Uncovering CO 2 Emissions Patterns from China-Oriented International Maritime Transport: Decomposition and Decoupling Analysis

Hualong Yang and Xuefei Ma
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Hualong Yang: Transportation Engineering College, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Xuefei Ma: Transportation Engineering College, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-19

Abstract: Given that most commodity transportation depends on the maritime industry, the growing economy and increasing international trade volume are expected to accelerate the development of shipping activities and thus increase associated CO 2 emissions. In order to identify the driving factors of CO 2 emissions from China’s international shipping and find efficient mitigation strategies, this paper first estimates the CO 2 emissions and presents the CO 2 emissions features from 2000 to 2017. Second, the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method is applied to decompose the changes in CO 2 emissions. Finally, the decoupling index is introduced to quantitatively examine the decoupling relationship between economic growth and CO 2 emissions. The factors affecting the decoupling relationship are analyzed according to the LMDI results. The results indicate that CO 2 emissions in maritime transport activities have experienced rapid growth during the study period. Economic growth appears to be the principal factor driving the CO 2 emissions growth, whereas the overall effects of energy intensity and the commodity structure play a significant role in inhibiting CO 2 emissions. The decoupling state over the study period has experienced four decoupling stages, with a distinct tendency towards weak decoupling. Economic activity has proven to be the most significant indicator influencing the decoupling relationship during the study period.

Keywords: CO 2 emissions; maritime transport sector; LMDI method; decoupling analysis; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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