IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/rensus/v41y2015icp1052-1066.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The energy metabolism of China and India between 1971 and 2010: Studying the bifurcation

Author

Listed:
  • Velasco-Fernández, Raúl
  • Ramos-Martín, Jesus
  • Giampietro, Mario

Abstract

This paper presents a comparison of the changes in the energetic metabolic pattern of China and India, the two most populated countries in the world, with two economies undergoing an important economic transition. The comparison of the changes in the energetic metabolic pattern has the scope to characterize and explain a bifurcation in their evolutionary path in the recent years, using the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM) approach. The analysis shows an impressive transformation of China׳s energy metabolism determined by the joining of the WTO in 2001. Since then, China became the largest factory of the world with a generalized capitalization of all sectors, especially the industrial sector, boosting economic labor productivity as well as total energy consumption. India, on the contrary, lags behind when considering these factors. Looking at changes in the household sector (energy metabolism associated with final consumption) in the case of China, the energetic metabolic rate (EMR) soared in the last decade, also thanks to a reduced growth of population, whereas in India it remained stagnant for the last 40 years. This analysis indicates a big challenge for India for the next decade. In the light of the data analyzed both countries will continue to require strong injections of technical capital requiring a continuous increase in their total energy consumption. When considering the size of these economies it is easy to guess that this may induce a dramatic increase in the price of energy, an event that at the moment will penalize much more the chance of a quick economic development of India.

