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Effective regulations of carbon productivity (CP) at the sectoral level offer a practical path to implement cost-effective CO2 reduction measures. To date, few studies on the temporal changes in sectoral CP have identified driving factors that can be regulated through policy interventions. We took Zhejiang Province (P.R. China) as a case study to assess the changes in CP of 41 economic sectors covering primary, secondary and tertiary industries during 2010–2017 and analyze the underlying driving factors of these changes. During the period, 31 sectors increased their CP, 12 of which decreased in energy-related CO2 emissions and increased in economic values and were potentially usable in 'carbon peaking and carbon neutrality' pilots. Meanwhile, 10 sectors reduced their CP, which had priority in the promotion of low-carbon technologies and implementation of transformative policies. We identified that the major contributors to the changes of sectoral CP are the factors involving electricity consumption, projects completed and put into use, water use efficiency, foreign investment and floor space of buildings. Our findings recommended improvement in the infrastructures and institutions of electricity consumption, the efficiency of the procedures for project approval, the utilization of water resources and the low-carbon investment in fixed assets on sectoral level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moving to a low-carbon urban water cycle is a relevant challenge for the water industry. To realise this objective, the first step is to evaluate the carbon performance of water companies. This study proposed and applied a parametric methodology to measure the carbon efficiency and total factor carbon productivity of water companies. This methodological approach allowed us to evaluate how environmental variables influenced carbon performance of water companies. The empirical component was based on a sample of English and Welsh water and sewerage companies and water only companies during the 2010–2019 period. The results showed that the carbon footprint is a relevant issue for water companies, as the average carbon efficiency was 92.5%. However, there is room for improvement, because average total factor carbon productivity decreased over time, by 0.32% per year. Thus, additional technologies and policies should be adopted to improve the carbon performance of water companies and move to a net-zero carbon urban water cycle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]