The Research On The Factors That Influence China’s CO₂

The low carbon economy has become an important intention and objective of thenational economy development, after the Kyoto Protocol, Paris road map and Copenhagen.Low carbon and less emission are not only the important external constraints which facedthe national economy development, but also the external coercive power which influencethe international division strategies. China has begun to make out and implement therelated policies about the low carbon economy development. The current studies on theimpact factors about Chinese carbon emissions are mainly from the aspects of foreigndirect investment, exports and per capita income, however, there is no comprehensivestudy.Based on the basic methods that come from “IPCC Guidelines for NationalGreenhouse Gas Inventories”, this paper calculates the carbon dioxide emissions of29Chinese provinces, and analysis the present situation of the carbon emission. Combinedwith the actual economy development of China and through Kaya identity and STIRPATmodel, this paper concludes six targets as the influence factors of CO₂emission. They areper capita income, the contribution rate of the tertiary industry, trade opening up degree,technological level, the actual utilization of foreign capital, energy intensity which inducedfrom the industrial structure, energy structure, technical level, and foreign trade. Throughthe panel data analysis of29provinces and cities, it is found that the per capita income andthe carbon emission are highly correlated, and the elasticity coefficient is1.042976whichmeans that if the per capita income increased by1percent, the carbon emission willincrease about1.04percent. In the region studies about the eastern, central and westernareas, the variable effects of carbon dioxide emissions have a significant regionaldifferences, the per capita income and the carbon dioxide emissions are respectivelypositive correlated with three regions, the contribution of the tertiary industry and theopening degree of the carbon dioxide emissions are respectively negative correlated witheastern regions, which is same in central and western regions. It presents a positivecorrelation between foreign direct investment and the carbon dioxide emissions of easternand central regions, while it shows a negative correlation with the western region. Thetechnological level and the carbon dioxide emissions are respectively negative correlatedwith three regions. The energy structure and the carbon dioxide of eastern and centralregions are negative related, while with the western regions, it is positive related and the results are obvious.Considering that the indicators for carbon dioxide emissions have regional differences;this study conducts a national and regional analysis combined with the difference onstructure, economic and energy. Also this paper proposes some concrete policyrecommendations from the aspects of energy conservation industry, technology, economy,foreign trade, and energy policy.