Changes to pollutants and carbon emission multipliers in China 2007–2012: An input-output structural decomposition analysis

This study performed an input-output structural decomposition analysis on changes in COD, ammonia nitrogen, SO₂, NOx, soot and dust, industrial solid waste, and CO₂ emission multipliers for 41 final products over the period 2007–2012 in China. The results show that during the examined period, emission multipliers were, in general, decreasing. The main driver of this was technical effects. The effects that made a significant contribution were concentrated in eight sectors: coal mining and washing; metals mining and quarrying; food and tobacco products; paper printing manufacturing; the chemical industry; non-metallic mineral products; metal smelting and rolling processing; and electricity, heat production, and supply. Moreover, the technical effects presented an obvious spillover. Although the contribution of the structural effects was far less than the technical ones, there were still some structural adjustments that led to significant synergistic mitigation. For example, the decrease in the direct demand of the agriculture products, electricity, and heat for food and tobacco products commonly reduced SO₂, NOx, and CO₂. In addition, four technical effects and most of the structural effects with high efficiency made small contributions. More than one third of the structural effects that showed obvious contributions played a positive role.