Analysis of Guangdong carbon emissions from energy consumption and the driving factors of its intensity change

Based on the provincial energy statistics and the rules of greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting, the CO2 emissions and its carbon intensity change from energy consumption in Guangdong Province in the period of 2005 to 2012 were analyzed in this study. Using the method of Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index, the driving factors that were behind the intensity change were investigated, which included the sectoral energy intensity, industrial structure, energy consumption structure and carbon emission co-efficients. Results showed that Guangdong's CO2 emissions from the energy use increased by 6.3% annually, while the carbon intensity (by unit GDP) decreased 27% during the period. The CO2 intensity decrease should be attributed mainly to the declining of the energy consumption intensity across the industrial sectors. Other factors that contributed to the CO2 intensity reduction included the drop of the carbon content of the net imported electricity and the increased share of the petroleum consumption that was used as raw material. Other factors such as the industrial structure and the energy structure, were developed in a direction that lifts the CO2 intensity of the province, while the factor of the household energy consumption contributed the opposite, with a growth rate lower than that of the GDP. ©, 2015, Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences. All right reserved.