An Analysis of China's Carbon Dioxide Mitigation Target

Bo Xu, Qie Sun, Ronald Wennersten and Nils Brandt

Sustainable Development, 2014, vol. 22, issue 2, 113-121

Abstract: ABSTRACT The Chinese government has announced a national mitigation target towards sustainable development of reducing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions per unit GDP (CO 2 /GDP) by 40–45% by 2020 compared with the 2005 level. This paper analyses China's CO 2 strategic mitigation target and suggests possible ways to reduce CO 2 /GDP. The mitigation target of reducing CO 2 intensity in terms of GDP is ambitious and would greatly reduce CO 2 emissions compared with business as usual (BAU) in China. However, it would not prevent an increase in absolute CO 2 emissions and therefore a more ambitious target, e.g. a larger reduction goal for CO 2 /GDP, is still needed. Promoting energy structure by more ambitious economic instruments to increase the proportion of renewable energy and replace coal consumption with oil and gas, and improving energy efficiency by applied advanced technologies, are both necessary measures. Special attention should be given to improving technologies in the manufacturing sector owing to its high energy consumption and low energy use efficiency. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.

Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:22:y:2014:i:2:p:113-121

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