Open AccessEnergy consumption and CO 2 emissions in Tibet and its cities in 2014
Author(s) -
Shan Yuli,
Zheng Heran,
Guan Dabo,
Li Chongmao,
Mi Zhifu,
Meng Jing,
Schroeder Heike,
Ma Jibo,
Ma Zhuguo
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
earth's future
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.641
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 2328-4277
DOI - 10.1002/2017ef000571
Subject(s) - per capita , agricultural economics , energy consumption , consumption (sociology) , china , geography , environmental science , emission intensity , greenhouse gas , energy intensity , agriculture , climate change , production (economics) , environmental protection , physical geography , economics , demography , population , engineering , archaeology , ecology , social science , excitation , macroeconomics , sociology , electrical engineering , biology
Because of its low level of energy consumption and the small scale of its industrial development, the Tibet Autonomous Region has historically been excluded from China's reported energy statistics, including those regarding CO 2 emissions. In this paper, we estimate Tibet's energy consumption using limited online documents, and we calculate the 2014 energy‐related and process‐related CO 2 emissions of Tibet and its seven prefecture‐level administrative divisions for the first time. Our results show that 5.52 million tons of CO 2 were emitted in Tibet in 2014; 33% of these emissions are associated with cement production. Tibet's emissions per capita amounted to 1.74 tons in 2014, which is substantially lower than the national average, although Tibet's emission intensity is relatively high at 0.60 tons per thousand yuan in 2014. Among Tibet's seven prefecture‐level administrative divisions, Lhasa City and Shannan Region are the two largest CO 2 contributors and have the highest per capita emissions and emission intensities. The Nagqu and Nyingchi regions emit little CO 2 due to their farming/pasturing‐dominated economies. This quantitative measure of Tibet's regional CO 2 emissions provides solid data support for Tibet's actions on climate change and emission reductions.