Suggested Citation

  • Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Ramos-Martín, Jesus & Giampietro, Mario, 2015. "The energy metabolism of China and India between 1971 and 2010: Studying the bifurcation," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1052-1066.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:rensus:v:41:y:2015:i:c:p:1052-1066
    DOI: 10.1016/j.rser.2014.08.065
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032114007515
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.rser.2014.08.065?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. Ou, Xunmin & Zhang, Xiliang & Chang, Shiyan, 2010. "Scenario analysis on alternative fuel/vehicle for China's future road transport: Life-cycle energy demand and GHG emissions," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 3943-3956, August.
    2. Iorgulescu, Raluca I. & Polimeni, John M., 2009. "A multi-scale integrated analysis of the energy use in Romania, Bulgaria, Poland and Hungary," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 341-347.
    3. Nina Eisenmenger & Jesús Ramos Martín & Heinz Schandl, 2007. "Análisis del metabolismo energético y de materiales de Brasil, Chile y Venezuela," Revista Iberoamericana de Economía Ecológica, Red Iberoamericana de Economía Ecológica, vol. 6, pages 17-39.
    4. Coers, Robin & Sanders, Mark, 2013. "The energy–GDP nexus; addressing an old question with new methods," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 708-715.
    5. Ramos-Martín, Jesús & Cañellas-Boltà, Sílvia & Giampietro, Mario & Gamboa, Gonzalo, 2009. "Catalonia's energy metabolism: Using the MuSIASEM approach at different scales," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 4658-4671, November.
    6. Ma, Hengyun & Oxley, Les & Gibson, John, 2010. "China's energy economy: A survey of the literature," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 105-132, June.
    7. Giampietro, Mario & Mayumi, Kozo, 1997. "A dynamic model of socioeconomic systems based on hierarchy theory and its application to sustainability," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 8(4), pages 453-469, October.
    8. Ramos-Martin, Jesus & Giampietro, Mario & Mayumi, Kozo, 2007. "On China's exosomatic energy metabolism: An application of multi-scale integrated analysis of societal metabolism (MSIASM)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 174-191, June.
    9. Ma, Hengyun & Oxley, Les & Gibson, John, 2009. "China's energy situation in the new millennium," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 1781-1799, October.
    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. Parra, Rony & Di Felice, Louisa Jane & Giampietro, Mario & Ramos-Martin, Jesus, 2018. "The metabolism of oil extraction: A bottom-up approach applied to the case of Ecuador," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 63-74.
    2. Chen, Lei & Xu, Linyu & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Giampietro, Mario & Yang, Zhifeng, 2021. "Residential energy metabolic patterns in China: A study of the urbanization process," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(PA).
    3. Li, Jizhe & Huang, Guohe & Liu, Lirong & Li, Yongping & Zhai, Mengyu & Xu, Xinli, 2021. "Projections of carbon metabolism in 2035 and implications for demand-side controls under various scenarios," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    4. González-López, Rafael & Giampietro, Mario, 2018. "Relational analysis of the oil and gas sector of Mexico: Implications for Mexico's energy reform," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 403-414.
    5. Andreoni, Valeria, 2017. "Energy Metabolism of 28 World Countries: A Multi-scale Integrated Analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 142(C), pages 56-69.
    6. Ripa, M. & Di Felice, L.J. & Giampietro, M., 2021. "The energy metabolism of post-industrial economies. A framework to account for externalization across scales," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    7. Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Giampietro, Mario & Bukkens, Sandra G.F., 2018. "Analyzing the energy performance of manufacturing across levels using the end-use matrix," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 559-572.
    8. Xiaoyue Wang & Shuyao Wu & Shuangcheng Li, 2017. "Urban Metabolism of Three Cities in Jing-Jin-Ji Urban Agglomeration, China: Using the MuSIASEM Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-21, August.
    9. Ginard-Bosch, Francisco Javier & Ramos-Martín, Jesús, 2016. "Energy metabolism of the Balearic Islands (1986–2012)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 25-35.
    10. Andreoni, Valeria, 2020. "The energy metabolism of countries: Energy efficiency and use in the period that followed the global financial crisis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    11. Nathalia Tejedor-Flores & Purificación Vicente-Galindo & Purificación Galindo-Villardón, 2017. "Sustainability Multivariate Analysis of the Energy Consumption of Ecuador Using MuSIASEM and BIPLOT Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-15, June.
    12. Manfroni, Michele & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Pérez-Sánchez, Laura & Bukkens, Sandra G.F. & Giampietro, Mario, 2021. "The profile of time allocation in the metabolic pattern of society: An internal biophysical limit to economic growth," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(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. Raúl Velasco Fernández & Jesus Ramos-Martin & Mario Giampietro, 2013. "The energy metabolism of China and India between 1971-2010: studying the bifurcation," UHE Working papers 2013_02, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Departament d'Economia i Història Econòmica, Unitat d'Història Econòmica.
    2. Borzoni, Matteo, 2011. "Multi-scale integrated assessment of soybean biodiesel in Brazil," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(11), pages 2028-2038, September.
    3. Xiaoyue Wang & Shuyao Wu & Shuangcheng Li, 2017. "Urban Metabolism of Three Cities in Jing-Jin-Ji Urban Agglomeration, China: Using the MuSIASEM Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-21, August.
    4. Andreoni, Valeria, 2020. "The energy metabolism of countries: Energy efficiency and use in the period that followed the global financial crisis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    5. Recalde, Marina & Ramos-Martin, Jesús, 2012. "Going beyond energy intensity to understand the energy metabolism of nations: The case of Argentina," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 122-132.
    6. Pere Ariza-Montobbio & Katharine Farrell & Gonzalo Gamboa & Jesus Ramos-Martin, 2014. "Integrating energy and land-use planning: socio-metabolic profiles along the rural–urban continuum in Catalonia (Spain)," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 925-956, August.
    7. Ginard-Bosch, Francisco Javier & Ramos-Martín, Jesús, 2016. "Energy metabolism of the Balearic Islands (1986–2012)," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 25-35.
    8. Ramos-Martín, Jesús & Cañellas-Boltà, Sílvia & Giampietro, Mario & Gamboa, Gonzalo, 2009. "Catalonia's energy metabolism: Using the MuSIASEM approach at different scales," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(11), pages 4658-4671, November.
    9. Geng, Yong & Liu, Ye & Liu, Dan & Zhao, Hengxin & Xue, Bing, 2011. "Regional societal and ecosystem metabolism analysis in China: A multi-scale integrated analysis of societal metabolism(MSIASM) approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 4799-4808.
    10. Nathalia Tejedor-Flores & Purificación Vicente-Galindo & Purificación Galindo-Villardón, 2017. "Sustainability Multivariate Analysis of the Energy Consumption of Ecuador Using MuSIASEM and BIPLOT Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-15, June.
    11. Nancy Arizpe & Jesus Ramos-Martin & Mario Giampietro, 2012. "An analysis of the metabolic patterns of two rural communities affected by soy expansion in the North of Argentina," UHE Working papers 2012_06, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Departament d'Economia i Història Econòmica, Unitat d'Història Econòmica.
    12. Mayumi, Kozo & Tanikawa, Hiroki, 2012. "Going beyond energy accounting for sustainability: Energy, fund elements and the economic process," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 18-26.
    13. María Jesús Beltrán & Esther Velázquez, 2011. "Del metabolismo social al metabolismo hídrico," Documentos de Trabajo de la Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España 01_2011, Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España.
    14. Pérez-Sánchez, Laura & Giampietro, Mario & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Ripa, Maddalena, 2019. "Characterizing the metabolic pattern of urban systems using MuSIASEM: The case of Barcelona," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 13-22.
    15. Gasparatos, Alexandros & El-Haram, Mohamed & Horner, Malcolm, 2009. "Assessing the sustainability of the UK society using thermodynamic concepts: Part 1," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(5), pages 1074-1081, June.
    16. Rodríguez-Huerta, Edgar & Rosas-Casals, Martí & Sorman, Alevgul H., 2017. "A societal metabolism approach to job creation and renewable energy transitions in Catalonia," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 551-564.
    17. Fix, Blair, 2019. "Human Activity, Energy & Money in the United States: Connecting the Biophysical Economy with its Pecuniary Image," Thesis Commons e74ng, Center for Open Science.
    18. Giampietro, Mario & Mayumi, Kozo & Ramos-Martin, Jesus, 2009. "Multi-scale integrated analysis of societal and ecosystem metabolism (MuSIASEM): Theoretical concepts and basic rationale," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 313-322.
    19. Manfroni, Michele & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Pérez-Sánchez, Laura & Bukkens, Sandra G.F. & Giampietro, Mario, 2021. "The profile of time allocation in the metabolic pattern of society: An internal biophysical limit to economic growth," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    20. Pérez Sánchez, Laura À. & Velasco-Fernández, Raúl & Giampietro, Mario, 2024. "Analyzing the energy metabolism of the automotive industry to study the differences found in this sector across EU countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 296(C).

    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:rensus:v:41:y:2015:i:c:p:1052-1066. 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/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/600126/description#description .

    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.