a set of useful tool for policy-makers to promote the harmonious development of economy and energy and environment in different regions and countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper examines the driving forces for reducing China’s CO2 emission intensity between 1998 and 2008, utilizing the logarithmic mean divisia index (LMDI) technique. By first grouping the CO2 emissions into two categories, those arising from activities related to the electric power industry and those from other sources, emission intensity is further broken down into the effects of the CO2 emission coefficient, energy intensity of power generation, power generation and consumption ratio, electricity intensity of the gross domestic product (GDP), provincial structural change, and the energy intensity of the GDP for other activities. The decomposition results show that improvements in the energy intensity of power generation, electricity intensity of GDP, and energy intensity of GDP for other activities were mainly responsible for the success in reducing China’s CO2 emission intensity and that activities related to the electric power industry played a key role. It is also revealed that performance varied significantly at the individual province level. The provinces with higher emission levels contributed the most to China’s improvements in CO2 emission intensity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In China, Rapid economic growth has stimulated fast urban expansion and rural household income and consumption expenditure. In current paper, an input–output method is used to determine the impact of China’s increased urban and rural household consumption on carbon emissions. The results shows that the direct and indirect CO2 emission from household consumption accounted for more than 40% of total carbon emissions from primary energy utilization in China in 1992–2007. The population increase, expansion of urbanization and the increase of household consumption per capita all contribute to an increase of indirect carbon emissions, while carbon intensity decline mitigates the growth of carbon emissions. Therefore, at the domestic level, household consumption is of great significance for CO2 emission, which could be mitigated through changing the composition of goods and services consumed by households, and switching to consumption pattern of less carbon-intensive products. The government must consider the substantial contribution of household consumption to carbon emissions when China is encouraging consumption in order to address the current global financial crisis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Low carbon economy has become a worldwide trend, many countries are seeking low carbon means to achieve environmentallyfriendly economy growth. However, various Greenhouse gases species in different industries, as well as various detection technology development levels in different countries lead to different carbon emissions accounting results eventually. So the accurate micro-level accounting on carbon dioxide emission is difficult to achieve while in the mean time, it is the basis for subsequent scenario analysis, which plays a crucial role in carbon pricing and carbon credits market promotion. That''s why the regional carbon dioxide emission accounting is a hot issue in low-carbon economy. Nowadays, automotive manufacturing industry has become a big fuel consumer in China and an important source of air pollution. So an accounting method focused on carbon dioxide emission in Chinese automotive industry is essential and practical significant. This paper proposed a whole-life cycle carbon emissions methodology to account carbon dioxide emission in Chinese automotive manufacturing industry, which is based on GREET and MOBILE model. And then the feasibility is verified through application in the automotive industry in Chongqing, China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Urban building system assumes significant environmental and ecological implications in terms of a contribution of emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. In order to understand the roles of urban building system in the global and regional climate changes, we set up an integrated model to analyze the carbon emissions of urban building system during its life cycle in this paper, which is called LCCE Model. The further analysis is made to examine the sources of CO2 emissions and the life cycle characteristics of typical architectural structures as masonry-concrete and steel-concrete. We first identified four major sources of CO2 emissions during the whole life cycle of urban building system, which are industrial process emissions, energy consumption emissions, fugitive emissions and land footprint emissions. Given an assumption of a building life cycle of 50years, we took urban residential buildings as an example and calculated CO2 emissions in the main five phases of an overall life cycle of a residential building system, including constructive materials preparation, building construction and reformation, building operation, building demolition as well as wastes treatment and recycling. A comparison was made to examine the differences of CO2 emissions among buildings with two typical architectural structures as masonry-concrete and steel-concrete. The results show that the latter produces less CO2 emission than the former per unit area. Specifically, the amount of CO2 emission is 329.61t for masonry-concrete buildings and 315.79t for steel-concrete buildings per 100m2. Most emissions come from energy consumption and land footprint, accounting for 78–83% and 13–20% of the total emissions respectively. According to our LCCE model, there is a great potential of reducing carbon emissions in urban building system. The key to reduce carbon emissions during the life cycle of urban buildings is directed to building wastes recycling, improvement of consumption patterns of energy and materials, preferential use of buildings with a moderate floor area ratio and