IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecolec/v171y2020ics0921800919306007.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sweet spots are in the food system: Structural adjustments to co-control regional pollutants and national GHG emissions in China

Author

Listed:
  • Liu, Li-Jing
  • Liang, Qiao-Mei
  • Creutzig, Felix
  • Ward, Hauke
  • Zhang, Kun

Abstract

The Chinese government aims to mitigate climate change while also reducing local air pollution; this requires co-control of greenhouse gases and pollutants. Here, we develop a method combining an elasticity analysis and a multi-regional input–output model, to measure changes in the emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants and corresponding socio-economic costs caused by the adjustments in intermediate input, inter-regional trade, and final demand transactions for 30 provinces in China. A filter framework is proposed to identify the key structural transactions that can significantly co-control both emission types with small socio-economic impacts. The results show that 13 effective co-control spots can simultaneously reduce greenhouse gases and pollutants. Among these, eight co-controls are associated with low economic costs, which we refer to as ‘sweet spots’. Sweet spots cover agricultural inputs in the food and tobacco sectors of Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, Liaoning, and Hubei; self-inputs in the agriculture of Henan; self-inputs in the food and tobacco sector of Shandong; fixed capital formation of agriculture in Hebei; and urban household consumption of agricultural products in Guangdong. This finding is important, as climate measures mostly side-line the agricultural sector so far, both in China and in other parts of the world.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Li-Jing & Liang, Qiao-Mei & Creutzig, Felix & Ward, Hauke & Zhang, Kun, 2020. "Sweet spots are in the food system: Structural adjustments to co-control regional pollutants and national GHG emissions in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:171:y:2020:i:c:s0921800919306007
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106590
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921800919306007
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106590?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. Stern,Nicholas, 2007. "The Economics of Climate Change," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521700801, September.
    2. Ward, Hauke & Radebach, Alexander & Vierhaus, Ingmar & Fügenschuh, Armin & Steckel, Jan Christoph, 2017. "Reducing global CO2 emissions with the technologies we have," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 201-217.
    3. Serrano, Mònica & Dietzenbacher, Erik, 2010. "Responsibility and trade emission balances: An evaluation of approaches," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 69(11), pages 2224-2232, September.
    4. Rocchi, Paola & Serrano, Mònica & Roca, Jordi & Arto, Iñaki, 2018. "Border Carbon Adjustments Based on Avoided Emissions: Addressing the Challenge of Its Design," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 126-136.
    5. Zhifu Mi & Jing Meng & Dabo Guan & Yuli Shan & Malin Song & Yi-Ming Wei & Zhu Liu & Klaus Hubacek, 2017. "Chinese CO2 emission flows have reversed since the global financial crisis," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 8(1), pages 1-10, December.
    6. Weber, Christopher L. & Peters, Glen P. & Guan, Dabo & Hubacek, Klaus, 2008. "The contribution of Chinese exports to climate change," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 3572-3577, September.
    7. Gene M. Grossman & Alan B. Krueger, 1995. "Economic Growth and the Environment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 353-377.
    8. Liao, Hua & Fan, Ying & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2007. "What induced China's energy intensity to fluctuate: 1997-2006?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(9), pages 4640-4649, September.
    9. Shao, Shuai & Tian, Zhihua & Fan, Meiting, 2018. "Do the rich have stronger willingness to pay for environmental protection? New evidence from a survey in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 83-94.
    10. Roca, Jordi & Serrano, Monica, 2007. "Income growth and atmospheric pollution in Spain: An input-output approach," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 230-242, June.
    11. Krook Riekkola, Anna & Ahlgren, Erik O. & Söderholm, Patrik, 2011. "Ancillary benefits of climate policy in a small open economy: The case of Sweden," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 4985-4998, September.
    12. Voigt, Sebastian & De Cian, Enrica & Schymura, Michael & Verdolini, Elena, 2014. "Energy intensity developments in 40 major economies: Structural change or technology improvement?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 47-62.
    13. Elke Pirgmaier & Julia K. Steinberger, 2019. "Roots, Riots, and Radical Change—A Road Less Travelled for Ecological Economics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-18, April.
    14. Zhang, Bo & Chen, Z.M. & Xia, X.H. & Xu, X.Y. & Chen, Y.B., 2013. "The impact of domestic trade on China's regional energy uses: A multi-regional input–output modeling," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1169-1181.
    15. Anil Markandya & Dirk T.G. Rübbelke, 2012. "Impure public technologies and environmental policy," Journal of Economic Studies, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 39(2), pages 128-143, May.
    16. Rui Huang & Klaus Hubacek & Kuishuang Feng & Xiaojie Li & Chao Zhang, 2018. "Re-Examining Embodied SO 2 and CO 2 Emissions in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-17, May.
    17. Christina Prell & Laixiang Sun & Kuishuang Feng & Tyler W Myroniuk, 2015. "Inequalities in Global Trade: A Cross-Country Comparison of Trade Network Position, Economic Wealth, Pollution and Mortality," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(12), pages 1-18, December.
    18. Wang, H. & Ang, B.W., 2018. "Assessing the role of international trade in global CO2 emissions: An index decomposition analysis approach," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 218(C), pages 146-158.
    19. Maarten Christis & Theo Geerken & An Vercalsteren & Karl C. Vrancken, 2017. "Improving footprint calculations of small open economies: combining local with multi-regional input–output tables," Economic Systems Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(1), pages 25-47, January.
    20. Kofi Adom, Philip & Bekoe, William & Amuakwa-Mensah, Franklin & Mensah, Justice Tei & Botchway, Ebo, 2012. "Carbon dioxide emissions, economic growth, industrial structure, and technical efficiency: Empirical evidence from Ghana, Senegal, and Morocco on the causal dynamics," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 314-325.
    21. Hong, Jingke & Shen, Geoffrey Qiping & Guo, Shan & Xue, Fan & Zheng, Wei, 2016. "Energy use embodied in China׳s construction industry: A multi-regional input–output analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1303-1312.
    22. Guo, Ju’e & Zhang, Zengkai & Meng, Lei, 2012. "China’s provincial CO2 emissions embodied in international and interprovincial trade," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 486-497.
    23. Zhang, Bo & Yang, T.R. & Chen, B. & Sun, X.D., 2016. "China’s regional CH4 emissions: Characteristics, interregional transfer and mitigation policies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1184-1195.
    24. Nathan Rive & Dirk Rübbelke, 2010. "International environmental policy and poverty alleviation," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 146(3), pages 515-543, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Jiang, Hong-Dian & Pradhan, Basanta K. & Dong, Kangyin & Yu, Yan-Yan & Liang, Qiao-Mei, 2024. "An economy-wide impacts of multiple mitigation pathways toward carbon neutrality in China: A CGE-based analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).

