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China, as the world's largest carbon dioxide emitter, is bound to assume the important responsibility of energy conservation and emission reduction. To this end, each city, led by representative municipalities, must enhance efforts in carbon emission reduction to jointly realize China's low-carbon transition. Taking four representative municipalities, namely, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing as the case cities, this paper establishes a decomposition analysis for the driving factors of carbon emissions by applying the LMDI method covering data from 2007 to 2017. Kaya identity is used to decompose the effects into eight driving factors: GDP effect, industrial structure effect, energy intensity effect, overall energy structure effect, population effect, urbanization effect, per capita energy consumption effect, urban and rural energy structure effect. The results show that at the municipality level, the driving factors that contribute to carbon emissions are the GDP growth effect and the population effect, with the former still being the most important factor in the municipalities with faster economic growth; and industrial structure effect is the most important factor that inhibits carbon emissions, followed by energy structure effect. This paper considers the driving factors of both the production side and the residential consumption side from the city level. The research reveals the main driving factors that effect the carbon emissions of megacities in developing countries, and highlights the leading role of megacities in terms of carbon emission reduction in China and even the world. The paper thereby puts forward policy implications for China's economic policies., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

This study aims to explore the relationships between electricity consumption and per capita GDP, urbanization rate, and the proportion of tertiary industry in China during 2005-2018. The results demonstrate that electricity consumption and its determinants are cointegrated. Then fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and fixed effect with varying coefficients and intercept techniques are used to explore the relationships. The empirical results show that all three factors positively affect electricity consumption, per capita GDP has exerted positive impacts on electricity consumption in the 28 provinces, urbanization rate also contributes a positive influence on electricity consumption in 29 provinces, while the positive effect of the proportion of tertiary industry emerges only in 10 provinces. Meanwhile, the urbanization rate makes the most considerable contribution to electricity consumption, while the proportion of the tertiary industry is the least essential determinant. The panel causality results reveal that per capita GDP and urbanization rate cause electricity consumption in the short run and per capita GDP and electricity consumption Granger cause each other in the long run. Finally, we propose policy implications including enhancing the security and reliability of power supply and optimizing the structure of electricity consumption in different industries in China., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

China is the largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world. Over the past decades, China has made great efforts to retard the carbon emission growth. This paper aims to quantify the driving forces of stagewise provincial carbon emission changes and expound the bottom-up provincial efforts aligned with China's carbon abatement targets. During 2007-2012, economic growth as the major contributing factor posed a great increase in provincial carbon emissions, especially in underdeveloped provinces such as Inner Mongolia, Anhui, Guangxi, Shaanxi, and Ningxia. During 2012-2017, the energy intensity effect replaced economic growth as the largest contributor to provincial carbon emission changes. In both two periods, industrial structure upgrading and renewable energy expansion are conducive to mitigate provincial carbon growth, and the power sector will continue to contribute to national decarbonization. Lastly, this paper provides insight into national and provincial carbon emission abatement.

The developing countries and emerging economies are crucially contributing to global economic development, energy transition, and climate governance. This paper employs panel cointegration technique to investigate the long-run relationship between carbon emissions and five impacting factors (per capita GDP, primary energy consumption, international trade, fossil proportion, and quadratic per capita GDP) in 50 representative developing countries during 1995-2017. The empirical findings confirm the existence of long-run equilibrium, and the regressing coefficients of fully-modified OLS (FMOLS) indicate that (a) impacting features of the inverted U-shaped curve of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory appear in a few countries, such as Mexico, Croatia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Algeria, Indonesia, and Thailand; (b) the energy consumption has statistically positive and significant impacts on boosting the carbon emissions; (c) the negative effect of international trade emerges in the developing nations enjoying trade surpluses; and (d) fossil energy share poses a mixed impact. This paper reveals that the vast and inspiring contribution of developing countries to global carbon emission reduction should attract more international attention and assistance.

