Consumption-driven freight turnover of interprovincial trade and related air pollution emissions in China from 2007...

Freight transport has become increasingly important regarding CO₂ and air pollutant emissions in China but has rarely been assessed using consumption-based methods. Based on the multi-regional input-output tables of China, in this work, we use structural path analysis (SPA) to link interprovincial trade-related freight turnover to responsible sectors of final consumption. We find that from 2007 to 2012, the interprovincial trade turnover in China increased by 39% and reached 3.87 × 10¹² ton-km in 2012, associated with emissions of approximately 370 Mt CO₂, 6.1 Mt CO and 2.5 Mt NO_x. We also find that each 10 thousand CNY final consumption on interprovincial traded goods in China may drive 2000 ton-km of freight turnover and generate 200 kg CO₂ emissions. This environmental burden will decrease by a factor of five if only locally produced goods are consumed. Final consumption in equipment, construction, service and food caused the most significant freight turnover; they drive a large quantity of low-value-added but heavy-weight semifinished products, such as mining and metal products, to be shipped across the provinces at the very upstream of the supply chain. Policymakers should aim to optimize China's industrial geographical layout and trade structure to facilitate deep CO₂ reductions associated with the freight transport system.