IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v99y2016icp10-19.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Carbon emissions dynamics, efficiency gains, and technological innovation in China's industrial sectors

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Ning
  • Wang, Bing
  • Liu, Zhu

Abstract

In China, industrial sectors contribute carbon emissions at a larger scale and more rapidly growing pace than other end-use sectors. This paper thus aims to investigate the dynamic carbon emissions performance of China's industrial sectors using Malmquist-type index. Previous studies suffer from two limitations: the challenge of isolating carbon emissions performance from radial efficiency measures and the infeasibility problem in the calculation process. This paper proposes the non-radial global Malmquist carbon emissions performance index (NGMCPI) as a way of handling those two challenges with measuring dynamic changes in carbon emissions performance. The NGMCPI can be decomposed into efficiency change (EC) and technological change (TC) indexes, which represent the low-carbon catch-up and innovation effects, respectively. Based on the proposed indexes, we examine the dynamic changes in carbon emissions performance and its patterns for 38 Chinese industrial sectors over the 1990–2012 period. The results show that dynamic carbon emissions performance was mainly driven by the catch-up effect during the 1990s and boosted by innovation from 2000 to 2012. Some policy implications are proposed based on these empirical results.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Ning & Wang, Bing & Liu, Zhu, 2016. "Carbon emissions dynamics, efficiency gains, and technological innovation in China's industrial sectors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 10-19.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:99:y:2016:i:c:p:10-19
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2016.01.012
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544216000220
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2016.01.012?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tol, Richard S.J. & Pacala, Stephen W. & Socolow, Robert H., 2009. "Understanding Long-Term Energy Use and Carbon Dioxide Emissions in the USA," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 425-445, May.
    2. Zhang, Ning & Choi, Yongrok, 2013. "Total-factor carbon emission performance of fossil fuel power plants in China: A metafrontier non-radial Malmquist index analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 549-559.
    3. Chen, Shiyi & Golley, Jane, 2014. "‘Green’ productivity growth in China's industrial economy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 89-98.
    4. Yoruk, BarIs K. & Zaim, Osman, 2005. "Productivity growth in OECD countries: A comparison with Malmquist indices," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(2), pages 401-420, June.
    5. Kumar, Surender, 2006. "Environmentally sensitive productivity growth: A global analysis using Malmquist-Luenberger index," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(2), pages 280-293, February.
    6. Wang, H., 2015. "A generalized MCDA–DEA (multi-criterion decision analysis–data envelopment analysis) approach to construct slacks-based composite indicator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 114-122.
    7. William L. Weber & Bruce Domazlicky, 2001. "Productivity Growth and Pollution in State Manufacturing," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 83(1), pages 195-199, February.
    8. Pastor, Jesus T. & Lovell, C.A. Knox, 2005. "A global Malmquist productivity index," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 88(2), pages 266-271, August.
    9. Li, Ke & Lin, Boqiang, 2015. "The improvement gap in energy intensity: Analysis of China's thirty provincial regions using the improved DEA (data envelopment analysis) model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 589-599.
    10. Choi, Yongrok & Zhang, Ning & Zhou, P., 2012. "Efficiency and abatement costs of energy-related CO2 emissions in China: A slacks-based efficiency measure," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 198-208.
    11. Dong-hyun Oh, 2010. "A global Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 183-197, December.
    12. Lin, Boqiang & Du, Kerui, 2015. "Energy and CO2 emissions performance in China's regional economies: Do market-oriented reforms matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 113-124.
    13. Ang, B. W., 1999. "Is the energy intensity a less useful indicator than the carbon factor in the study of climate change?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 27(15), pages 943-946, December.
    14. Wang, Ke & Wei, Yi-Ming & Zhang, Xian, 2013. "Energy and emissions efficiency patterns of Chinese regions: A multi-directional efficiency analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 105-116.
    15. Hu, Jin-Li & Wang, Shih-Chuan, 2006. "Total-factor energy efficiency of regions in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(17), pages 3206-3217, November.
    16. Rolf Färe & Shawna Grosskopf & Carl A Pasurka, Jr., 2001. "Accounting for Air Pollution Emissions in Measures of State Manufacturing Productivity Growth," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(3), pages 381-409, August.
    17. Wang, Zhaohua & Feng, Chao & Zhang, Bin, 2014. "An empirical analysis of China's energy efficiency from both static and dynamic perspectives," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 322-330.
    18. Zhang, Ning & Choi, Yongrok, 2013. "A comparative study of dynamic changes in CO2 emission performance of fossil fuel power plants in China and Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 324-332.
    19. Wang, H. & Zhou, P. & Zhou, D.Q., 2013. "Scenario-based energy efficiency and productivity in China: A non-radial directional distance function analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 795-803.
    20. Wang, Qunwei & Zhou, Peng & Zhou, Dequn, 2012. "Efficiency measurement with carbon dioxide emissions: The case of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 161-166.
    21. Zhang, Ning & Kong, Fanbin & Choi, Yongrok & Zhou, P., 2014. "The effect of size-control policy on unified energy and carbon efficiency for Chinese fossil fuel power plants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 193-200.
    22. Zhou, P. & Ang, B.W. & Wang, H., 2012. "Energy and CO2 emission performance in electricity generation: A non-radial directional distance function approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 221(3), pages 625-635.
