Gasoline to Diesel Consumption Ratio: A New Socioeconomic Indicator of Carbon Dioxide Emissions in China

Zhe Li, Renjin Sun, Manman Qin and Dongou Hu
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Zhe Li: School of Economics and Management, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Renjin Sun: School of Economics and Management, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Manman Qin: School of Economics and Management, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China
Dongou Hu: School of Economics and Management, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, Beijing 102249, China

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 14, 1-14

Abstract: In recent years, gross domestic product (GDP) has grown rapidly in China, but the growth rate of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions has begun to decline. Some scholars have put forward the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for CO 2 emissions in China. This paper utilized the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 1997 to 2016 to verify the EKC hypothesis. To explore the real reasons behind the EKC, the index gasoline to diesel consumption ratio ( GDCR ) was introduced in this paper. The regression results showed that CO 2 emissions and GDP form an inverted U-shaped curve. This means that the EKC hypothesis holds. The regression results also showed that a 1% GDCR increase was coupled with a 0.118186% or 0.114056% CO 2 emission decrease with the panel fully modified ordinary least squares or panel dynamic ordinary least squares method, respectively. This means that CO 2 emissions negatively correlate with GDCR . From the discussion of this paper, the growth rate reduction of CO 2 emissions is caused by the economic transition in China. As changes of GDCR can, from a special perspective, reflect the economic transition, and as GDCR is negatively correlated with CO 2 emissions, GDCR can sometimes be used as a new socioeconomic indicator of carbon dioxide emissions in China.

Keywords: environmental Kuznets curve; carbon dioxide emissions; gasoline to diesel consumption ratio; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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