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The socioeconomic drivers of China’s primary PM 2.5 emissions

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Listed:
  • Guan, Dabo
  • Su, Xin
  • Zhang, Qiang
  • Peters, Glen P
  • Lei, Yu
  • He, Kebin
  • Liu, Zhu

Abstract

Primary PM2.5 emissions contributed significantly to poor air quality in China. We present an interdisciplinary study to measure the magnitudes of socioeconomic factors in driving primary PM2.5 emission changes in China between 1997–2010, by using a regional emission inventory as input into an environmentally extended input–output framework and applying structural decomposition analysis. Our results show that China's significant efficiency gains fully offset emissions growth triggered by economic growth and other drivers. Capital formation is the largest final demand category in contributing annual PM2.5 emissions, but the associated emission level is steadily declining. Exports is the only final demand category that drives emission growth between 1997–2010. The production of exports led to emissions of 638 thousand tonnes of PM2.5, half of the EU27 annual total, and six times that of Germany. Embodied emissions in Chinese exports are largely driven by consumption in OECD countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Guan, Dabo & Su, Xin & Zhang, Qiang & Peters, Glen P & Lei, Yu & He, Kebin & Liu, Zhu, 2014. "The socioeconomic drivers of China’s primary PM 2.5 emissions," Scholarly Articles 34253797, Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
  • Handle: RePEc:hrv:hksfac:34253797
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    File URL: http://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/34253797/184101/the_socioeconomic_drivers_of_chinas_pm2.5_emissions.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dabo Guan & David M. Reiner, 2009. "Emissions affected by trade among developing countries," Nature, Nature, vol. 462(7270), pages 159-159, November.
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    2. Li, Jia Shuo & Zhou, H.W. & Meng, Jing & Yang, Q. & Chen, B. & Zhang, Y.Y., 2018. "Carbon emissions and their drivers for a typical urban economy from multiple perspectives: A case analysis for Beijing city," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 226(C), pages 1076-1086.
    3. Duarte, Rosa & Serrano, Ana, 2021. "Environmental analysis of structural and technological change in a context of trade expansion: Lessons from the EU enlargement," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    4. Liu, Li-Jing & Liu, Lan-Cui & Liang, Qiao-Mei, 2023. "Restructuring investment to promote a win–win situation for both the economy and the environment in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    5. Meng, Jing & Zhang, Zengkai & Mi, Zhifu & Anadon, Laura Diaz & Zheng, Heran & Zhang, Bo & Shan, Yuli & Guan, Dabo, 2018. "The role of intermediate trade in the change of carbon flows within China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 303-312.
    6. Nagashima, Fumiya, 2018. "Critical structural paths of residential PM2.5 emissions within the Chinese provinces," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 465-471.
    7. Yang, Siyuan & Chen, Bin & Wakeel, Muhammad & Hayat, Tasawar & Alsaedi, Ahmed & Ahmad, Bashir, 2018. "PM2.5 footprint of household energy consumption," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 227(C), pages 375-383.
    8. Jian-Xin Wu & Ling-Yun He & ZhongXiang Zhang, 2019. "Does China Fall into Poverty-Environment Traps? Evidence from Long-term Income Dynamics and Urban Air Pollution," Working Papers 2019.05, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    9. 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.
    10. Wei Zheng & Patrick Paul Walsh, 2018. "Urbanization, trade openness, and air pollution: a provincial level analysis of China," Working Papers 201818, Geary Institute, University College Dublin.
    11. Yan, Dan & Ren, Xiaohang & Kong, Ying & Ye, Bin & Liao, Zangyi, 2020. "The heterogeneous effects of socioeconomic determinants on PM2.5 concentrations using a two-step panel quantile regression," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    12. Sun, Chen & Song, Junnian & Zhang, Dongqi & Wang, Xiaofan & Yang, Wei & Qi, Zhimin & Chen, Shaoqing, 2023. "Tracing urban carbon footprints differentiating supply chain complexity: A metropolis case," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    13. Chen, Jing & Zhou, Chunshan & Wang, Shaojian & Li, Shijie, 2018. "Impacts of energy consumption structure, energy intensity, economic growth, urbanization on PM2.5 concentrations in countries globally," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 230(C), pages 94-105.
    14. Kuang, Yunming & Lin, Boqiang, 2023. "Unwatched pollution reduction: The effect of natural gas utilization on air quality," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 273(C).
    15. Zhang, Guoxing & Deng, Nana & Mou, Haizhen & Zhang, Zhe George & Chen, Xiaofeng, 2019. "The impact of the policy and behavior of public participation on environmental governance performance: Empirical analysis based on provincial panel data in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 1347-1354.
    16. Shi, Jianglan & Li, Chao & Li, Huajiao, 2022. "Energy consumption in China's ICT sectors: From the embodied energy perspective," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    17. Leying Wu & Zhangqi Zhong & Changxin Liu & Zheng Wang, 2017. "Examining PM 2.5 Emissions Embodied in China’s Supply Chain Using a Multiregional Input-Output Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-15, May.

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