Exploring the driving forces of CO2 emission changes in Chinese cities: A production-theoretical decomposition analysis

Analyzing the forces driving CO2 emissions in cities could provide valuable information for carbon reduction policies in China. This study uses an improved production-theoretical decomposition analysis to evaluate the CO2 emissions of 282 cities in China during 2003–2017. The empirical results show...

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Main Authors: Ruili Cao, Zhibo Zhao
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-10-01
Series:Frontiers in Environmental Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1042856/full
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author Ruili Cao
Zhibo Zhao
author_facet Ruili Cao
Zhibo Zhao
author_sort Ruili Cao
collection DOAJ
description Analyzing the forces driving CO2 emissions in cities could provide valuable information for carbon reduction policies in China. This study uses an improved production-theoretical decomposition analysis to evaluate the CO2 emissions of 282 cities in China during 2003–2017. The empirical results show that the scale, energy intensity, and desirable output productivity effects contributed to about 15.03%, 3.64%, and 2.3% growths in CO2 emissions on average, respectively, while the potential CO2 emission and undesirable output productivity effects were responsible for 5.81% and 5.72% reductions in CO2 emissions. By classifying the sample cities and analyzing them further, it was found that the potential CO2 emission effect has a stronger inhibitory impact in resource-based cities. However, the promoting effects of the scale effect is more obvious in non-resource-based cities. From a spatial distribution perspective, the potential CO2 emission effect has a more obvious inhibitory role, and the energy intensity effect is a strong measure for controlling the growth of CO2 emissions in the eastern region. However, the contribution of the scale effect to CO2 emissions is more pronounced in the western region. In addition, we found that the desirable output productivity effects had a suppressive effect in the eastern region and facilitating effects in the central and western regions. The undesirable output productivity effect had a suppressive effect on the growth of CO2 emissions in all three regions, but the suppressive effects were more pronounced in the eastern region.
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spelling doaj.art-a8121fbd25e24d0a8d340955bed8b8532022-12-22T04:08:08ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2022-10-011010.3389/fenvs.2022.10428561042856Exploring the driving forces of CO2 emission changes in Chinese cities: A production-theoretical decomposition analysisRuili Cao0Zhibo Zhao1School of Economics and Management, Taishan University, Taian, ChinaSchool of Finance, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan, ChinaAnalyzing the forces driving CO2 emissions in cities could provide valuable information for carbon reduction policies in China. This study uses an improved production-theoretical decomposition analysis to evaluate the CO2 emissions of 282 cities in China during 2003–2017. The empirical results show that the scale, energy intensity, and desirable output productivity effects contributed to about 15.03%, 3.64%, and 2.3% growths in CO2 emissions on average, respectively, while the potential CO2 emission and undesirable output productivity effects were responsible for 5.81% and 5.72% reductions in CO2 emissions. By classifying the sample cities and analyzing them further, it was found that the potential CO2 emission effect has a stronger inhibitory impact in resource-based cities. However, the promoting effects of the scale effect is more obvious in non-resource-based cities. From a spatial distribution perspective, the potential CO2 emission effect has a more obvious inhibitory role, and the energy intensity effect is a strong measure for controlling the growth of CO2 emissions in the eastern region. However, the contribution of the scale effect to CO2 emissions is more pronounced in the western region. In addition, we found that the desirable output productivity effects had a suppressive effect in the eastern region and facilitating effects in the central and western regions. The undesirable output productivity effect had a suppressive effect on the growth of CO2 emissions in all three regions, but the suppressive effects were more pronounced in the eastern region.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1042856/fullurban CO2 emissionsproduction-theoretical decomposition analysisdriving effectclassificationcity
spellingShingle Ruili Cao
Zhibo Zhao
Exploring the driving forces of CO2 emission changes in Chinese cities: A production-theoretical decomposition analysis
Frontiers in Environmental Science
urban CO2 emissions
production-theoretical decomposition analysis
driving effect
classification
city
title Exploring the driving forces of CO2 emission changes in Chinese cities: A production-theoretical decomposition analysis
title_full Exploring the driving forces of CO2 emission changes in Chinese cities: A production-theoretical decomposition analysis
title_fullStr Exploring the driving forces of CO2 emission changes in Chinese cities: A production-theoretical decomposition analysis
title_full_unstemmed Exploring the driving forces of CO2 emission changes in Chinese cities: A production-theoretical decomposition analysis
title_short Exploring the driving forces of CO2 emission changes in Chinese cities: A production-theoretical decomposition analysis
title_sort exploring the driving forces of co2 emission changes in chinese cities a production theoretical decomposition analysis
topic urban CO2 emissions
production-theoretical decomposition analysis
driving effect
classification
city
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1042856/full
work_keys_str_mv AT ruilicao exploringthedrivingforcesofco2emissionchangesinchinesecitiesaproductiontheoreticaldecompositionanalysis
AT zhibozhao exploringthedrivingforcesofco2emissionchangesinchinesecitiesaproductiontheoreticaldecompositionanalysis