“Triple Bottom Line” of the 12th Five Year Plan: A Pathway for China’s Identity Construction through Energy Consumption

Change and reforms in the energy structure is realizable when new and renewable sources are developed with the mandate to support a policy on larger-scale basis. Energy consumption and economic development are household names in China and effects of both phenomena are present. For the purpose of achieving a green growth, China’s ambitious Twelfth Five Year Plan (2011-2015) was set to develop a new and renewable energy but faced several challenges due to the diversity and instability of new and renewable energy resources. The plan further stands for the first time, as a national plan that shifts away from development agenda with a focus toward a pattern of green growth. Taking the theory of triple bottom line of social equity, economic and environmental development as a base of the 12th FYP, this paper has analyzed the impact of the plan in achieving a green growth and an identity construction in China Keywords: Energy Consumption, Green Growth, Identity Construction, Triple Bottom line, Sustainability DOI: 10.7176/JRDM/69-07 Publication date:September 30th 2020

The Shrinking Geographies of Coal: European Pathways in a Global Context

This contribution aims at highlighting trends that are affecting coal’s geography at different levels (world, European and regional ones). To reach the emission targets agreed in the Paris Agreement (2015), coal’s decline looks necessary but it still contributes for almost half of power production. Coal’s geography is however shrinking albeit at a different pace around the world with Asia remaining a key consumer and supplier and European countries being for most of them committed to phase it out. China produces and consumes around 40 percent of the coal extracted while most of the EU Member States have either phased-out coal or have committed to do so. Different EU policy instruments aiming at lowering GHG emissions are affecting cost-effectiveness of coal fired power-plants.&nbsp

The Energy Efficiency Rebound Effect in China from Three Industries Perspective

AbstractBased on the panel data of three industries in China, this paper calculates the energy rebound effect arising from energy efficiency improvement, by stripping the rebound of energy usage caused by industrial restructuring from model. Results indicate: the similarity between them demonstrating energy efficiency rebound effect as the main component of energy rebound effect; the delayed rebound peak of the secondary industry reflects its lagged respond to changes in energy efficiency; with regard to the peak value in 2009 when calculating the whole nation, author concerns it with the intensification in investment on basic industries and relaxation of restriction over high energy consumption enterprises; the relatively larger value of energy efficiency rebound in China can not be ignored by policy-maker

Global Warming and Options for China: Energy and Environmental Policy Profile

Climatic change is a topic shared by most of the scientific community. Energy systems emissions greatly contribute towards this phenomenon. This is the reason why the linkage between energy and climate is now the focus of many global and national studies. The adverse impacts of a climatic change on human activities caused by global/regional energy systems, as well as the requirements for restructuring these systems to reduce climatic impacts, are still uncertain. It is difficult to stabilize or reduce the atmospheric concentration of energy-induced emissions and, at the same time, keep energy as the driving force needed for social and economic progress in the developing world. From this viewpoint China is the most controversial region, with an increasing population, an inevitable growth in energy demand, and ambitious plans for economic development and improvements in living standards. It lacks low-carbon fuels but is rich in coal, which, when burnt, will emit the maximum CO2 per unit of useful energy. Today China produces more coal than any other country. Its future coal production could increase manifold and reach the level of today's coal production worldwide. Therefore the present Chinese energy policy is of great interest for the analysis of the future energy situation on a global scale and its related impacts on the climate. The author analyzes the energy-ecology situation of China and reviews the governmental policy toward reducing air pollution and environmental degradation, including a greenhouse gas induced climatic change. The paper fills, to some extent, the information gap on what is going on in Socialist countries, and particularly in China, with respect to energy and the environment