Study On Disparity And Convergence Of Carbon Intensity In The Western Region

Since the western region is developed, the fossil energy consumption such as coal, oil, natural gas has become more and more with economic development rapidly in western region. The carbon emissions caused by the fossil energy has increased subsequently. Along with higher and higher requirement for the emission of greenhouse gases at home and abroad, the carbon emissions reduction is the inevitable responsibility in the western province. Therefore, the responsibility on carbon emissions of the western regions is distinct. It is useful to explore suitable responsibility of carbon emissions’reduction for studying the variation trend of the western interprovincial carbon intensity in the western provinces, which is to provide the meaningful reference for formulating the rational strategy of carbon emissions’ reduction.Firstly, the paper teases out the related research of carbon emissions. Afterwards, it uses the data of western provinces from 2000 to 2012 to analyze temporal and spatial differences and the change trend of carbon intensity distribution in the western region by adopting the Theil index. Then the empirical analysis on the differences in trend of carbon emissions in the western area is based on the model of 8 convergence, an absolute β convergence, a conditional β convergence and the club convergence in the theory of economic growth. Finally, the regression model which is used to analyze the influence factors of the carbon intensity of convergence and divergence is set up with the variance of the carbon intensity change as the dependent variable and the covariance of the carbon intensity and its influence factors as the independent variables for finding a way to the carbon intensity of convergence. The empirical results of the convergence show that:the existence of 8 convergence, absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence is not significant in the western areas; δ convergence, conditional β convergence and club convergence exist in the southwest area. Absolute β convergence is not in the southwest area; the existence of 8 convergence, absolute P convergence, conditional β convergence and club convergence is not significant in the northwest areas. The empirical results of the influence factors of the carbon intensity differences show that per capital GDP, city level, energy structure and industrial structure have an effect on the change trend of carbon intensity differences in varying degree.