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| A Chinese industrial park |
ScienceDaily, April 27, 2012
China's economic
growth will continue to be energy-intensive and highly polluting for the
foreseeable future with emissions and efficiency far below capital growth on
the agenda, according to a study published in the International Journal of
Global Energy Issues.
Economist Yanqing
Xia of Dongbei University of Finance and Economics and the Northeast Branch of
the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Liaoning has looked at almost a decade's
worth of data from 30 Chinese provinces to build a comprehensive model of
pollution, energy consumption and economic growth. The model offers an
empirical look at the balance between economic growth, energy consumption and
pollution and gives a positive outlook for average gross domestic product (GDP)
but paints a rather bleak medium-term view regarding a lack of sustainability
and environmental targets.
Economic growth in
China is heavily invested in the development of manufacturing and heavy
industries, export and fixed asset investment, and energy consumption is thus
growing rapidly. In one sense, energy consumption underlies economic growth.
Unfortunately, this rapid increase in energy consumption and the rise in
pollution and carbon emissions reflects rapid economic growth but is adding to
environmental harm on a global scale and having a tremendous impact on
ecological systems.
Xia points out that
the data show that energy consumption has a greater impact on output compared
with conventional factors of production such as labor (human capital), while
pollution has relatively little effect on output. "China's economic growth
is still powered by physical capital expansion and substantial energy
consumption, she says. Energy consumption and pollution still increase with
China's economic growth.
China
is a rapidly developing nation but Xia suggests that economic growth and
environmental protection must now be bound together. "China must implement
effective environmental regulations so that firms and consumers can be properly
encouraged to reduce pollution and energy consumption," she asserts.
Economic growth may continue unhindered for many years in China but the
environmental payback may stymie opportunities to reap the rewards of that
growth because of the harm that ignoring environmental urgency may cause.
Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Inderscience Publishers, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal Reference:
- Yanqing Xia. An empirical research on the interactions of China's energy consumption, pollution emissions and economic growth. International Journal of Global Energy Issues, 2012, 35, 411-425
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