Identifying the Critical Supply Chains for Black Carbon and CO 2 in the Sichuan Urban Agglomeration of Southwest China

Shuangzhi Li, Xiaoling Zhang (), Zhongci Deng (), Xiaokang Liu, Ruoou Yang and Lihao Yin
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Shuangzhi Li: Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China
Xiaoling Zhang: Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China
Zhongci Deng: College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
Xiaokang Liu: School of Economics and Management, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
Ruoou Yang: Sichuan Meteorological Service Center, Chengdu 610072, China
Lihao Yin: Plateau Atmosphere and Environment Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, School of Atmospheric Sciences, Chengdu University of Information Technology, Chengdu 610225, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 21, 1-19

Abstract: Black carbon (BC) and CO 2 emissions are the two major factors responsible for global climate change and the associated health risks. Quantifying the impact of economic activities in urban agglomerations on BC and CO 2 emissions is essential for finding a balance between climate change mitigation and pollution reduction. In this study, we utilized a city-level environmental extended multi-regional input–output model (EE-MRIO), integrated nexus strength (INS), and structural path analysis (SPA) to quantify the BC and CO 2 footprints, nexus nodes, and supply chains of 21 cities in the Sichuan urban agglomeration (SUA) from 2012 to 2017. The results revealed that approximately 70% of the BC and CO 2 footprints come from inter-city transactions, with Chengdu being the largest importing city, while the supply of other cities was greater than their consumption. The SUA has transitioned from a supply-side city cluster to a consumption-oriented city cluster in its trade with other domestic regions. The SPA analysis highlighted that the construction sector was the largest emitter of downstream BC and CO 2 , while the electricity supply, metal/nonmetallic manufacture, oil refining and coking, transportation, and extraction industry sectors were the main nexus nodes for BC and CO 2 emissions in the SUA. Notably, the reduction in BC emissions was due to decreased indirect emissions from oil refining and coking, while the decrease in CO 2 emissions was a result of reduced indirect emissions from electricity supply. This article presents, for the first time, a quantification of the heterogeneous impacts and emission supply chains of BC and CO 2 emissions from economic activities in the SUA, providing valuable insights for developing climate mitigation policies tailored to different urban clusters.

Keywords: multi-regional input–output; structural path analysis; BC–CO 2 nexus; Sichuan urban agglomeration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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