Study On The Development Ability Of Low - Carbon Economy In Chongqing Based On Carbon Footprint

From the last century, the development of human society has made the biggest leap in the history of human civilization, however, with the development of industrialization and urbanization, human has brought rich disastrous impact to our environment, one of which is the carbon dioxide emitted by human activities caused by the greenhouse effect on human social life and economic life. With the convening of the December2009Copenhagen Conference on the Environment, marking the climate change, especially the problem of greenhouse gas emissions has become the focus of attention of the word once again, the theme always around how humans develop the low-carbon economy, in order to better respond to the harm which caused by the global climate change to global sustainable development, and calling countries of the word for to transition to a low carbon economy. Chongqing as the economic growth pole of China’s western region and the largest industrial city, while the economy developing rapidly, also generating large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions.In this background, while researches the intensity of urban carbon dioxide emissions, the article uses the carbon footprint theory as the main line, From the cross perspective of economics and environmental science and other disciplines, by determination of the carbon footprint of Chongqing, combination of theoretical research and empirical analysis, systematically discussing the relationship between the status of carbon footprint and economy development of Chongqing, to analyze the present and future capacity of low carbon development in Chongqing, in order to provide the relevant reference to similar areas.The paper mainly includes the following respects:Generally determined the current situation of the carbon footprint of Chongqing, and calculated the carbon footprint of energy consumption, human activities and waste. On the whole, the Chongqing carbon footprint presents a growing trend during the13years, total amount from501.41hectares in1997increases to1029.73hectares in2009, increasing by2.05times, the annual growth rate is about6%. At the same time, we find that the carbon footprint caused by energy consumption accounted for the most of the total amount, and the proportion trends to be higher.Using the TaPio decoupling theory to discuss decoupling relationship, and find a generally decoupling phenomenon between economic growth and carbon footprint in Chongqing, although appearing expansion negative decoupling in some years. This suggests that the economic growth rate higher than the pressure on the environment in Chongqing, however, this decoupling is mainly weak decoupling, and the trend is not obvious.The paper mainly adopts STIRPAT environmental impact capacity equation to analysis the relationship among population, economy, urbanization, technology, and carbon footprint. The expected inverted’U’-type of the EKC doesn’t appear between the carbon footprint and per capita GDP in Chongqing since1997; then combined with the’12Five-Year Plan’ of country and Chongqing, set of12types forecast situation, analysis of the low-carbon economic development path in Chongqing which consideration economic growth and carbon emission requirements.Finally, according to the actual situation of economic development in Chongqing, reference relevant policy document, put forward the measures of development low-carbon economy in Chongqing Municipality. Including:establish a low-carbon economy development concept; reconstruction a low-carbon economy market system; foster low-carbon industrial structure, low-carbon economy system ability construction, and so on.