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Ecological accounting based on extended exergy: a sustainability perspective
Jing Dai1, Bin Chen, Enrico Sciubba
1State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University , Beijing 100875, China.
Environmental Science & Technology
|July 26, 2014
Summary
China
Area of Science:
- Ecological economics
- Environmental accounting
- Sustainable development
Background:
- Unsustainable development leads to resource depletion and environmental degradation.
- Effective resource accounting and emission measurement are crucial for sustainable management.
- China's rapid development poses challenges to its resource base and environment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an Extended Exergy (EE) accounting method.
- To analyze resource flows and environmental impacts in China's national economic system.
- To establish an EE-based sustainability index for evaluating development performance.
Main Methods:
- Constructed an adaptive EE accounting database for China (2010).
- Incorporated traditional energy, renewable energy, mineral resources, and secondary products.
- Adjusted environmental emission accounting to include externalities-equivalent exergy.
Main Results:
- China's EE in 2010 was 1.80 × 10^14 MJ, indicating significant resource utilization.
- An EE-based sustainability indicator was calculated at 0.23.
- This value is substantially below the critical threshold of 1.
Conclusions:
- China's development in 2010 was characterized by high energy consumption and low sustainability.
- The EE accounting framework provides a robust tool for assessing resource management and environmental impact.
- Urgent measures are needed to improve China's sustainability level.
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