Factors Affecting Transportation Sector CO 2 Emissions Growth in China: An LMDI Decomposition Analysis

Yi Liang, Dongxiao Niu, Haichao Wang and Yan Li
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Yi Liang: School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Dongxiao Niu: School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Haichao Wang: School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China
Yan Li: School of Economics and Management, North China Electric Power University, Beijing 102206, China

Sustainability, 2017, vol. 9, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: China has now become the largest country in carbon emissions all over the world. Furthermore, with transportation accounting for an increasing proportion of CO 2 emissions year by year, the transportation sector has turned out to be one of the main sectors which possesses a high growth speed in CO 2 emissions. To accurately analyze potentially influencing factors which accelerate the process of CO 2 emissions of transportation sector in China, based on carbon accounting by the checklists method of Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC), in this paper, we propose a decomposition model using Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) decomposition analysis technology and modified fixed growth rate method. Then effects of six influencing factors including energy structure, energy efficiency, transport form, transportation development, economic development and population size from 2001 to 2014 were quantitatively analyzed. Consequently, the results indicate that: (1) economic development accounts most for driving CO 2 emissions growth of the transportation sector, while energy efficiency accounts most for suppressing CO 2 emissions growth; (2) the pulling effects of natural gas, electricity and other clean energy consumption on CO 2 emissions growth offset the inhibitory effects of traditional fossil fuels, making energy structure play a significant role in promoting CO 2 emissions growth; (3) the inhibitory effects of railways and highways lead to inhibitory effects of transport form on CO 2 emissions growth; (4) transportation development plays an obvious role in promoting CO 2 emissions, while the effects of population size is relatively weaker compared with those of transportation development. Furthermore, the decomposition model of CO 2 emissions factors in transport industry constructed in this paper can also be applied to other countries so as to provide guidance and reference for CO 2 emissions analysis of transportation industry.

Keywords: CO 2 emissions of transportation sector; CO 2 emission accounting; the checklists method of IPCC; decomposition analysis; LMDI; modified fixed growth rate method (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

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