The Changing Structure of Energy Supply, Demand, and CO2 Emissions in China

Because of its enormous population, rapid economic growth, and heavy reliance on coal, China passed the United States as the worlD's largest source of CO₂ emissions in 2006. China is also becoming a major factor in the global oil market. This article analyzes China’s energy production and consumption, with a focus on the energy and CO₂ emissions per capita and per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) and the mix of energy sources and end uses. Energy flow diagrams for 1987 and 2007 make it possible to visualize the allocation of energy from sources through energy transformation to final uses in units of metric tons of coal equivalent. Declining coal use by residences, agriculture, and transportation has been more than offset by a massive increase in electricity and industry usage. The article places these changes in political–economic context and helps illustrate and explain the difficulties China faces in trying to reduce its absolute CO₂ emissions and why it instead proposes to reduce its CO₂ per unit of GDP. Key Words: China, coal, electricity, energy flow diagram, energy intensity.