IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v60y2016icp275-292.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Decoupling CO2 emissions and industrial growth in China over 1993–2013: The role of investment

Author

Listed:
  • Zhao, Xingrong
  • Zhang, Xi
  • Shao, Shuai

Abstract

Since industrial sector is a leading energy consumer and CO2 emitter in China, the degree of the decoupling of CO2 emissions and industrial growth plays a critical role in realizing the energy-conservation and emission-reduction goals of China. This is the first study to present a specific investigation on the decoupling of CO2 emissions and industrial growth in China from 1993 to 2013. Using an extended logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) model focusing on both energy-related and process-related CO2 emissions and introducing three novel investment factors, i.e., investment scale, investment share, and investment efficiency, we highlight and explore the remarkable role of investment in the mitigation and decoupling of CO2 emissions with industrial growth. The results show that China's industrial sector experienced the weak decoupling during 1993–2013. The investment scale is the most important factor responsible for the increase in CO2 emissions and the inhibition of the decoupling. The investment efficiency effect has a volatile trend and overall, it plays the most significant role in reducing CO2 emissions, followed by the energy intensity effect and process carbon intensity effect, whereas the energy mix, carbon coefficient, and investment share have marginal effects. Among 36 industrial sub-sectors, the seven factors of RCMCP (raw chemical materials and chemical products), NMP (nonmetal mineral products), and SPFM (smelting and pressing of ferrous metals) have significant effects on the decoupling. Thus, the three sub-sectors should be among the top concerns for abating CO2 emissions. Finally, we provide policy recommendations considering both conventional and investment factors for China's industrial sector to realize emission reduction targets.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhao, Xingrong & Zhang, Xi & Shao, Shuai, 2016. "Decoupling CO2 emissions and industrial growth in China over 1993–2013: The role of investment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 275-292.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:275-292
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2016.10.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988316302894
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eneco.2016.10.008?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. Zhang, Xing-Ping & Cheng, Xiao-Mei, 2009. "Energy consumption, carbon emissions, and economic growth in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 2706-2712, August.
    2. Morris Goldstein & Nicholas R. Lardy, 2004. "What Kind of Landing for the Chinese Economy?," Policy Briefs PB04-07, Peterson Institute for International Economics.
    3. Shao, Shuai & Huang, Tao & Yang, Lili, 2014. "Using latent variable approach to estimate China׳s economy-wide energy rebound effect over 1954–2010," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 235-248.
    4. de Freitas, Luciano Charlita & Kaneko, Shinji, 2011. "Decomposing the decoupling of CO2 emissions and economic growth in Brazil," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(8), pages 1459-1469, June.
    5. Wang, Can & Chen, Jining & Zou, Ji, 2005. "Decomposition of energy-related CO2 emission in China: 1957–2000," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 73-83.
    6. Ang, James B., 2009. "CO2 emissions, research and technology transfer in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(10), pages 2658-2665, August.
    7. Chen, Shiyi, 2015. "Environmental pollution emissions, regional productivity growth and ecological economic development in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 171-182.
    8. Ma, Chunbo & Stern, David I., 2008. "Biomass and China's carbon emissions: A missing piece of carbon decomposition," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 2517-2526, July.
    9. Kaplan, Stephen B., 2006. "The political obstacles to greater exchange rate flexibility in China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(7), pages 1182-1200, July.
    10. Tapio, Petri, 2005. "Towards a theory of decoupling: degrees of decoupling in the EU and the case of road traffic in Finland between 1970 and 2001," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 12(2), pages 137-151, March.
    11. Diakoulaki, D. & Mandaraka, M., 2007. "Decomposition analysis for assessing the progress in decoupling industrial growth from CO2 emissions in the EU manufacturing sector," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 636-664, July.
    12. Hammond, G.P. & Norman, J.B., 2012. "Decomposition analysis of energy-related carbon emissions from UK manufacturing," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 220-227.
    13. Xu, Bin & Lin, Boqiang, 2015. "How industrialization and urbanization process impacts on CO2 emissions in China: Evidence from nonparametric additive regression models," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 188-202.
    14. Zhang, F. Q. & Ang, B. W., 2001. "Methodological issues in cross-country/region decomposition of energy and environment indicators," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 179-190, March.
    15. Ma, Chunbo, 2014. "A multi-fuel, multi-sector and multi-region approach to index decomposition: An application to China's energy consumption 1995–2010," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 9-16.
    16. Lin, Boqiang & Moubarak, Mohamed, 2013. "Decomposition analysis: Change of carbon dioxide emissions in the Chinese textile industry," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 389-396.
