IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v173y2016icp635-649.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Carbon capability of urban residents and its structure: Evidence from a survey of Jiangsu Province in China

Author

Listed:
  • Wei, Jia
  • Chen, Hong
  • Cui, Xiaotong
  • Long, Ruyin

Abstract

With the improvement in people’s living standards, emission reductions in consumption have become more significant. Accordingly, we defined the concept of the carbon capability of urban residents. We analyzed in depth the generation mechanism and evolution process of capability and further constructed an advanced five-dimensional model of carbon capability that embodies carbon values, carbon identification capability, carbon choice capability, carbon action capability, and carbon influence capability. We also proposed and gave a clear explanation of the connotations of the multi-layered levels of carbon capability, which include the threshold level, shaping level, effective level, maturity level, and leadership level. Based on our survey of 890 urban residents in Jiangsu Province, we statistically analyzed the current situation of urban residents’ carbon capability and the differences in the social demographic variables. The results indicate that carbon identification capability and carbon influence capability are the main segments hindering carbon capability, the detection rate of inferior value is almost 50%, and there is an obvious “multi-layered gap” phenomenon that is evident from carbon values to carbon influence capability. With the upgrading of education that has occurred, carbon values, carbon identification capability, and carbon selection capability have all been strengthened gradually and the gap between carbon identification capability and carbon values is getting larger, but the gap between carbon action capability and carbon identification capability shows a U-shaped variation trend. With the increase in income levels, the gap between carbon action capability and carbon choice capability shows an inverted U-shaped variation trend. Except for carbon identification capability, the mean values of the capability of men are all lower than those of women as well as the gap between carbon action capability and carbon choice capability. This study provided a guide for policy from the viewpoint of achieving a sustainable improvement in urban residents’ carbon capability.

