Decoupling analysis of energy consumption and economic development in China

ABSTRACT

China’s energy consumption structure, which relies heavily on fossil fuels, has, on the one hand, weakened environmental sustainability at the national level, and also intensified the problem of climate change at the global level, on the other hand. It is therefore essential for policy-makers to adopt immediate measures to transfer to a trajectory of sustainable energy development with low carbon emissions. Using a decoupling index that describes the difference between energy consumption and economic development, this paper studied the process of decoupling in each province in China. Results showed that there was a phenomenon of weak decoupling in China as a whole, while North, Northeast, and East China have experienced rapid economic development and improved energy utilization efficiency, leading to a high level of decoupling. Neimenggu (Inner Mongolia) Province experienced both the highest energy consumption and economic growth, while Beijing and Guizhou Province showed the strongest decoupling.

KEYWORDS:

• China
• decoupling
• economic development
• energy consumption
• sustainable development

Acknowledgments

The present work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (71403258 & 71533003). The editors are also appreciated for their valuable suggestions regarding the manuscript.