effective utilization of natural energy and ecologically friendly building materials according to the characteristics of local urban development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: From the time of reform and opening up, China''s rapid economic growth attracts worldwide attention, which also brings the accompanying problems that high energy consumption, high pollution and high emission are more prominent. Therefore, the low carbon economy development model has become an inevitable choice for China''s sustainable economic development. However, the stage of economic development is insurmountable and the continuing growth and the disadvantaging structure of energy consumption will become a serious obstacle for China''s low-carbon economy. Selecting the relevant data from 1980 to 2009, and using not only Hebei Province as its study area but also the whole country as its reference region, this paper analyzes the relationship between the changes in energy consumption structure and the carbon emissions in Hebei Province, and basing on which predicts the energy consumption and carbon emissions in the future in order to provide policy recommendations for the optimization of energy consumption structure, the upgrade of industrial structure, and the development of carbon economy [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Based on 1992-2005 input-output tables at comparable price and using structural decomposition method (SDA), the paper decomposes carbon emissions growth from energy consumption in China into 4 categories of factors: carbon emissions intensity, technology, domestic final demand and trade. Carbon emissions have a trend of accelerated growth and the decisive factor is domestic final demand, not trade. Intensity of carbon emissions plays a significant restrain effect, entirely benefit from energy efficiency, rather than energy substitution. The effect of technical change leads to the growth of carbon emissions, reflecting the technology structure developed towards high energyconsumption and emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As one of the world''s top energy consumers and carbon emitters, China attracts extensive attention to its energy issues. Based on the hybrid energy input-output model, this paper forecasts the direct and indirect household energy demand growth caused by higher living standards in China with reference to a national well-off goal by 2020. Results show that such rigid energy demand will increase 1.55 billion tce by 2020 with average growth rate of 5.2% on static assumption, or 1.3 billion tce if energy conversion efficiency changes from 69% to 71.6%. If unchanged household energy consumption structure is assumed, total energy demand could decline from 5.5 billion tce to 4.9 billion tce by 2020. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The “low-hanging fruits” (LHF) (or cream-skimming) problem receives some attention in recent years. However, few studies provide formal analysis on the LHF problem and other flaws based on economic theory. This paper investigates the LHF problem of Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) in China. The energy consumption and the Green House Gas (GHG) emission in China are outlined. The details of the CDM projects, including their distribution in China, and the types of projects are summarized. In order to test whether there were LHF problems in China, a simple statistical model is developed. The statistical analysis provides an indirect evidence that the LHF problem exists in China. The results indicate that areas with higher emission of GHG and low level of GDP per capita attract more CDM projects with higher amount of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs). The results are robust after eliminating HFC-23 decomposition projects from the sample. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Energy-saving and emission-reduction are the major challenge to the development of countries in the world. When it comes to China, it refers to properly handle the regional issues. According to the common trends of the average industrial SO2 emission per square kilometer in three developed regions (Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and Bohai Economic Circle) and the remaining regions in the east, the middle and the west, this paper conducts an empirical analysis on the issue of pollution emission spilled from the developed regions to the remaining provinces. The result shows that the pollution emission in developed regions significantly demonstrates the role-model effect to the remaining provinces, and the effect will be weaken as the distance from the remaining provinces to three developed regions increases, which somewhat interprets the common trend of pollution emission among regions. Meanwhile, the role-model effect gives us the policy recommendation that China shall pay full attention to the exemplary role played by the developed regions on the issue of energy-saving and emission-reduction. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents an overview of some recent CO2 storage capacity assessments in the Songliao and Subei Basins in China, and a discussion of some of the specific challenges that must be addressed to further assess the feasibility of CO2 storage in China. Geological CO2 storage associated with CO2-EOR is of significant interest in these basins as it offers potential to increase oil production and provide additional fuel to meet China’s increasing energy consumption. Although some CO2 is stored during such flooding projects, the greatest storage potential is only realised at the end of a field’s productive life, when a depleted field can be used as a dedicated CO2 storage reservoir. The Songliao Basin, in North-eastern China has been the largest oil and gas producing province in China. The oilfields of the Daqing and Jilin oil provinces are estimated to have effective CO2 storage capacities of 593 Mt and 71.2 Mt respectively. Extrapolation of data from around the oilfields