Examining the Factors Influencing Transport Sector CO2 Emissions and Their Efficiency in Central China

The fast development of the transport sector has resulted in high energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in China. Though existing studies are concerned with the factors influencing transport sector CO2 emissions at the national level (or in megacities), little attention has been paid to the comprehensive impact of socio-economic, urban form, and transportation development on transport sector carbon emissions and emissions efficiency in central China. This paper examines the comprehensive impact of the transport sector’s carbon emissions from six provinces in central China, during the period from 2005 to 2016, based on the panel data model. The dynamic change of CO2 emissions efficiency is then analyzed using the Global Malmquist Luenberger Index. The results indicate that, firstly, economic growth, road density, the number of private vehicles, and the number of public vehicles have caused greater CO2 emissions during the study period, while the freight turnover, urbanization level, and urban population density had repressing effects on CO2 emissions. Secondly, an uneven distribution of CO2 emissions and CO2 emissions efficiency was found among different provinces in central China. Thirdly, changes in CO2 emissions efficiency were mainly due to technical changes. Finally, we present some policy suggestions to mitigate transport sector CO2 emissions in central China.

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How to Set the Proper CO2 Reduction Targets for the Provincial Building Sector of China?

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su122410432 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (24) ◽

pp. 10432

Author(s):

Qingwei Shi ◽

Hong Ren ◽

Weiguang Cai ◽

Jingxin Gao

Keyword(s):

Energy Saving ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Emission Reduction ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

National Level ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Energy Structure ◽

Building Sector ◽

Emission Abatement

The improvement of the energy and carbon emission efficiency of activities in the building sector is the key to China’s realization of the Paris Agreement. We can explore effective emission abatement approaches for the building sector by evaluating the carbon emissions and energy efficiency of construction activities, measuring the emission abatement potential of construction activities across the country and regions, and measuring the marginal abatement cost (MAC) of China and various regions. This study calculates the energy and carbon emissions performance of the building sector of 30 provinces and regions in China from 2005 to 2015, measures the dynamic changes in the energy-saving potential and carbon emission performance of the building sector, conducts relevant verification, and estimates the MAC of the building sector by using the slacks-based measure-directional distance function. The level of energy consumption per unit of the building sector of China has been decreasing yearly, but the energy structure has changed minimally (considering that clean energy is used). The total factor technical efficiency of the building sector of various provinces, cities, and regions is generally low, as verified in the evaluation of the energy-saving and emission abatement potential of the building sector of China. The energy saving and emission abatement of the building sector of China have great potential—that is, in approximately 50% of the total emissions of the building sector of China. In particular, Northeast and North China account for more than 50% of the total energy-saving and emission abatement potential. The study of the CO2 emissions and MAC of the building sector indicates that the larger the CO2 emissions are, the smaller MAC will be. The emission abatement efficiency is proportional to MAC. Based on this research, it can be more equitable and effective in formulating provincial emission reduction policy targets at the national level, and can maximize the contribution of the building sector of various provinces to the national carbon emission reduction.

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Decomposition analysis of the decoupling process between economic growth and carbon emission in Beijing city, China: A sectoral perspective

Energy & Environment ◽

10.1177/0958305x19882402 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 31 (6) ◽

pp. 961-982 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Min Su ◽

Shasha Wang ◽

Rongrong Li ◽

Ningning Guo

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Carbon Emission ◽

National Level ◽

Decomposition Analysis ◽

Transport Sector ◽

Beijing City ◽

Emission Mitigation ◽

Economic Output ◽

Industrial Sectors

Cities play a major role in decoupling economic growth from carbon emission for their significant role in climate change mitigation from national level. This paper selects Beijing (economic center and leader of emission reduction in China) as a case to examine the decoupling process during the period 2000–2015 through a sectoral decomposition analysis. This paper proposes the decoupling of carbon emission from economic growth or sectoral output by defining the Tapio decoupling elasticity, and combined the decoupling elasticity with decomposition technique such as Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index approach. The results indicate that agriculture and industrial sectors presented strong decoupling state, and weak decoupling is detected in construction and other industrial sectors. Meanwhile, transport sector is in expansive negative decoupling while trade industry shows expansive coupling during the study period. Per-capita gross domestic product, industrial structure, and energy intensity are the most significant effects influencing the decoupling process. Agriculture and industry are conducive to decoupling of carbon emissions from economic output, while transport and trade are detrimental to the realization of strong decoupling target between 2000 and 2015. However, construction and other industrial sectors exerted relatively little minor impact on the whole decoupling process. Improving and promoting energy-saving technologies in transport sector and trade sector should be the key strategy adjustments for Beijing to reduce carbon emissions in the future. The study aims to provide effective policy adjustments for policy makers to accelerate the decoupling process in Beijing, which, furthermore, can lay a theoretical foundation for other cities to develop carbon emission mitigation polices more efficiently.

