How Ambitious are China and India’s Emissions Intensity Targets?

No 94947, Research Reports from Australian National University, Environmental Economics Research Hub

Abstract: As part of the negotiating process for a post-Kyoto climate policy regime, several developing economies have announced carbon emission targets for 2020. China and India’s commitments are framed as emissions intensity reductions by 40 to 45 per cent and 20 to 25 per cent respectively between 2005 and 2020. But how feasible are these proposed emissions intensity reductions, and how do they compare with the targeted reductions in the United States and the European Union? In this research report we use a stochastic frontier model to explain the variation in countries’ energy intensities. We use the model to produce emissions projections for China and India under a number of scenarios that consider various rates of technological change and changes in the share of non-fossil energy. We find that China is likely to need to adopt ambitious carbon mitigation policies in order to achieve its stated target, and that its targeted reductions in emissions intensity are on par with those implicit in the United States and European Union targets. India’s target is less ambitious and might be met with only limited or even no dedicated mitigation policies.

Keywords: Environmental Economics and Policy; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26
Date: 2010-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ene and nep-env
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (35)

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Related works:
Journal Article: How ambitious are China and India's emissions intensity targets? (2010)
Working Paper: How Ambitious are China and India's Emissions Intensity Targets? (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:eerhrr:94947

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.94947

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