to the whole basin suggests that the most promising saline aquifer in the basin has a theoretical storage capacity of 692 Mt CO2: Its effective storage capacity (which cannot be estimated due to lack of data) is likely to be considerably smaller however. Limited data availability means the estimate of storage capacity in this saline aquifer is based on gross simplifications and extrapolation across large areas (e.g. basin-scale) but could provide a basis for comparison with the potential for CO2 storage in other regions in China, or to help prioritise more detailed analysis. Although smaller, the onshore oilfields of the Subei-Yellow Sea Basin were also assessed, as the presence of mature oil and gas fields and natural CO2 accumulations, suggest suitable targets for storage may be found. The total effective storage capacity of the 108 hydrocarbon fields in this basin are estimated to be only 21 Mt CO2. While small, these fields may offer niche storage options for smaller industrial CO2 sources, but if CCS is to contribute to reducing China’s growing CO2 emissions, then further evaluation and development of storage in saline aquifers is likely to be needed at the same time as storage in oil or gas fields. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper addresses the impact of both economic growth and financial development on environmental degradation using a panel cointegration technique for the period between 1980 and 2007, except for Russia (1992–2007). In long-run equilibrium, CO2 emissions appear to be energy consumption elastic and FDI inelastic, and the results seem to support the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. The causality results indicate that there exists strong bidirectional causality between emissions and FDI and unidirectional strong causality running from output to FDI. The evidence seems to support the pollution haven and both the halo and scale effects. Therefore, in attracting FDI, developing countries should strictly examine the qualifications for foreign investment or to promote environmental protection through the coordinated know-how and technological transfer with foreign companies to avoid environmental damage. Additionally, there exists strong output-emissions and output-energy consumption bidirectional causality, while there is unidirectional strong causality running from energy consumption to emissions. Overall, the method of managing both energy demand and FDI and increasing both investment in the energy supply and energy efficiency to reduce CO2 emissions and without compromising the country’s competitiveness can be adopted by energy-dependent BRIC countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper uses the methods of co-integration analysis and Granger Causality test, analyses the relationship between energy consumption and economic growth of Hebei Province from 1980 to 2008. The empirical results show that there is a stable causal relation between TEC and GDP in the long run. Hebei''s economic growth contributes to energy consumption growth. To change economic development mode and save energy, reduction of pollutant emission will not only impact the economic growth, but also achieve energy-saving, emission reduction and sustainable development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The automobile industry in China has rapidly developed in recent years which resulted in an increase in gasoline usage and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Focus on climate change has also accelerated to grow pressure on reducing vehicle weight and improving fuel efficiency. Aluminum (Al) as a light metal has demonstrated a great potential for weight savings in applications such as engine blocks, cylinder heads, wheels, hoods, tailgates etc. However, primary Al production requires intensive energy and the cost of Al is more than traditional steel, which may affect the total benefits realized from using Al in automobiles. Therefore, it is very essential to conduct a study to quantify the life cycle GHG emissions and energy consumption if the plan is to achieve fleet-wide Al intensive vehicles. This paper describes a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology and the general modeling assumptions used to evaluate the impact of Al intensive vehicle on GHG emissions and energy consumption. The results indicated that the reductions in life cycle GHG emissions and energy consumption were not significant when the maximum Al content in an automobile is 145 kg, which is the average level of Al usage in automobiles in North America. A neural network methodology was used to forecast the vehicle stock in China from 2010 to 2020 and a vehicle fleet model was established to track GHG emissions and energy consumption of the vehicle fleet. A material availability factor was also introduced into the LCA methodology to further assist decision makers in providing rational proposals for a widespread implementation of Al in automobiles. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted to study the impact of the Al content in a vehicle on the final outcomes. The GHG emissions and energy consumption could be further reduced when the Al content in an automobile increases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to compare different end-of-life tire (ELT) treatment technologies in China from an environmental and economic perspective. Four treatment technologies were evaluated: ambient grinding, devulcanization, pyrolysis and illegal tire oil extraction. Life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to evaluate the potential environmental impact of each treatment based on the Eco-indicator 99 (Hierarchist approach) method provided by GaBi 4 software. The final result shows that pyrolysis represents the environmentally benign option while illegal tire oil extraction caused the worst damages. For the three legal treatments, although high credit was obtained when considering avoided impacts from recycled materials and energy, they have great impact as to