China is currently in the process of the middle and late stage of industrialization, and energy-related CO2 emissions have reached 10 Gt. This paper models energy consumption and related CO2 emissions and analyzes the development trends of various driving factors of CO2 emissions, explicitly considering China's economic and social development goals in the medium- and long-term. Different scenarios for 2020–2060 are projected based on the Kaya identity. Energy consumption will peak at 6,200 Mtce in 2035 in the BAU scenario with the energy-related CO2 emissions peaking at 11.1 Gt in 2026–2027 advanced by the rising non-fossil energy share, while energy consumption and CO2 emissions in the accelerated transition scenario would be potentially reduced by 300 Mtce and 300–400 Mt respectively. In the BAU scenario, the net CO2 emissions will remain around 2,000 Mt in 2060, after removing 1,800 Mt by CCS/CCUS, indicating that China needs to enhance its post-2030 policy to deliver the carbon neutrality pledge. Steady energy efficiency improvement, radical industrial and energy restructuring are three key driving forces for carbon neutrality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines the long-run relationship among per capita income, energy consumption, and carbon emissions in China during 1953–2008. We employ the Toda—Yamamoto procedure to test the Granger causality in a vector autoregressive (VAR) model with levels. We find strong evidence of bilateral Granger causality running between income and energy consumption and unilateral Granger causality running from carbon emissions to income. We further provide policy suggestions to address the energy and sustainable development dilemma in China. These include diversifying the energy mix and exploiting renewable energy, enhancing energy efficiency, transforming the economic growth pattern, and reducing the reliance on resource- and energy-intensive industries. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Abstract: China has pledged to reduce its CO2 emissions per unit of GDP by 40–45% by 2020 as of 2005 level. This research examines China''s 2020 carbon intensity target and its interdependence with the overarching national economic and social development goals. The results show that, with annual GDP growth rate at 7% during the 12th Five-Year-Plan (FYP) period and 6% during the 13th FYP period, the 45% CO2 intensity reduction target implies annual CO2 emissions of 8600 million tonnes by 2020, close to 8400 million tonnes, the UNFCCC 450ppm scenario for China. However, achieving only the 40% reduction target will lead to 9380 million tonnes CO2 emissions in 2020 which largely surpass the UNFCCC 450ppm scenario. We conclude that China''s 45% CO2 intensity reduction target is not only within international expectations but also self-consistent with its overall economic and social development strategy. Then primary energy and power planning for implementing the 45% carbon intensity reduction target is proposed. Related investment requirements are also estimated. To achieve the target, China needs to restructure the economic structure for significant improvements in energy conservation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Low carbon electricity is essential for China''s low carbon development. In the paper low carbon electricity is defined as an economy body manages to realize its potential economic growth fueled by less electricity consumption, which can be characterized by indexes of GDP electricity intensity and CO2 emissions per unit electricity generation. IRSP is proposed by Hu to implement power planning on state level in deregulated power sector and is used in the paper to study China''s power planning into 2030. A business-as-usual scenario is projected as baseline for comparison while low carbon electricity development based on IRSP is studied. Results show that, with IRSP, China could save energy by 1.5 billion toes and reduce CO2 emission by 5.7 billion tons, during 2010–2030. Super Smart Grid (SSG) must be constructed as the physical foundation of IRSP. The main components of developing SSG in China are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The long-term anticipation of electricity supply (ELS) and demand has supposed substantial prominence in the elementary investigation to offer sustainable resolutions to electricity matters. In this editorial, an outline of the organization of the electricity segment of Pakistan and analysis of historical supply and demand statistics, an up-to-date position of the contrary set of energy plans is presented. The intention of this analysis is to explore the Granger causality relationship between electricity supply and economic growth (EG) by using a multivariate context with time series statistics covering 1990 to 2015 in Pakistan. Augmented dickey-fuller (ADF) and Philips-Perron (PP) unit root tests indicate that variables are non-stationary and integrated in a similar order (1). Our findings also reveal that variables economic growths (GDP), electricity supply (ELS), investment (INV), and export (EX) are co-integrated. The study also finds the Granger causality runs from EG to ELS deprived of any feedback effect. Therefore, the policy implications from our findings indicate that electricity preservation strategies may be implemented without any economic adverse impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the journal is presented in which the editor discusses international trade, energy consumption and economic development in China.

Exploring multi-goal sustainable development paths is a global concern. To date, little is known about the characteristics of and logic behind the evolution of China's land use policies (LUPs), especially when they are linked to China's governance philosophy of an ecological civilization (EC). An EC is a unique development concept in China that emphasizes human-nature coexistence alongside economic progress. Therefore, we examine the evolutionary process of China's LUPs in the context of an EC. We identify meaningful shifts that have occurred in those policies, as well as reveal the logic behind the changes. Based on staged text mining of 220 national LUPs initiated in China between 1986 and 2021, by disclosing the changes in the number, foci, goals, concepts, measures, and reform methods of LUPs, this paper provides an overview and four-dimensional deconstruction of the country's LUP evolution in the context of an EC. Three major findings emerge from text mining. First, China's LUP has evolved through three stages, with modifications in the number, dominant foci, and themes of the policies across each stage. Second, comprehensive and significant alterations have transpired in the orientation, goals, concepts, measures, and reform approaches of the policies. Third, the transformation in LUP has transpired centering on four dimensions: improving economic efficiency; balancing production, living, and ecology; promoting social equity; and conserving ecology. These four aspects accord with four governance concepts of an EC—efficient development, symbiosis of humans and nature, social harmony, and green development. We also discuss how China's LUP evolution offers a valuable case for exploring sustainable development at a global level. [Display omitted] • Ecological civilization (EC) and land use policies (LUPs) are interactive in China. • Key changes of China's LUP are tracked by text mining. • An overview and deconstruction of China's LUP evolution are provided under an EC. • Four concepts of an EC are matched with four evolutionary benchmarks of LUP. • China's LUP provides a case for exploring multigoal sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]