The Greenness of China: Household Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Urban Development

46 Pages Posted: 4 Jan 2010 Last revised: 9 Mar 2023

See all articles by Siqi Zheng

Siqi Zheng

Samuel Talk Lee Professor of Urban and Real Estate Sustainability, Faculty Director of MIT Center for Real Estate

Rui Wang

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Edward L. Glaeser

Harvard University - Department of Economics; Brookings Institution; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Matthew E. Kahn

University of Southern California; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: December 2009

Abstract

China urbanization is associated with both increases in per-capita income and greenhouse gas emissions. This paper uses micro data to rank 74 major Chinese cities with respect to their household carbon footprint. We find that the "greenest" cities based on this criterion are Huaian and Suqian while the "dirtiest" cities are Daqing and Mudanjiang. Even in the dirtiest city (Daqing), a standardized household produces only one-fifth of that in America's greenest city (San Diego). We find that the average January temperature is strongly negatively correlated with a city's household carbon footprint, which suggests that current regional economic development policies that bolster the growth of China's northeastern cities are likely to increase emissions. We use our city specific income elasticity estimates to predict the growth of carbon emissions in China's cities.

Suggested Citation

Zheng, Siqi and Wang, Rui and Glaeser, Edward L. and Kahn, Matthew E., The Greenness of China: Household Carbon Dioxide Emissions and Urban Development (December 2009). NBER Working Paper No. w15621, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1530077

Siqi Zheng (Contact Author)

Samuel Talk Lee Professor of Urban and Real Estate Sustainability, Faculty Director of MIT Center for Real Estate ( email )

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Rui Wang

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) ( email )

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Edward L. Glaeser

Harvard University - Department of Economics ( email )

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Matthew E. Kahn

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