Intersectoral burden sharing of CO2 mitigation in China in 2020

The aim of this paper is to provide a sector-based method for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions control and to disaggregate China's national CO2 mitigation burden at the sectoral level. Based on a detailed analysis of three burden sharing indicators-responsibility, capacity, and efficiency-this paper derives a mitigation burden index to suggest which economic sectors should bear more (or less) mitigation burden. A multi criteria allocation model of sectoral CO2 intensity (CO2 per unit of added value) is then constructed to determine each sector's mitigation target for 2020. The main findings are: (1) Allocation results based on multi criteria are more acceptable and practical than those based on only one criterion. (2) Policy maker preference for criteria has a significant effect on allocation results. (3) The fours sectors, manufacture of raw chemical materials and chemical products, manufacture of non-metallic mineral products, smelting and pressing of ferrous metals, and other services, consistently bear the highest mitigation burden. This paper offers policy makers a sector-based method to control CO2 emissions. Combining this method with sectoral potential for technological advancement and sectoral mitigation costs would produce a more feasible and cost effective burden sharing scheme.