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Reductions in CO2 Emissions from Passenger Cars under Demography and Technology Scenarios in Japan by 2050

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12176919 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (17) ◽

pp. 6919 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Masanobu Kii

Keyword(s):

Co2 Emissions ◽

Automobile Industry ◽

Demand Management ◽

National Level ◽

Ghg Emissions ◽

Transport Sector ◽

Passenger Cars ◽

Emissions Reductions ◽

The Impact

Climate policy requires substantial reductions in long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, including in the transportation sector. As passenger cars are one of the dominant CO2 emitters in the transport sector, governments and the automobile industry have implemented various countermeasures, including decarbonization of fuels, more energy efficient vehicles, and transport demand management. However, the total impact of these measures in the long term remains unclear. This study aims to clarify the CO2 emissions reductions from passenger cars by 2050 in 1727 municipalities in Japan under a declining population. To estimate CO2 emissions, we model travel behavior and traffic situations reflecting the regional conditions of the municipalities, including population density and accessibility to public transport for the base year 2010. Assuming plausible scenarios for future populations and automobile technologies, we estimate CO2 emissions from passenger cars. We estimate that CO2 emissions will decline by 64–70% between 2010 and 2050, with automobile technologies playing the largest role. We find that the impact of urban compaction is marginal at the national level but varies by municipality. These results imply that, given regional variations, all countermeasures, including technology and demand management, must be used to achieve the long-term target of CO2 emissions reductions.

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Impact of Express Delivery Industry’s Development on Transportation Sector’s Carbon Emissions: An Empirical Analysis from China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13168908 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 8908

Author(s):

Chang Zhao ◽

Boya Zhou

Keyword(s):

Co2 Emissions ◽

Central Region ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

National Level ◽

Regional Heterogeneity ◽

Comprehensive Development ◽

Postal Workers ◽

Per Capita ◽

The Impact ◽

Express Delivery

In recent years, China’s express delivery industry has developed rapidly. According to a rough estimate in this paper, carbon emissions caused by express parcel transportation in China account for 1/7 of the transportation sector’s carbon emissions. However, considering the possibility of a scale effect, it is unclear whether the express delivery industry’s development will inevitably lead to more carbon emissions. Therefore, this paper uses the panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2008 to 2017 to explore the complex relationship between the express delivery industry’s development and the transportation sector’s carbon emissions, and also conducts regional heterogeneity analysis. The main findings are as follows: (1) There is a significant U-shaped relationship between per capita express delivery amounts and the transportation sector’s CO2 emissions, especially in the Central region. (2) At the national level, the number of per capita postal outlets significantly promotes the transportation sector’s CO2 emissions. (3) The impact caused by the number of per capita postal workers varies regionally. Increasing postal worker numbers in the Western region can significantly reduce carbon emissions, while the result in the Central region is the opposite. (4) The Express Comprehensive Development Index (ECDI) has a significant U-shaped effect on the transportation sector’s carbon emissions at the national and sub-regional level.

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Clarifying the Relationship Among Green Investment, Clean Energy Consumption, Carbon Emissions, and Economic Growth: A Provincial Panel Analysis of China

10.21203/rs.3.rs-523905/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yuanyuan Wan ◽

Ni Sheng

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Positive Impact ◽

National Level ◽

Clean Energy ◽

Simultaneous Equation ◽

Green Investment

Abstract Green investment considers energy conservation and environmental protection as its main goals. Few studies based on simultaneous equation models have evaluated the relationships between green investment, clean energy consumption, carbon emissions, and economic growth. We use panel data from 30 provinces and cities in China from 2003 to 2017 to establish a simultaneous equation model that can evaluate these crucial relationships. At the national level, green investment has a significantly positive impact on clean energy consumption and economic growth; however, it has no significant effect on carbon dioxide emissions. Moreover, there is a U-shaped relationship between economic growth and clean energy consumption, as well as economic growth and CO2 emissions. When the per capita GDP is greater than 105735.92 (RMB), the use of clean energy will increase and CO2 emissions will decrease, thereby benefitting the environment and economy. Additionally, the impacts of green investment on clean energy differ in China’s eastern, central, and western regions, and the non-linear relationships between economic growth and clean energy consumption in these regions also differ. Based on these findings, countermeasures and suggestions are proposed to spur development within different regions.