    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. Keyi Duan & Mingyao Cao & Nurhafiza Abdul Kader Malim & Yan Song, 2022. "Nonlinear Relationship between Financial Development and CO 2 Emissions—Based on a PSTR Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Sun, Xudong & Li, Jiashuo & Qiao, Han & Zhang, Bo, 2017. "Energy implications of China's regional development: New insights from multi-regional input-output analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C), pages 118-131.
    3. Ren, Shenggang & Yuan, Baolong & Ma, Xie & Chen, Xiaohong, 2014. "The impact of international trade on China׳s industrial carbon emissions since its entry into WTO," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 624-634.
    4. Boya Zhang & Shukuan Bai & Yadong Ning & Tao Ding & Yan Zhang, 2020. "Emission Embodied in International Trade and Its Responsibility from the Perspective of Global Value Chain: Progress, Trends, and Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-26, April.
    5. Ling, Zaili & Huang, Tao & Li, Jixiang & Zhou, Sheng & Lian, Lulu & Wang, Jinxiang & Zhao, Yuan & Mao, Xiaoxuan & Gao, Hong & Ma, Jianmin, 2019. "Sulfur dioxide pollution and energy justice in Northwestern China embodied in West-East Energy Transmission of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(C), pages 547-560.
    6. Li, Y.L. & Chen, B. & Chen, G.Q., 2020. "Carbon network embodied in international trade: Global structural evolution and its policy implications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    7. Jordi Roca Jusmet & Emilio Padilla Rosa, 2021. "Globalización y responsabilidad en los problemas ecológicos," Revista de Economia Critica, Asociacion de Economia Critica, vol. 31, pages 1-18.
    8. Yan, Bingqian & Xia, Yan & Jiang, Xuemei, 2023. "Carbon productivity and value-added generations: Regional heterogeneity along global value chain," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 111-125.
    9. Zheng, Jiali & Mi, Zhifu & Coffman, D'Maris & Milcheva, Stanimira & Shan, Yuli & Guan, Dabo & Wang, Shouyang, 2019. "Regional development and carbon emissions in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 25-36.
    10. Tang, Miaohan & Hong, Jingke & Liu, Guiwen & Shen, Geoffrey Qiping, 2019. "Exploring energy flows embodied in China's economy from the regional and sectoral perspectives via combination of multi-regional input–output analysis and a complex network approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 170(C), pages 1191-1201.
    11. Zhang, Bo & Qu, Xue & Meng, Jing & Sun, Xudong, 2017. "Identifying primary energy requirements in structural path analysis: A case study of China 2012," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 191(C), pages 425-435.
    12. Leying Wu & Zheng Wang, 2017. "Examining drivers of the emissions embodied in trade," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(4), pages 1-14, April.
    13. Liu, Qiaoling & Wang, Qi, 2015. "Reexamine SO2 emissions embodied in China's exports using multiregional input–output analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 39-50.
    14. Yang, Mian & Wang, En-Ze & Hou, Yaru, 2021. "The relationship between manufacturing growth and CO2 emissions: Does renewable energy consumption matter?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 232(C).
    15. López, Ramón E. & Yoon, Sang W., 2020. "Sustainable development: Structural transformation and the consumer demand," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 22-38.
    16. Zhang, Bo & Chen, G.Q., 2010. "Methane emissions by Chinese economy: Inventory and embodiment analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 4304-4316, August.
    17. Zhang, Bo & Yang, T.R. & Chen, B. & Sun, X.D., 2016. "China’s regional CH4 emissions: Characteristics, interregional transfer and mitigation policies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1184-1195.
    18. Wu, X.F. & Chen, G.Q., 2017. "Energy use by Chinese economy: A systems cross-scale input-output analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 81-90.
    19. Rui Huang & Klaus Hubacek & Kuishuang Feng & Xiaojie Li & Chao Zhang, 2018. "Re-Examining Embodied SO 2 and CO 2 Emissions in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-17, May.
    20. Hong, Jingke & Shen, Geoffrey Qiping & Guo, Shan & Xue, Fan & Zheng, Wei, 2016. "Energy use embodied in China׳s construction industry: A multi-regional input–output analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1303-1312.

    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:ecolec:v:171:y:2020:i:c:s0921800919306007. 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.elsevier.com/locate/ecolecon .

    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.