Suggested Citation

  • Wei, Jia & Chen, Hong & Cui, Xiaotong & Long, Ruyin, 2016. "Carbon capability of urban residents and its structure: Evidence from a survey of Jiangsu Province in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 635-649.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:173:y:2016:i:c:p:635-649
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.04.068
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261916305189
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.04.068?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ministry of Statistics and Prog Implementation (MOSPI), 2015. "Statistics Related to Climate Change - India 2015," Working Papers id:7831, eSocialSciences.
    2. Wang, Zhaohua & Lu, Milin & Wang, Jian-Cai, 2014. "Direct rebound effect on urban residential electricity use: An empirical study in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 124-132.
    3. Ministry of Statistics and Prog Implementation (MOSPI), 2015. "Children in India 2012: A Statistical Appraisal," Working Papers id:6744, eSocialSciences.
    4. Barr, Stewart & Gilg, Andrew W & Ford, Nicholas, 2005. "The household energy gap: examining the divide between habitual- and purchase-related conservation behaviours," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(11), pages 1425-1444, July.
    5. Wang, Qunwei & Su, Bin & Sun, Jiasen & Zhou, Peng & Zhou, Dequn, 2015. "Measurement and decomposition of energy-saving and emissions reduction performance in Chinese cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 85-92.
    6. Hara, Keishiro & Uwasu, Michinori & Kishita, Yusuke & Takeda, Hiroyuki, 2015. "Determinant factors of residential consumption and perception of energy conservation: Time-series analysis by large-scale questionnaire in Suita, Japan," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 240-249.
    7. Wang, Zhao-Hua & Zeng, Hua-Lin & Wei, Yi-Ming & Zhang, Yi-Xiang, 2012. "Regional total factor energy efficiency: An empirical analysis of industrial sector in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 115-123.
    8. Ajzen, Icek, 1991. "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 50(2), pages 179-211, December.
    9. Francesch-Huidobro, Maria, 2016. "Climate change and energy policies in Shanghai: A multilevel governance perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 45-56.
    10. Wang, Zhaohua & Yin, Fangchao & Zhang, Yixiang & Zhang, Xian, 2012. "An empirical research on the influencing factors of regional CO2 emissions: Evidence from Beijing city, China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 277-284.
    11. -, 2015. "Statistical report of the Brazilian economy, June 2015," Informe Estadístico – Oficina de la CEPAL en Brasilia 40223, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    12. Elnakat, Afamia & Gomez, Juan D., 2015. "Energy engenderment: An industrialized perspective assessing the importance of engaging women in residential energy consumption management," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 166-177.
    13. Lenzen, Manfred & Wier, Mette & Cohen, Claude & Hayami, Hitoshi & Pachauri, Shonali & Schaeffer, Roberto, 2006. "A comparative multivariate analysis of household energy requirements in Australia, Brazil, Denmark, India and Japan," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 181-207.
    14. Wang, Zhaohua & Liu, Wei, 2015. "Determinants of CO2 emissions from household daily travel in Beijing, China: Individual travel characteristic perspectives," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 292-299.
    15. Wang, Qunwei & Zhou, Peng & Zhou, Dequn, 2012. "Efficiency measurement with carbon dioxide emissions: The case of China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 161-166.
    16. Wang, Zhaohua & Feng, Chao, 2015. "A performance evaluation of the energy, environmental, and economic efficiency and productivity in China: An application of global data envelopment analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 617-626.
    17. Ministry of Agriculture,, 2015. "Agricultural Statistics at a Glance 2014," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199459650, Decembrie.
    18. Bentzen, Jan, 2004. "Estimating the rebound effect in US manufacturing energy consumption," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 123-134, January.
    19. Constantin Anghelache & Mario G.R. Pagliacci & Constantin Mitrut, 2015. "Statistical-Econometric Models used in Economic Analysis," Romanian Statistical Review Supplement, Romanian Statistical Review, vol. 63(4), pages 9-15, April.
    20. Jiang, Ping & Chen, Yihui & Xu, Bin & Dong, Wenbo & Kennedy, Erin, 2013. "Building low carbon communities in China: The role of individual’s behaviour change and engagement," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 611-620.
    21. Yan, Yu-jie & Liu, Yuan, 2012. "Problems of Quality of Migrant Workers and Countermeasures from the Perspective of Iceberg Model," Asian Agricultural Research, USA-China Science and Culture Media Corporation, vol. 4(05), pages 1-3, May.
    22. Ministry of Agriculture GOI, 2015. "The Pocket book on Agricultural Statistics 2013," Working Papers id:6714, eSocialSciences.
    23. Jin, Sang-Hyeon, 2007. "The effectiveness of energy efficiency improvement in a developing country: Rebound effect of residential electricity use in South Korea," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(11), pages 5622-5629, November.
    24. -, 2015. "Statistical report of the Brazilian economy, July 2015," Informe Estadístico – Oficina de la CEPAL en Brasilia 40224, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    25. Allinson, David & Irvine, Katherine N. & Edmondson, Jill L. & Tiwary, Abhishek & Hill, Graeme & Morris, Jonathan & Bell, Margaret & Davies, Zoe G. & Firth, Steven K. & Fisher, Jill & Gaston, Kevin J. , 2016. "Measurement and analysis of household carbon: The case of a UK city," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 871-881.
    26. Yuan, Baolong & Ren, Shenggang & Chen, Xiaohong, 2015. "The effects of urbanization, consumption ratio and consumption structure on residential indirect CO2 emissions in China: A regional comparative analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 140(C), pages 94-106.
    27. Yang, Liu & Yan, Haiyan & Lam, Joseph C., 2014. "Thermal comfort and building energy consumption implications – A review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 164-173.
    28. Wang, Zhaohua & Feng, Chao, 2015. "Sources of production inefficiency and productivity growth in China: A global data envelopment analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 380-389.
    29. Langevin, Jared & Gurian, Patrick L. & Wen, Jin, 2013. "Reducing energy consumption in low income public housing: Interviewing residents about energy behaviors," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 1358-1370.
    30. Chen, Hong & Long, Ruyin & Niu, Wenjing & Feng, Qun & Yang, Ranran, 2014. "How does individual low-carbon consumption behavior occur? – An analysis based on attitude process," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 376-386.
