China's Role in Reducing Carbon Emissions : The Stabilisation of Energy Consumption and the Deployment of Renewable Energy.
- 1st ed.
- 1 online resource (177 pages)
Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- List of illustrations -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- Notes -- 2 An ecological modernisation theory for China and carbon reduction -- EM applied to developing countries -- EM as applied to China -- Some basic characteristics of 'Eurocentric' EM -- Modest economic growth levels in a predominantly service-oriented economy -- Mobilising green technologies to tackle environmental problems -- Environmental governance and technological means -- 'Smart' market based means of promoting green technological solutions -- Deploying core aspects of EM -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 3 Curbing the concrete -- Turning from production to services -- The state capitalist economy -- The downside of Chinese state capitalism -- Rebalancing the economy -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 4 Carbon emissions and energy consumption -- Exploding myths about China's carbon profile -- China's energy consumption and carbon emissions - slowdown or decline? -- How China could slow and even stabilise its energy consumption -- Policies -- China's Carbon emissions - what about the future? -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 5 Pollution: from protest to good governance? -- Introduction -- Pressure for pollution control -- Pollution problems -- The case of heavy metals -- Air pollution in China - a comparison with the West -- Blue skies and red alerts in Beijing -- The anti-pollution campaigners -- The elite campaigners -- The 'official' campaigners -- The 'over-enthusiastic' campaigners -- Mass demonstrations and violent protests -- Governance and pollution -- New trends in tackling pollution -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 6 Fuel switching to cut carbon -- Fuel switching to non-fossil energy sources -- Increasing renewable energy -- Wind power -- Solar photovoltaics (pv) -- A contrast between wind power and solar pv in China. Hydroelectricity -- Nuclear power -- Electric cars and storage -- Governance and reform of the electricity system -- Projecting the future -- Conclusion -- Notes -- 7 Conclusion -- Modest economic growth levels in a service-oriented economy -- Mobilising green technologies to tackle environmental problems -- Environmental governance and agreement about technological means -- 'Smart' market based means of promoting green technological solutions pursued in a competitive economic environment -- Bibliography -- Index.
This book discusses the prospects for China achieving radical reductions in carbon emissions, within the context of the current economic and political landscape. With a particular focus on technologies such as such as wind power, solar power and electric vehicles, Toke examines the way in which China is transitioning to a state of stable energy consumption via a service-based economy and heavy investment in non-fossil energy sources. The book concludes that China may be set to reduce its carbon emissions by around two-thirds by 2050.