Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
8
China 2050: Scenarios of Energy
Consumption and Carbon Emissions
Yande Dai, Yuezhong Zhu, and Quan Bai
Abstract
Global warming threatens the lives and development of human beings and has
become one of the major challenges of humanity in the twenty-first century. As
the strength of China's economy grows and its connections with the world
economic system deepen, the focus of policymakers inevitably turns to issues
of the nation's energy demand, long-term power supply planning and carbon
emissions. By applying a scenario analysis, this report analyzes and forecasts
China's energy demands and carbon emissions trends over the next 30-50 years.
Results indicate that under certain conditions, it will be possible for China to take
on a low-carbon development path with Chinese characteristics. However, China
needs overall adjustments in policy, institutions, structure, technology as well as
strong support from the international economic and political environment.
Keywords
Energy demand • Energy efficiency • Scenario analysis • Low carbon •
Climate change • Sustainable development
8.1
Introduction
Currently, climate change has turned from being a single environmental issue into a
complex topic involving the global environment, world politics as well as economy
and international trade. It will also persistently affect many other aspects, such as
future world politics, diplomacy, investment and financing, trade, energy markets,
This chapter is based on
China's low carbon development pathways by 2050
, which is sponsored
by the Energy Foundation (EF) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
