Energy and greenhouse gas footprints of China households during 1995-2019: A global perspective

In China, the per capita consumption expenditure of households has increased by more than six times over the past three decades. We investigate the energy and greenhouse gas footprints of Chinese households between 1995 and 2019 using a global multi-regional input-output model. The results show that the GHG footprint of Chinese households increased by 37.1% whereas the energy footprint increased by only 3.3%. Unlike the significant increase in household expenditure, the growth of footprints was relatively small owing to a substantial decrease in footprint intensities. Import has played an increasingly important role in footprints of Chinese households. The share of imported emissions increased from 3% to 14.4% during 1995-2019 and that of imported energy in the footprint also increased from 2% to 11%. Further decomposition indicates that imported emissions and energy are mainly due to imports of intermediate products to produce goods and services in China. Finally, analysis at the product group level reveals that household consumption related to shelter and food plays an important role in generating emissions and energy use by Chinese households. With the increasing income and expenditure of households, it is important to encourage environmentally-friendly lifestyles to realize sustainable consumption in China.

Automated summary

Over the past three decades, the per capita consumption expenditure of Chinese households has increased by more than six times. However, the growth of energy and greenhouse gas footprints has been relatively small due to a substantial decrease in footprint intensities. Import has played an increasingly important role in the footprints of Chinese households.