Changes and Driving Forces of Indirect CO2 Emissions from Household Consumption in China—Based on an International Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Controlling carbon dioxide (CO ) emissions has been an important measure to mitigate global climate change, and the study of household consumption and related environmental impacts has become a hot topic in the field of sustainable development research in recent years. Taking 2000–2014 as the research period, this paper studies the indirect CO emissions of household consumption in China by using the MRIO model and uses SDA to analyze the driving factors of indirect CO emissions of household consumption in China. The results show that: (1) During the study period, the indirect CO emissions caused by household consumption in China showed an increasing trend, with the total household amount increasing by 1.9 times, and the per capita CO emissions increasing by 1.76 times. (2) The CO emissions from household consumption in China are concentrated mainly in Commercial and Public Services (CPS), Electricity, Gas, Steam and Air Conditioning Supply (EGSA), and Manufacture of Food and Tobacco (MFT), which accounted for 26.63%, 17.69% and 13.52%, respectively, of the total emissions in 2014. (3) China has been in the position of net outflow of indirect CO emissions from household consumption. (4) The growth of per capita household consumption is the main factor promoting the growth of indirect CO emissions from household consumption in China, and the reduction of carbon intensity in various countries is the main factor in restraining the indirect CO emissions caused by household consumption in China. This study shows that indirect CO emissions from household consumption in China are likely to rise, and the government should not only improve the level of household consumption continuously but also actively adjust the industrial structure and optimize the consumption structure to alleviate CO2 emissions effectively.