The characteristics and driving factors of household CO2 and non-CO2 emissions in China

Recently, Professor Teng Fei's research group from the Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy at Tsinghua University, in collaboration with their partners, analyzed the characteristics and influencing factors of CO₂ and non-CO₂ emissions from different household consumption patterns in China. They utilized micro household survey data and input-output methods for their analysis. The related article, titled "The characteristics and driving factors of household CO₂ and non-CO₂ emissions in China," has been published online in Ecological Economics.

Abstract：

Approximately 60% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are attributable to household consumption. This presents a great opportunity to reduce them. However, most research has focused only on CO₂ emissions and paid limited attention to non-CO₂ emissions which account for a quarter of household emissions. This study investigates key characteristics and driving factors associated with Chinese household emissions, which include CO₂, CH₄, N₂O, and F-gases. Our work also combines detailed household survey data, GHG inventory, and input-output tables. The empirical results suggest that household GHG emissions per capita in 2015 were 2.74 tCO₂eq, of which non-CO₂ gases accounted for 27%, mainly from food (48%) and dwelling-related consumption (18%). Urban households emit 4.02 tCO₂eq per capita—nearly twice that of rural households—and have a higher rate of non-CO₂ emissions. Consumption expenditure is the primary driver of emissions differences between rural and urban households, while consumption structure only plays a minor role. The reduction in CO₂ emissions resulting from urban homes switching from coal to natural gas has been offset by an increase in CH₄ emissions from gas production and supply. These findings highlight the significance of non-CO₂ emissions in policy-making, as well as the important potential of adjusting households' consumption structure.