Effects of rural urban development transformation on energy consumption and CO2 emissions

Yang Zhou ^a,b, Yansui Liu ^a,b,c,*, Wenxiang Wu ^a, Yurui Li ^a,b
a Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101,China
b KeyLaboratory o fRegional Sustainable Development Modeling,Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
c College of Resources Science and Technology,Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China

Abstract: Since the 1980s,China has been under going a period of rural每urban transformation.The rapid rural每 urban development transformation(RUDT)in China has caused an excessive consumption o fresources and environmental deterioration. Based on balanced provincial panel data in China gathered from 1990 to 2012,this study used an improved STIRPAT modeltoin vestigate the effects o fRUDTon energy consumption and CO2 emissions on the regional and national levels.The empirica lresults showed that the impact of RUDT on energy consumption and CO2 emissions in China varied greatly across regions. The demographic transformation (measured by urbanization level) increased energy consumption and CO2 emissions in China and its eastern and central regions.The impact of employment structural transformation on energy consumption and carbon emissions across China generally was positive and significant but differed considerably across regions.The industrial structural transformation was  positively correlated with and had asignificant impact on energy consumption and emissions in the eastern and central regions,and that effect decline dcontinuously from the eastern region to the central and western regions. Furthermore,the positive effect of land use transition on energy consumption and  CO2 emissions in the western region was greater than that in the eastern and central regions. These  findings can provide policy makers with a sound scientific basis for energy saving and emission reduction decisions