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Investigating the Factors Influencing the Decoupling of Transport-Related Carbon Emissions from Turnover Volume in China

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10093034 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (9) ◽

pp. 3034 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Xue-ting Jiang ◽

Min Su ◽

Rongrong Li

Keyword(s):

Co2 Emissions ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Co2 Emission ◽

Smart Growth ◽

Environmental Research ◽

Transport Sector ◽

Transport Mode ◽

Technology Innovations ◽

Dramatic Rise ◽

Decoupling Analysis

With the boom of vehicles, especially the dramatic rise of private car ownership, in China, transport CO2 emission in China has surged. However, China has been taking the responsibility to cut down carbon emissions and to make positive efforts towards technology innovations in the transport sector. Breaking the link between transport carbon emissions and transport turnover capacity for the past decades should be analyzed. The paper tested the decoupling degree and ranked its potential determinants for every transport mode in consideration of specific transport mode characteristics. We extended the original Kaya identity to make the factor analysis more pertinent to the analysis of transport-related CO2 emissions. Besides, we combined the decomposition technique with decoupling analysis, decomposing the transport decoupling index into five distinct aspects to detect the key drivers of the decoupling of transport-related CO2 emissions from transport turnover volume. Moreover, we analyzed the relationship between transport-related CO2 emission and transport output, which also offers a novel perspective on transport and corresponding environmental research. The results uncovered that a weak decoupling state appeared between 1990–1995 and 2000–2010 in China’s transport sector. Transport energy efficiency exerted the most significant impact in accelerating the decoupling of transport-related CO2 emissions from turnover volume for all transport modes while the energy mix effect impeded the decoupling evolution in most observed periods. Railway transport turnover and rail locomotives shared rises boosted by decoupling evolution, while vehicular transport showed adverse effects. The rise of the transport facilities’ shares of railways, waterways, and airways also advanced the decoupling evolution. Hence, policies of switching travel modes and establishing a “smart growth” pattern for private vehicles should be considered.

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Modeling Future Energy Demand and CO2 Emissions of Passenger Cars in Indonesia at the Provincial Level

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12163168 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (16) ◽

pp. 3168 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Erahman ◽

Reyseliani ◽

Purwanto ◽

Sudibandriyo

Keyword(s):

Co2 Emissions ◽

Energy Demand ◽

Road Transport ◽

High Energy ◽

Transport Sector ◽

Passenger Cars ◽

The Road ◽

Central Java ◽

Energy Demands ◽

Business As Usual

The high energy demand and CO2 emissions in the road transport sector in Indonesia are mainly caused by the use of passenger cars. This situation is predicted to continue due to the increase in car ownership. Scenarios are arranged to examine the potential reductions in energy demand and CO2 emissions in comparison with the business as usual (BAU) condition between 2016 and 2050 by controlling car intensity (fuel economy) and activity (vehicle-km). The intensity is controlled through the introduction of new car technologies, while the activity is controlled through the enactment of fuel taxes. This study aims to analyze the energy demand and CO2 emissions of passenger cars in Indonesia not only for a period in the past (2010–2015) but also based on projections through to 2050, by employing a provincially disaggregated bottom-up model. The provincially disaggregated model shows more accurate estimations for passenger car energy demands. The results suggest that energy demand and CO2 emissions in 2050 will be 50 million liter gasoline equivalent (LGE) and 110 million tons of CO2, respectively. The five provinces with the highest CO2 emissions in 2050 are projected to be West Java, Banten, East Java, Central Java, and South Sulawesi. The projected analysis for 2050 shows that new car technology and fuel tax scenarios can reduce energy demand from the BAU condition by 7.72% and 3.18% and CO2 emissions by 15.96% and 3.18%, respectively.

