Critical structural paths of residential PM2.5 emissions within the Chinese provinces

• Published in: Energy economics Vol. 70; pp. 465 - 471
• Main Author: Nagashima, Fumiya
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.02.2018
• Subjects: Multiregional input–output analysis; Residential PM2.5 emissions; Structural path analysis; Q43; Residential PM2.5 emissions; Q56; Structural path analysis; R15; R28; Multiregional input–output analysis; Q53
• ISSN: 0140-9883; 1873-6181
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2018.01.033

Consumption-based approach has provided beneficial information for understanding the key industries driving the huge life-cycle PM2.5 emissions. However, the residential sector, which is the largest emitter of carbonaceous aerosols in China, has been treated exogenously and neglected in the context of consumption-based thinking. This study aims to extend the endogenous input-output system by incorporating residential PM2.5 emissions in China into the consumption → production → income process. I find that households engaged in high income industries such as “other services”, “agriculture” and “construction” in Sichuan, Shangdong, Guangxi and Anhui mainly contributed their own residential PM2.5 emissions. Furthermore, the final demand of urban areas for construction, transport equipment and agriculture drove rural areas' residential emissions through production of commodities such as nonmetal products, coal mining, agriculture, and metallurgy. •This study develops an endogenous input-output model to analyze residential PM2.5 emissions.•The residential PM2.5 emissions of the Chinese 30 provinces are analyzed.•Workers engaged in services and construction in Sichuan contributed their own residential PM2.5.•The final demand of urban provinces for construction drove rural provinces' residential PM2.5.•Services, agriculture, and construction should aid their workers in reducing the emissions.