respiratory effects (inorganic) dominantly contributed by energy production stage, which implies that the emphasis on environmental policies related to ELT treatment should shift from the control of emissions from treatment process to the reduction of energy consumption. A simplified comparison of net benefits and total impacts shows that the most eco-effective ELT treatment technology is pyrolysis, followed by dynamic devulcanization and ambient grinding. The illegal tire oil extraction, however, must be prohibited immediately because of its highest environmental pollution and lowest net benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper uses multivariate co-integration Granger causality tests to investigate the correlations between carbon dioxide emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in China. Some researchers have argued that the adoption of a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions and energy consumption as a long term policy goal will result in a closed-form relationship, to the detriment of the economy. Therefore, a perspective that can make allowances for the fact that the exclusive pursuit of economic growth will increase energy consumption and CO2 emissions is required; to the extent that such growth will have adverse effects with regard to global climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: As a physical assessment of the sustainability of the China society, presented in this paper is an exergy-based systems account for resources use and environmental emissions of the China society in 2006 as the most recent year with statistics availability. Exergy analysis is applied to elucidate the resources flows from the natural environment into the society, between other countries or regions and the society, between the sectors of the society, and the emissions outflows into the natural environment from different sectors. For the China society broken down into seven sectors (i.e., extraction, conversion, agriculture, industry, transportation, tertiary and households) as one of the most complicated cases, systems account of environmental emissions as greenhouse gases and “three wastes” is carried out for the first time, combined with an updated resources account. The total societal exergy consumption amounts to 101.1EJ, of which 93.6% is due to resources use accounted as 94.6EJ, of which 23.2% is by the industry sector, 22.8% by conversion, 20.4% by households, 12.3% by agriculture, 9.0% by tertiary, 6.9% by extraction and 5.4% by transport, and 6.4% due to environmental emissions accounted as 6481.6PJ, including greenhouse gas emissions of 5706.1PJ, with the highly remarkable fraction of 49.05% from CH4 of the same importance as 50.91% from CO2 and only 0.04% from N2O, and “three wastes” emissions of only 775.5PJ. The extraction sector is shown as the leading emitter with 32.6% of the total emissions, followed by the industry with 20.0%, agriculture with 17.3%, and conversion sector with 16.8%. To characterize the network performance in context of environmental resources from a systems ecological perspective, exergy-based ecological efficiency and resources conversion coefficient are found as 88.8% and 91.3% for the extraction sector, 29.0% and 30.0% for the conversion sector, 31.5% and 33.5% for the agriculture sector, 34.8% and 36.1% for the industry sector, 16.3% and 17.3% for the transportation sector, 38.4% and 38.5% for the tertiary sector, and only 1.3% and 1.3% for the households sector, respectively. Comparisons with other societies and with China society in previous years are made to further illustrate the physical sustainability of the societal system on the international and development horizons. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Knowledge of influencing factors of industrial carbon emissions (ICE) is crucial to the efforts of reducing anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, main factors responsible for the ICE in Shanghai between 1996 and 2007 were identified and quantitatively analyzed using the Log-Mean Divisia Index method. It was found that the industrial output was the main driving force of ICE. The decline in energy intensity and the adjustment of energy and industrial structure are major determinants for reduction of ICE, with the former alone accounting for 90% of the reduction. To better investigate the relative contribution of different industrial sectors and their changes over time, we divided the study period into two equal time intervals and analyzed some high-carbon emission sectors. The results suggested that the intensity of energy use should be reduced further, for it was far higher than the world average. Adjustment of industrial structure by developing low-carbon emission industries is more crucial than energy mix. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Assuming that energy consumption is the main source of GHG emissions in China, this paper analyses the effect of population, urbanisation level, GDP per capita, industrialisation level and energy intensity on the country''s environmental impact using the STIRPAT model with data for 1978–2006. The analysis shows that population has the largest potential effect on environmental impact, followed by urbanisation level, industrialisation level, GDP per capita and energy intensity. Hence, China''s One Child Policy, which restrains rapid population growth, has been an effective way of reducing the country''s environmental impact. However, due to the difference in growth rates, GDP per capita had a higher effect on the environmental impact, contributing to 38% of its increase (while population''s contribution was at 32%). The rapid decrease in energy intensity was the main factor restraining the increase in China''s environmental impact but recently it has also been rising. Against this background, the future of the country looks bleak unless a change in human behaviour towards more ecologically sensitive economic choices occurs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]