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Economic Development, CO2 Emissions and Energy Use Nexus-Evidence from the Danube Region Countries

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14113165 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (11) ◽

pp. 3165

Author(s):

Eva Litavcová ◽

Jana Chovancová

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Bounds Testing ◽

Mutual Cooperation ◽

Long Run ◽

Short Run ◽

Danube Region ◽

The Impact

The aim of this study is to examine the empirical cointegration, long-run and short-run dynamics and causal relationships between carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in 14 Danube region countries over the period of 1990–2019. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing methodology was applied for each of the examined variables as a dependent variable. Limited by the length of the time series, we excluded two countries from the analysis and obtained valid results for the others for 26 of 36 ARDL models. The ARDL bounds reliably confirmed long-run cointegration between carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in Austria, Czechia, Slovakia, and Slovenia. Economic growth and energy consumption have a significant impact on carbon emissions in the long-run in all of these four countries; in the short-run, the impact of economic growth is significant in Austria. Likewise, when examining cointegration between energy consumption, carbon emissions, and economic growth in the short-run, a significant contribution of CO2 emissions on energy consumptions for seven countries was found as a result of nine valid models. The results contribute to the information base essential for making responsible and informed decisions by policymakers and other stakeholders in individual countries. Moreover, they can serve as a platform for mutual cooperation and cohesion among countries in this region.

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Measuring Dynamic Changes in the Spatial Pattern and Connectivity of Surface Waters Based on Landscape and Graph Metrics: A Case Study of Henan Province in Central China

Land ◽

10.3390/land10050471 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 471

Author(s):

Bo Mu ◽

Guohang Tian ◽

Gengyu Xin ◽

Miao Hu ◽

Panpan Yang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Water ◽

Nearest Neighbor ◽

Dynamic Change ◽

Henan Province ◽

Central China ◽

Node Degree ◽

Human Society ◽

Stepping Stones ◽

Dynamic Changes ◽

Graph Metrics

An understanding of the scientific layout of surface water space is crucial for the sustainable development of human society and the ecological environment. The objective of this study was to use land-use/land-cover data to identify the spatiotemporal dynamic change processes and the influencing factors over the past three decades in Henan Province, central China. Multidisciplinary theories (landscape ecology and graph theory) and methods (GIS spatial analysis and SPSS correlation analysis) were used to quantify the dynamic changes in surface water pattern and connectivity. Our results revealed that the water area decreased significantly during the periods of 1990–2000 and 2010–2018 due to a decrease in tidal flats and linear waters, but increased significantly in 2000–2010 due to an increase in patchy waters. Human construction activities, socioeconomic development and topography were the key factors driving the dynamics of water pattern and connectivity. The use of graph metrics (node degree, betweenness centrality, and delta probability of connectivity) in combination with landscape metrics (Euclidean nearest-neighbor distance) can help establish the parameters of threshold distance between connected habitats, identify hubs and stepping stones, and determine the relatively important water patches that require priority protection or development.

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Future Power Train Solutions for Long-Haul Trucks

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13042225 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 2225

Author(s):

Ralf Peters ◽

Janos Lucian Breuer ◽

Maximilian Decker ◽

Thomas Grube ◽

Martin Robinius ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fuel Cells ◽

Co2 Emissions ◽

Value Chain ◽

Large Scale ◽

New Technology ◽

Co2 Reduction ◽

Road Transport ◽

Transport Sector ◽

Long Distance ◽

Production Of Hydrogen

Achieving the CO2 reduction targets for 2050 requires extensive measures being undertaken in all sectors. In contrast to energy generation, the transport sector has not yet been able to achieve a substantive reduction in CO2 emissions. Measures for the ever more pressing reduction in CO2 emissions from transportation include the increased use of electric vehicles powered by batteries or fuel cells. The use of fuel cells requires the production of hydrogen and the establishment of a corresponding hydrogen production system and associated infrastructure. Synthetic fuels made using carbon dioxide and sustainably-produced hydrogen can be used in the existing infrastructure and will reach the extant vehicle fleet in the medium term. All three options require a major expansion of the generation capacities for renewable electricity. Moreover, various options for road freight transport with light duty vehicles (LDVs) and heavy duty vehicles (HDVs) are analyzed and compared. In addition to efficiency throughout the entire value chain, well-to-wheel efficiency and also other aspects play an important role in this comparison. These include: (a) the possibility of large-scale energy storage in the sense of so-called ‘sector coupling’, which is offered only by hydrogen and synthetic energy sources; (b) the use of the existing fueling station infrastructure and the applicability of the new technology on the existing fleet; (c) fulfilling the power and range requirements of the long-distance road transport.

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