    17. Ang, B.W. & Liu, F.L., 2001. "A new energy decomposition method: perfect in decomposition and consistent in aggregation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 537-548.
    18. Shao, Shuai & Yang, Lili & Yu, Mingbo & Yu, Mingliang, 2011. "Estimation, characteristics, and determinants of energy-related industrial CO2 emissions in Shanghai (China), 1994-2009," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 6476-6494, October.
    19. Qin, Duo & Cagas, Marie Anne & Quising, Pilipinas & He, Xin-Hua, 2006. "How much does investment drive economic growth in China?," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 28(7), pages 751-774, October.
    20. Lu, Qinli & Yang, Hong & Huang, Xianjin & Chuai, Xiaowei & Wu, Changyan, 2015. "Multi-sectoral decomposition in decoupling industrial growth from carbon emissions in the developed Jiangsu Province, China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 414-425.
    21. Tian, Yihui & Zhu, Qinghua & Geng, Yong, 2013. "An analysis of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions in the Chinese iron and steel industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 352-361.
    22. Lin, Boqiang & Zhang, Li & Wu, Ya, 2012. "Evaluation of electricity saving potential in China's chemical industry based on cointegration," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 320-330.
    23. Shahiduzzaman, Md. & Layton, Allan, 2015. "Changes in CO2 emissions over business cycle recessions and expansions in the United States: A decomposition analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C), pages 25-35.
    24. Ang, B. W., 2004. "Decomposition analysis for policymaking in energy:: which is the preferred method?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(9), pages 1131-1139, June.
    25. Zhang, Yue-Jun & Da, Ya-Bin, 2015. "The decomposition of energy-related carbon emission and its decoupling with economic growth in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1255-1266.
    26. Vaninsky, Alexander, 2014. "Factorial decomposition of CO2 emissions: A generalized Divisia index approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 389-400.
    27. Qin, Duo & Song, Haiyan, 2009. "Sources of investment inefficiency: The case of fixed-asset investment in China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 94-105, September.
    28. Ang, B.W & Zhang, F.Q & Choi, Ki-Hong, 1998. "Factorizing changes in energy and environmental indicators through decomposition," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 23(6), pages 489-495.
    29. Song, Feng & Zheng, Xinye, 2012. "What drives the change in China's energy intensity: Combining decomposition analysis and econometric analysis at the provincial level," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 445-453.
    30. Andreoni, V. & Galmarini, S., 2012. "Decoupling economic growth from carbon dioxide emissions: A decomposition analysis of Italian energy consumption," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 44(1), pages 682-691.
    31. B. W. Ang & Ki-Hong Choi, 1997. "Decomposition of Aggregate Energy and Gas Emission Intensities for Industry: A Refined Divisia Index Method," The Energy Journal, International Association for Energy Economics, vol. 0(Number 3), pages 59-73.
    32. Jiang, Zhujun & Lin, Boqiang, 2012. "China's energy demand and its characteristics in the industrialization and urbanization process," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 608-615.
    33. Chen, Shiyi & Santos-Paulino, Amelia U., 2013. "Energy consumption restricted productivity re-estimates and industrial sustainability analysis in post-reform China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 52-60.
    34. Ren, Shenggang & Hu, Zhen, 2012. "Effects of decoupling of carbon dioxide emission by Chinese nonferrous metals industry," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 407-414.
    35. Chen, G.Q. & Zhang, Bo, 2010. "Greenhouse gas emissions in China 2007: Inventory and input-output analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(10), pages 6180-6193, October.
    36. Enevoldsen, Martin K. & Ryelund, Anders V. & Andersen, Mikael Skou, 2007. "Decoupling of industrial energy consumption and CO2-emissions in energy-intensive industries in Scandinavia," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 665-692, July.
    37. Wang, W.W. & Zhang, M. & Zhou, M., 2011. "Using LMDI method to analyze transport sector CO2 emissions in China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(10), pages 5909-5915.
    38. McCollum, David & Yang, Christopher, 2009. "Achieving deep reductions in US transport greenhouse gas emissions: Scenario analysis and policy implications," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(12), pages 5580-5596, December.
    39. Kahle, Kathleen M. & Stulz, René M., 2013. "Access to capital, investment, and the financial crisis," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 110(2), pages 280-299.
    40. Shao, Shuai & Yang, Lili & Gan, Chunhui & Cao, Jianhua & Geng, Yong & Guan, Dabo, 2016. "Using an extended LMDI model to explore techno-economic drivers of energy-related industrial CO2 emission changes: A case study for Shanghai (China)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 516-536.
    41. Duro, Juan Antonio & Padilla, Emilio, 2006. "International inequalities in per capita CO2 emissions: A decomposition methodology by Kaya factors," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 170-187, March.
    42. Mahony, Tadhg O', 2013. "Decomposition of Ireland's carbon emissions from 1990 to 2010: An extended Kaya identity," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 573-581.
    43. Lin, Boqiang & Long, Houyin, 2016. "Emissions reduction in China׳s chemical industry – Based on LMDI," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1348-1355.
