Provincial Allocation of Energy Consumption, Air Pollutant and CO 2 Emission Quotas in China: Based on a Weighted Environment ZSG-DEA Model

Jiekun Song, Rui Chen and Xiaoping Ma
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Jiekun Song: School of Economics and Management, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, China
Rui Chen: School of Economics and Management, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, China
Xiaoping Ma: School of Economics and Management, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao 266580, China

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-21

Abstract: Air pollutants and CO 2 emissions have a common important source, namely energy consumption. Considering fairness and efficiency, the provincial coordinated allocation of energy consumption, air pollutant emission, and carbon emission (EAC) quotas is of great significance to promote provincial development and achieve national energy conservation and emission reduction targets. A weighted environment zero-sum-gains data envelopment analysis (ZSG-DEA) model is constructed to optimize the efficiency of the initial provincial quotas under the fairness principle, so as to realize the fairness and efficiency of allocation. The empirical analysis in 2020 shows that the optimal allocation scheme proposed in this study is better than the national planning scheme in terms of fairness and efficiency, and the optimal scheme based on the initial allocation of priority order of “capacity to pay egalitarianism > historical egalitarianism > population egalitarianism” is the fairest. The optimal allocation scheme in 2025 can achieve absolute fairness. In this scheme, the pressures of energy conservation and emission reduction undertaken by different provinces vary greatly. The implementation of regional coordinated development strategies can narrow this gap and improve the enforceability of this scheme. Combined with the analysis of energy conservation and emission reduction in seven categories and three major national strategic regions, we put forward corresponding measures to provide decision support for China’s energy conservation and emission reduction.

Keywords: energy consumption; air pollutant emissions; CO 2 emissions; provincial allocation; fairness and efficiency; weighted environmental ZSG-DEA model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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