The Relationship between Carbon Dioxide and China's Economic Growth

The Relationship between Carbon Dioxide and China's Economic Growth

Energy is indispensable for basic human needs and economic development of all countries. The scarcity and availability of energy are directly related to the economic development and social well-being of countries. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) claims that energy-related greenhouse gas emissions account for 70% of total emissions (IPCC, 2007). Therefore, all energy-related activities are the main culprit in the current global warming. Carbon dioxide is the main component of greenhouse gases, and carbon dioxide is measured by specialized instruments such as CO2 recorders. Many people have heard of the dangers of carbon dioxide. The greenhouse effect, the destruction of the ozone layer, and so on are all very deadly threats to humans. The change in temperature is measured by the temperature and humidity autograph.

China is the largest developing country. Two-thirds of primary energy production is coal. Coal-fired power generation accounts for about 80% of total power generation. Currently, it is still at a stage of rapid urbanization and industrialization. Traditional extensive economic development methods The total amount of greenhouse gas emissions in China has surpassed the United States and has become the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide. In the current international industrial chain division system, China is basically at the low end of the manufacturing industry. Most of China's manufacturing industry is energy-intensive and pollution-intensive industries. At the expense of a large number of resources and the environment, a large number of export products to obtain economic benefits of the extensive trade structure, making China formed a "export surplus" and "resource and environmental deficit" of the unfavorable pattern. This extensive trade structure exacerbates energy demand and pressure to protect the environment.

In 1991, Grossman and Krueger studied the relationship between environmental quality and per capita income in response to concerns that Americans' free trade has exacerbated the Mexican environment and affected the U.S. homeland environment, pointing out that “pollution increases with per capita GDP at low income levels. The relationship between pollution and per capita income, which has risen with high income levels and decreased with GDP growth, provides a basis for the United States to negotiate in the North American Free Trade Area. In 1993 Panayotou applied the inverted U-shaped curve between per capita income and income inequality developed by Kuznets in 1955 to the relationship between environmental quality and per capita income, and called it the environmental Kuznets curve ( EKC), that is, environmental quality begins to degrade with increasing income. When income level rises to a certain degree, it improves with income, ie, the relationship between environmental quality and income is inverted U-shaped. The environmental Kuznets curve reveals that during the economic take-off phase, the massive use of resources has led to the massive generation of hazardous wastes, which has led to the deterioration of the environment; when the economy develops to a new stage, with the increase of R&D expenditures, it promotes technological progress and promotes resources. With effective recycling, the economy has turned to low-pollution service industries and knowledge-intensive industries, resulting in improved environmental quality. The improvement of income level can greatly change the attitude of social groups to the environment. Low income levels make people careless about the environment and exacerbate the deterioration of the environment. After the income level is raised, people begin to pursue the quality of life, pay attention to their own living environment, and produce The demand for a high quality environment is willing to accept strict environmental regulations to drive changes in the economic structure and improve the environment.