Wang, Y., Hang, Y., Jeong, S.*, & Wang, Q. (2023). Intersectoral transfers and drivers of net CO2 emissions in China incorporating sources and sinks. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 195, 122758. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122758

Abstract:

For China to achieve carbon neutrality, the intersectoral transfers and drivers of net CO2 emissions (NCE) must be thoroughly and accurately investigated. However, it appears that no research has been conducted on NCE from a sectoral perspective. Therefore, this study accounts for the NCE in 24 sectors, including the household sector. Then, an improved environmental semi-closed input–output analysis (ESIOA) method is proposed to integrate CO2 sources and CO2 sinks into a unified analytical framework, which provides an effective tool for direct research on NCE. Using the improved ESIOA method, this study investigates the intersectoral transfers and underlying drivers of NCE in China from 2010 to 2018. The results would serve as a targeted reference for the carbon neutrality path. The results reveal that NCE increased by 28.76 % during this period, with the embodied NCE concentrated in the manufacturing and construction sectors. Intermediate uses, rather than final demand, are responsible for most embodied NCE. The two paths associated with the construction sector were important production chains for the reduction in NCE. The expansion of final demand was the key driver of the increase in NCE, while technological progress played an important role in the decrease in NCE.