Decomposing the decoupling indicator between the economic growth and energy consumption in China

The decoupling theory is an appropriate tool to study the relationship between economic growth and energy consumption (or environment pollution). But the underlying causes of the states of decoupling are difficult to find. Based on the Log–Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) theory, this paper provides a new way to find the nature of the factors governing the changes in the state of decoupling between the economic growth and energy consumption in China. Our results show that only four states of decoupling occurred during the period 1991–2012: weak decoupling, expansive coupling, expansive negative decoupling, and strong decoupling. The economic activity effect made a negative impact on the decoupling in the study period. The energy intensity effect played a positive role in the development of decoupling except in 2003, 2004, and 2008. The economic structure effect only played a positive role in the development of decoupling in several years. However, the energy structure effect plays a relative small role in the development of decoupling.

[1]  Wenwen Wang,et al.  Decoupling analysis of electricity consumption from economic growth in China , 2017 .

[2]  Hongyuan Yin,et al.  Using LMDI to analyze the decoupling of carbon dioxide emissions by China's manufacturing industry , 2014 .

[3]  Á. Pardo,et al.  Decoupling factors on the energy–output linkage: The Spanish case , 2007 .

[4]  D. Stern,et al.  China's Changing Energy Intensity Trend: A Decomposition Analysis , 2008 .

[5]  Danae Diakoulaki,et al.  Decomposition analysis for assessing the progress in decoupling industrial growth from CO2 emissions in the EU manufacturing sector , 2007 .

[6]  Yadong Ning,et al.  Changes in industrial electricity consumption in china from 1998 to 2007 , 2010 .

[7]  P. Tapio.  Towards the theory of decoupling : Degrees of decoupling in the EU and the case of road traffic in Finland between 1970 and 2001 , 2022 .

[8]  Shinji Kaneko,et al.  Decomposing the decoupling of CO2 emissions and economic growth in Brazil , 2011 .

[9]  Ming Zhang,et al.  Decomposing the decoupling of energy-related CO2 emissions and economic growth in Jiangsu Province , 2013 .

[10]  Wenwen Wang,et al.  Decouple indicators on the CO2 emission-economic growth linkage: The Jiangsu Province case , 2013 .

[11]  Lars J Nilsson,et al.  Energy intensity trends in 31 industrial and developing countries 1950–1988 , 1993 .

[12]  Clark W. Bullard,et al.  On decoupling energy and GNP growth , 1976 .

[13]  Kostas Bithas,et al.  Re-estimating the decoupling effect: Is there an actual transition towards a less energy-intensive economy? , 2013 .

[14]  K. Bi,et al.  Decoupling indicators of CO2 emissions from the tourism industry in China: 1990–2012 , 2014 .

[15]  Claudia Sheinbaum-Pardo,et al.  Decomposition of energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Mexican manufacturing industries: Trends between 1990 and 2008 , 2012 .

[16]  Yue-Jun Zhang,et al.  The decomposition of energy-related carbon emission and its decoupling with economic growth in China , 2015 .

[17]  B. W. Ang,et al.  Decomposition of Aggregate Energy and Gas Emission Intensities for Industry: A Refined Divisia Index Method , 1997 .

[18]  ZhongXiang Zhang,et al.  Decoupling China’s Carbon Emissions Increase from Economic Growth: An Economic Analysis and Policy Implications , 2000 .

[19]  B. W. Ang,et al.  Decomposition analysis for policymaking in energy:: which is the preferred method? , 2004 .

[20]  ZhongXiang Zhang,et al.  Sustainable growth and resource productivity : economic and global policy issues , 2009 .