Drivers of change in China's energy-related CO<sub>2</sub> emissions.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31871172.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1073/pnas.1908513117 and PMC identifier 6955364.
- No licence information is recorded for this record.
- Because redistribution is not established, this page shows the abstract only. Follow the links below for the full text.
Abstract
CO<sub>2</sub> emissions are of global concern because of climate change. China has become the largest CO<sub>2</sub> emitter in the world and presently accounts for 30% of global emissions. Here, we analyze the major drivers of energy-related CO<sub>2</sub> emissions in China from 1978 when the reform and opening-up policy was launched. We find that 1) there has been a 6-fold increase in energy-related CO<sub>2</sub> emissions, which was driven primarily (176%) by economic growth followed by population growth (16%), while the effects of energy intensity (-79%) and carbon intensity (-13%) slowed the growth of carbon emissions over most of this period; 2) energy-related CO<sub>2</sub> emissions are positively related to per capita gross domestic product (GDP), population growth rate, carbon intensity, and energy intensity; and 3) a portfolio of command-and-control policies affecting the drivers has altered the total emission trend. However, given the major role of China in global climate change mitigation, significant future reductions in China's CO<sub>2</sub> emissions will require transformation toward low-carbon energy systems.