    31. -, 2015. "Statistical report of the Brazilian economy, April-May 2015," Informe Estadístico – Oficina de la CEPAL en Brasilia 40222, Naciones Unidas Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Guangwu & Wiedmann, Thomas & Wang, Yafei & Hadjikakou, Michalis, 2016. "Transnational city carbon footprint networks – Exploring carbon links between Australian and Chinese cities," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1082-1092.
    2. Jia Wei & Hong Chen & Ruyin Long, 2018. "Determining Multi-Layer Factors That Drive the Carbon Capability of Urban Residents in Response to Climate Change: An Exploratory Qualitative Study in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-19, July.
    3. Lu, Hui & Liu, Xia & Chen, Hong & Long, Ruyin & Yue, Ting, 2017. "Who contributed to “corporation green” in China? A view of public- and private-sphere pro-environmental behavior among employees," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 166-175.
    4. Yongliang Yang & Yiyang Guo & Suqing Luo, 2020. "Consumers’ Intention and Cognition for Low-Carbon Behavior: A Case Study of Hangzhou in China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-19, November.
    5. Qianwen Li & Ruyin Long & Hong Chen, 2018. "Measurements and Factors That Influence the Carbon Capability of Urban Residents in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-22, April.
    6. Hao-Fan Chumg & Jia-Wen Shi & Kai-Jun Sun, 2019. "Why Employees Contribute to Pro-Environmental Behaviour: The Role of Pluralistic Ignorance in Chinese Society," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-22, December.
    7. Atsushi Watabe & Alice Marie Yamabe-Ledoux, 2023. "Low-Carbon Lifestyles beyond Decarbonisation: Toward a More Creative Use of the Carbon Footprinting Method," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-28, March.
    8. Geng, Jichao & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Li, Wenbo, 2017. "Exploring the motivation-behavior gap in urban residents’ green travel behavior: A theoretical and empirical study," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 282-292.
    9. Jia Wei & Hong Chen & Ruyin Long, 2018. "Diffusion Paths and Guiding Policy for Urban Residents’ Carbon Identification Capability: Simulation Analysis from the Perspective of Relation Strength and Personal Carbon Trading," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-19, May.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhang, Xingping & Liang, Yanni & Yu, Enhai & Rao, Rao & Xie, Jian, 2017. "Review of electric vehicle policies in China: Content summary and effect analysis," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 698-714.
    2. Bey, M. & Hamidat, A. & Benyoucef, B. & Nacer, T., 2016. "Viability study of the use of grid connected photovoltaic system in agriculture: Case of Algerian dairy farms," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 333-345.
    3. Gianfreda, Angelica & Parisio, Lucia & Pelagatti, Matteo, 2016. "Revisiting long-run relations in power markets with high RES penetration," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 432-445.
    4. Ozcan, Mustafa, 2018. "The role of renewables in increasing Turkey's self-sufficiency in electrical energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 82(P3), pages 2629-2639.
    5. Apergis, Nicholas & Chang, Tsangyao & Gupta, Rangan & Ziramba, Emmanuel, 2016. "Hydroelectricity consumption and economic growth nexus: Evidence from a panel of ten largest hydroelectricity consumers," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 318-325.
    6. Liu, Xiaoqian & Whetten, Kathryn & Prose, Neil S. & Eagle, David & Parnell, Heather E. & Amanya, Cyrilla & Vann, Vanroth & Dubie, Misganaw Eticha & Kaza, Venkata Gopala Krishna & Tzudir, Senti & Proes, 2020. "Enjoyment and meaning in daily activities among caregivers of orphaned and separated children in four countries," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    7. Antonakakis, Nikolaos & Chatziantoniou, Ioannis & Filis, George, 2017. "Energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and economic growth: An ethical dilemma," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 68(P1), pages 808-824.
    8. Jia Wei & Hong Chen & Ruyin Long, 2018. "Diffusion Paths and Guiding Policy for Urban Residents’ Carbon Identification Capability: Simulation Analysis from the Perspective of Relation Strength and Personal Carbon Trading," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-19, May.
    9. Abd-ur-Rehman, Hafiz M. & Al-Sulaiman, Fahad A., 2016. "Optimum selection of solar water heating (SWH) systems based on their comparative techno-economic feasibility study for the domestic sector of Saudi Arabia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 336-349.
    10. Fernandez, E. & Albizu, I. & Bedialauneta, M.T. & Mazon, A.J. & Leite, P.T., 2016. "Review of dynamic line rating systems for wind power integration," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 80-92.
    11. Wei, Jia & Chen, Hong & Long, Ruyin, 2016. "Is ecological personality always consistent with low-carbon behavioral intention of urban residents?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 343-352.
    12. Geng, Jichao & Long, Ruyin & Chen, Hong & Li, Wenbo, 2017. "Exploring the motivation-behavior gap in urban residents’ green travel behavior: A theoretical and empirical study," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 282-292.
    13. Lin, Boqiang & Atsagli, Philip & Dogah, Kingsley E., 2016. "Ghanaian energy economy: Inter-production factors and energy substitution," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 1260-1269.
    14. Yin, Jianhua & Zheng, Mingzheng & Chen, Jian, 2015. "The effects of environmental regulation and technical progress on CO2 Kuznets curve: An evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 97-108.
    15. Ben-Ayed, Omar & Lahmar, Hedia & Kammoun, Raoudha, 2016. "Class-time utilization in business schools in Tunisia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 86-96.
    16. Wong, Alfred & Wei, Lu & Yang, Jie & Tjosvold, Dean, 2017. "Productivity and participation values for cooperative goals to limit free riding and promote performance in international joint ventures," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(6), pages 819-830.
    17. Feiyu Chen & Hong Chen & Xinru Huang & Ruyin Long & Hui Lu & Ting Yue, 2017. "Public Response to the Regulation Policy of Urban Household Waste: Evidence from a Survey of Jiangsu Province in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(6), pages 1-23, June.
    18. Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki & Yuan, Yan & Goto, Mika, 2017. "A literature study for DEA applied to energy and environment," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 104-124.
    19. Qin, Quande & Li, Xin & Li, Li & Zhen, Wei & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2017. "Air emissions perspective on energy efficiency: An empirical analysis of China’s coastal areas," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(P1), pages 604-614.
    20. Nadimi, Reza & Tokimatsu, Koji, 2019. "Potential energy saving via overall efficiency relying on quality of life," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 233, pages 283-299.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:173:y:2016:i:c:p:635-649. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.