Estimation of emission reduction potential in China’s industrial sector

(整期优先)网络出版时间:2015-03-13
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Theindustrialsectorisusuallythelargesteconomysectorforcarbonemissionsinmanycountries,whichmadeitthesectorwithgreatestpotentialforcarbonreductionalthoughtheprocessdurationmightbeverylong.StudyingthepotentialofindustrialemissionreductionhasgreatsignificanceinestimatingthecarbonemissionpeakofChinaontheonehand,andadjustingitsstrategyininternationalclimatechangenegotiations.Byemployingtheeconomicaccountingmethod,thisarticleestimatestheemissionreductionpotentialofChina’sIndustrialsectorfortheperiodof2010-2050.Itrevealsthat,taking2030astheyearwhentheemissionreachesthepeak,thetotalreductioncanbe8.38billiontons(bts)fortheperiodof2010-2030,with3.12btsfromstructuralreductionwhile5.26btsfromintensityreduction.Afterwards,reductionwillcontinuewithatotalamountof6.59btsfortheperiodof2030-2050,wherethestructuralreductionaccountsfor2.47bts,andintensityreduction4.115bts.Ifbothindustrialandenergyconsumptionstructuresareimprovedduringtheaboveperiod,thereductionpotentialcanbeevengreater,e.g.theemissionpeakcanarrivefiveyearsearlier(intheyearof2025)andthepeakvaluecandeclinebyabout8%ascomparedtotheoriginalestimation.Reviewingthetrajectoryofemissionchangesindevelopedcountriesindicatesthattheindustrysectorcancontributetotheoverallreductiontargetsthroughthedualwheelsofstructuralreductionandintensityreduction,evenbeyondtheemissionpeak.Thisarticleconcludeswiththefollowingpolicysuggestions.(1)OurestimationontheemissionpeakoftheindustrialsectorsuggeststhatChinashouldavoidanycommitmentearlierthan2030onthetimelineoftheoverallemissionpeak;(2)thegreatpotentialofindustrialemissionreductioncanimprovethesituationofChinainclimatechangenegotiation,wheretheintensityreductioncanserveasanimportantpolicyoption.(3)Reductionpotentialcanbefurtherenhancedthroughtechnologyadv