    23. Lee, Myunghun & Zhang, Ning, 2012. "Technical efficiency, shadow price of carbon dioxide emissions, and substitutability for energy in the Chinese manufacturing industries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 1492-1497.
    24. Yao, Xin & Zhou, Hongchen & Zhang, Aizhen & Li, Aijun, 2015. "Regional energy efficiency, carbon emission performance and technology gaps in China: A meta-frontier non-radial directional distance function analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 142-154.
    25. Sun, J. W., 2005. "The decrease of CO2 emission intensity is decarbonization at national and global levels," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(8), pages 975-978, May.
    26. He, Feng & Zhang, Qingzhi & Lei, Jiasu & Fu, Weihui & Xu, Xiaoning, 2013. "Energy efficiency and productivity change of China’s iron and steel industry: Accounting for undesirable outputs," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 204-213.
    27. Chambers, Robert G. & Chung, Yangho & Fare, Rolf, 1996. "Benefit and Distance Functions," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 407-419, August.
    28. Wei, Yi-Ming & Liao, Hua & Fan, Ying, 2007. "An empirical analysis of energy efficiency in China's iron and steel sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(12), pages 2262-2270.
    29. Zhou, P. & Ang, B.W. & Han, J.Y., 2010. "Total factor carbon emission performance: A Malmquist index analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 194-201, January.
    30. Ang, B.W. & Zhou, P. & Tay, L.P., 2011. "Potential for reducing global carbon emissions from electricity production--A benchmarking analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2482-2489, May.
    31. Maruyama, Naoko & Eckelman, Matthew J., 2009. "Long-term trends of electric efficiencies in electricity generation in developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(5), pages 1678-1686, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhang, Ning & Wei, Xiao, 2015. "Dynamic total factor carbon emissions performance changes in the Chinese transportation industry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 409-420.
    2. Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki & Yuan, Yan & Goto, Mika, 2017. "A literature study for DEA applied to energy and environment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 104-124.
    3. Zhang, Ning & Zhou, Peng & Kung, Chih-Chun, 2015. "Total-factor carbon emission performance of the Chinese transportation industry: A bootstrapped non-radial Malmquist index analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 584-593.
    4. Zhang, Ning & Choi, Yongrok, 2013. "Total-factor carbon emission performance of fossil fuel power plants in China: A metafrontier non-radial Malmquist index analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 549-559.
    5. Yao, Xin & Guo, Chengwen & Shao, Shuai & Jiang, Zhujun, 2016. "Total-factor CO2 emission performance of China’s provincial industrial sector: A meta-frontier non-radial Malmquist index approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1142-1153.
    6. Lin, Boqiang & Du, Kerui, 2015. "Energy and CO2 emissions performance in China's regional economies: Do market-oriented reforms matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 113-124.
    7. Emrouznejad, Ali & Yang, Guo-liang, 2016. "CO2 emissions reduction of Chinese light manufacturing industries: A novel RAM-based global Malmquist–Luenberger productivity index," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 397-410.
    8. Zhang, Ning & Kong, Fanbin & Choi, Yongrok, 2014. "Measuring sustainability performance for China: A sequential generalized directional distance function approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 392-397.
    9. Zhang, Ning & Kong, Fanbin & Choi, Yongrok & Zhou, P., 2014. "The effect of size-control policy on unified energy and carbon efficiency for Chinese fossil fuel power plants," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 193-200.
    10. Wang, Zhaohua & Feng, Chao, 2015. "Sources of production inefficiency and productivity growth in China: A global data envelopment analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 380-389.
    11. Lin, Boqiang & Sai, Rockson, 2021. "A multi factor Malmquist CO2emission performance indices: Evidence from Sub Saharan African public thermal power plants," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    12. Xian’En Wang & Shimeng Wang & Xipan Wang & Wenbo Li & Junnian Song & Haiyan Duan & Shuo Wang, 2019. "The Assessment of Carbon Performance under the Region-Sector Perspective based on the Nonparametric Estimation: A Case Study of the Northern Province in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-23, October.
    13. Yu, Yanni & Wu, Wenjie & Zhang, Tao & Liu, Yanchu, 2016. "Environmental catching-up, eco-innovation, and technological leadership in China's pilot ecological civilization zones," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 228-236.
    14. Zhang, Ning & Choi, Yongrok & Wang, Wei, 2019. "Does energy research funding work? Evidence from the Natural Science Foundation of China using TEI@I method," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 369-380.
    15. Qin, Quande & Li, Xin & Li, Li & Zhen, Wei & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2017. "Air emissions perspective on energy efficiency: An empirical analysis of China’s coastal areas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P1), pages 604-614.
    16. Zhang, Ning & Wang, Bing & Chen, Zhongfei, 2016. "Carbon emissions reductions and technology gaps in the world's factory, 1990–2012," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 28-37.
    17. Feng, Chao & Zhang, Hua & Huang, Jian-Bai, 2017. "The approach to realizing the potential of emissions reduction in China: An implication from data envelopment analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 859-872.
    18. Zhang, Ning & Wang, Bing, 2015. "A deterministic parametric metafrontier Luenberger indicator for measuring environmentally-sensitive productivity growth: A Korean fossil-fuel power case," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 88-98.
    19. Mardani, Abbas & Zavadskas, Edmundas Kazimieras & Streimikiene, Dalia & Jusoh, Ahmad & Khoshnoudi, Masoumeh, 2017. "A comprehensive review of data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach in energy efficiency," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1298-1322.
    20. Li, Jianglong & Lin, Boqiang, 2017. "Does energy and CO2 emissions performance of China benefit from regional integration?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 366-378.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:99:y:2016:i:c:p:10-19. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.