    44. Elisabeth Conrad & Louis F. Cassar, 2014. "Decoupling Economic Growth and Environmental Degradation: Reviewing Progress to Date in the Small Island State of Malta," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(10), pages 1-22, September.
    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. Wang, Miao & Feng, Chao, 2017. "Decomposition of energy-related CO2 emissions in China: An empirical analysis based on provincial panel data of three sectors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 772-787.
    2. Yang, Lin & Yang, Yuantao & Zhang, Xian & Tang, Kai, 2018. "Whether China's industrial sectors make efforts to reduce CO2 emissions from production? - A decomposed decoupling analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 160(C), pages 796-809.
    3. Lin, Boqiang & Ouyang, Xiaoling, 2014. "Analysis of energy-related CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions and reduction potential in the Chinese non-metallic mineral products industry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 688-697.
    4. Wang, Miao & Feng, Chao, 2018. "Decomposing the change in energy consumption in China's nonferrous metal industry: An empirical analysis based on the LMDI method," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2652-2663.
    5. Vaninsky, Alexander, 2014. "Factorial decomposition of CO2 emissions: A generalized Divisia index approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 389-400.
    6. Wen, Hong-xing & Chen, Zhe & Yang, Qian & Liu, Jin-yi & Nie, Pu-yan, 2022. "Driving forces and mitigating strategies of CO2 emissions in China: A decomposition analysis based on 38 industrial sub-sectors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 245(C).
    7. Zhang, Yue-Jun & Da, Ya-Bin, 2015. "The decomposition of energy-related carbon emission and its decoupling with economic growth in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1255-1266.
    8. Jiang, Jingjing & Ye, Bin & Xie, Dejun & Li, Ji & Miao, Lixin & Yang, Peng, 2017. "Sector decomposition of China’s national economic carbon emissions and its policy implication for national ETS development," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 855-867.
    9. Liang, Wei & Gan, Ting & Zhang, Wei, 2019. "Dynamic evolution of characteristics and decomposition of factors influencing industrial carbon dioxide emissions in China: 1991–2015," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 93-106.
    10. Zhang, Xi & Geng, Yong & Shao, Shuai & Dong, Huijuan & Wu, Rui & Yao, Tianli & Song, Jiekun, 2020. "How to achieve China’s CO2 emission reduction targets by provincial efforts? – An analysis based on generalized Divisia index and dynamic scenario simulation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    11. Fernández González, P. & Presno, M.J. & Landajo, M., 2015. "Regional and sectoral attribution to percentage changes in the European Divisia carbonization index," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 1437-1452.
    12. Shao, Shuai & Yang, Lili & Gan, Chunhui & Cao, Jianhua & Geng, Yong & Guan, Dabo, 2016. "Using an extended LMDI model to explore techno-economic drivers of energy-related industrial CO2 emission changes: A case study for Shanghai (China)," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 516-536.
    13. Lima, Fátima & Nunes, Manuel Lopes & Cunha, Jorge & Lucena, André F.P., 2016. "A cross-country assessment of energy-related CO2 emissions: An extended Kaya Index Decomposition Approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(P2), pages 1361-1374.
    14. Jie-Fang Dong & Chun Deng & Xing-Min Wang & Xiao-Lei Zhang, 2016. "Multilevel Index Decomposition of Energy-Related Carbon Emissions and Their Decoupling from Economic Growth in Northwest China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(9), pages 1-17, August.
    15. Moutinho, Victor & Madaleno, Mara & Inglesi-Lotz, Roula & Dogan, Eyup, 2018. "Factors affecting CO2 emissions in top countries on renewable energies: A LMDI decomposition application," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 605-622.
    16. Roinioti, Argiro & Koroneos, Christopher, 2017. "The decomposition of CO2 emissions from energy use in Greece before and during the economic crisis and their decoupling from economic growth," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 448-459.
    17. Huang, Jian-Bai & Luo, Yu-Mei & Feng, Chao, 2019. "An overview of carbon dioxide emissions from China's ferrous metal industry: 1991-2030," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 541-549.
    18. Xue-Ting Jiang & Jie-Fang Dong & Xing-Min Wang & Rong-Rong Li, 2016. "The Multilevel Index Decomposition of Energy-Related Carbon Emission and Its Decoupling with Economic Growth in USA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(9), pages 1-16, August.
    19. Román, Rocío & Cansino, José M. & Rodas, José A., 2018. "Analysis of the main drivers of CO2 emissions changes in Colombia (1990–2012) and its political implications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(PA), pages 402-411.
    20. Tang, Songlin & Raza, Muhammad Yousaf & Lin, Boqiang, 2024. "Analysis of coal-related energy consumption, economic growth and intensity effects in Pakistan," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Decoupling; Investment; CO2 emissions; Industrial growth; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East
    • Q32 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation - - - Exhaustible Resources and Economic Development
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy
    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:eneeco:v:60:y:2016:i:c:p:275-292. 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/eneco .

    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.