A Study On Sino-U.S. Climate Change And Energy Corperation In The Era Of Low Carbon Economy

Climate change has become a hot issue of the world. Since the industrial revolution, human using lots of fossil fuels led to a sharp increase of emissions of greenhouse gases and caused warming of the globe. Global warming caused a lot of extreme natural events such as floods, droughts, sea level rise and the reduction of biodiversity, which are changing the global ecological system and threatening life and development of people. Development of low carbon economy and new energy can mitigate global warming. China and the United States, as the world's largest consumers of energy and the largest emitters of greenhouse gases, have become the focus of the world. The two countries also face enormous pressure on greenhouse gas mitigation. On one hand, the two countries need to cooperate to reduce climate change and to ensure energy security, on the other hand, the climate change and energy of the cooperation Sino-U.S. can reduce the nective effects of global climate change by a lots of emission of greenhouse gas and reach agreement of global climate change. This will contribute economic development and energy security and stability of China and the United States and build the solid relation of Sino-US and to deal with the strategic challenges of the two countries in the twenty-first century. The dissertation composes of six chapters.The Chapter 1 introduces the research background and the research significance, the domestic and overseas research progress in this area, the research content, the research method and the research innovation.The Chapter 2 discusses the major theories and principles of Sino-U.S. climate change and energy cooperation in the era of low carbon economy. As a global important issue, climate change relates to reducing of greenhouse gas emission which connects the public goods. Greenhouse gas has properties of public goods which involves the "the tragedy of the commons" problem. This article analyzes climate change "tragedy of the commons" by use of models of greenhouse gas emission, and then conclude that if countries should cooperate to overcome the "tragedy of the commons", greenhouse gas emissions need to internalize the externality theory economics so that the public goods propertie of greenhouse gas emissions achieves the internalization which thereby reduces the over-use public goods properties of greenhouse gas emissions. Cooperation in Sino-U.S. climate change and energy is intertwined with the interests and disputes of game of both parties. On the basis of game theory models, the dissertation leads the game analysis of the funds and technical support and the carbon tariff which the Uinted Stated will impose which involved in the Sino-US energy cooperation and climate change. The conclusion of game analysis is that the United States should be support technical and financial to the development countries such as China so that these countries will participate to reduce the global greenhouse gas emissions. Sino-US game about the United States plans to impose carbon tariffs depends on the effect of carbon tariffs on the development China's economy and the bargaining ability of both sides. As Countries at different stages of economic development result in vary of carbon emissions considerably, Kuznets curve of carbon emissions well explains the relation between economic development stage and carbon emissions of the United States and China. Because China and the United States were at different stages of EKC carbon emissions, commitments carbon emission reduction of both sides should be different. Being crossed the per-capita carbon emissions of EKC, the United States should reduce total and per capita carbon emissions. Only being crossed carbon emissions intensity stage, China can not afford to reduce the amount of carbon emissions, but may reduce the relative amount namely per GDP carbon emissions. The cooperation of climate change and energy between China and the United States should adhere to principles of sustainable development, of "common but differentiated responsibilities" and of equitable sharing of carbon emissions.The Chapter 3 discusses the situation of Sino-US cooperation on climate and energy. The climate change has caused serious adverse effects in the world and in the United States and in China. Facing these adverse effects, both countries of China and the United States need to develop low carbon economy in order to overcome the challenges of climate change and energy security. Both countries have developed plans and regulations, etc. of low-carbon economy which provide the foundation for the Sino-U.S. climate change and energy cooperation. Therefore, China and the United States developed a series of bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the fields of climate change and energy. Especially in 2009, intensive diplomatic climate and energy has been conducted between the two countries which laid the foundation for deepening cooperation of climate change and energy.The Chapter 4 analyzes the differences and conflicts on climate change and energy cooperation in Sino-U.S. especially on climate change. China and the United State have the distrust of each other in the long time. The two countries mainly have many differences and conflicts on absolution or relative amount of reducing carbon emissions of China's, on the technology and financial support and which link to the measurable, reportable and verifiable, on the" common but differentiated responsibilities " priciples and on the United States intending to impose carbon tariffs, etc.The Chapter 5 further empirical analyzes the CO2 embodiment in exports of China to the United States and other countries based on the differences. With climate change being a global important issue, embodied carbon emissions is more and more paying close attention in academia in recent years. In this dissertation, we focus on using input-output and empirical analyze the embodied carbon in export of China to America.The conclusion is that China, as one of "world factory", with the rapid development of foreign trade in recent years, has a large number of export products, as well as exporting a lot of embodied carbon emissions which led in surplus of the merchandise trade, but deficit in embodied carbon emissions. These embodied carbon consumed a lot of energy and emitted large amount of CO2 of China which are all attached to the export pruducts and corresponding services, but eventually sold to the Uinted States and other foreign countries. The consumers in America and in other developed countries use a lot of energy and carbon emissions which are currently counted into the statistics of China. Therefore, in the open economy, the statistical system of embodied carbon based on producting should be adjusted in new period.The Chapter 6 analyses the reasons of carbon emissions rising rapid on China's participation the Sino-US cooperation on climate change and energy then puts forward measures to be taken by China. In the end, in era of low carbon economy, the Sino-U.S. cooperation in climate change and energy is the trend so that the climate change and energy cooperation between China and the United States should be further strengthened.The dissertation has a systematic analysis on current hot issues of the climate change and energy cooperation and the differences between China and the United States in era of low carbon economy. We can see that low carbon economy can achieve a dual purpose on climate change and energy security. China and the U.S., as large countries of fossil energy consumers and producers, have a huge responsibility to deal with climate change and energy cooperation in order to reduce global warming. The cooperation of the two countries in climate and energy is not only necessary but can achieve mutually beneficial complement to each other. Of course, we should also see that development of low-carbon economy involves in national interests within the various adjustments between the two countries, which determines the two countries in process of cooperation of climate and energy will inevitably full of contradictions, differences and conflicts. When the two countries have disagreements and conflicts, they need to strengthen communication and understanding with each other to take care of each other's core interests and seek common ground to protect the overall situation from Sino-US economic and trade relations in accordance with the "common but differentiated principle" of "United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change" to reduce differences and contradictions. The two countries should not easily engage in trade retaliation and resort trade protectionism. With the development of economic globalization, economic and trade relations in Sino-US have developed into the world's most important and most complex bilateral relations which the two countries benefits both win, fighting both sides will suffer.