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Recognition of key emission sectors is crucial for carbon reduction. This study identifies key emission sectors and analyzes driving and driven effects of these sectors in the context of China. The Input-Output approach is used to identify key emission sectors. The data used for analysis are collected from Input-Output Table and Energy Statistical Yearbook issued by the National Bureau of Statistics of China for the period of 1990-2012. Three types of key emission sectors are classified in this study, namely overall key sectors, driving-dominant sectors, and driven-dominant sectors. The major overall key emission sectors include Coal Mining and Dressing; Petroleum Processing and Coking; Chemical Products; Metals Smelting and Pressing; Production and Supply of Electric Power, Gas and Water; and Transportation, Storage, Postal and Telecommunications Services. There is one driving-dominant sector, which is Nonmetal Mineral Products. The major driven-dominant sectors include Petroleum and Natural Gas Extraction; Wholesale, Retail Trade, Lodging and Catering Services; and Others (such as finance, property, research and development, entertainment, health, education, and public facilities). Suggestions from policy implications for emission reduction are proposed. The research findings provide important references for the Chinese government to adopt appropriate emission reduction measures, particularly in addressing these key emission sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming caused by carbon emission has been recognized as a threat to public health and welfare. Carbon emission reduction is therefore a necessary task for each country to address the severe challenges arising from global warming. This research combines the STIRPAT model with the use of the panel and time-series data to analyze the impacts of population, affluence and technology on the carbon emission of 125 countries at different income levels over the period of 1990–2011. The results show that the key impact factor (KIF) at global level is affluence, followed by technology and population in the order of their impacts on carbon emission. For countries at high-income (HI) level, technology has the greatest impact on carbon emission, while affluence has the least. Affluence, prior to technology and population, is identified as the KIF of carbon emission for countries at upper-middle-income (UMI) and lower-middle-income (LMI) levels. When it comes to the low-income (LI) level, affluence serves as the factor greatest affecting on carbon emission, and technology has the least impact. In particular, two generic patterns are identified based on the empirical results: higher income leads to greater impact of the technology and lower impact of the affluence on carbon emission. The KIFs of different income level countries identified in this study provide policy-makers and practitioners with valuable references for adopting effective policies and strategies to stimulate the global carbon emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]