Modeling Climate Feedbacks to Energy Demand: The Case of China

Joint Program Report
Modeling Climate Feedbacks to Energy Demand: The Case of China
Asadoorian, M.O., R.S. Eckaus and C.A. Schlosser (2006)
Joint Program Report Series, 21 pages

Report 135 [Download]

Abstract/Summary:

This paper is an empirical investigation of the effects of climate on the use of electricity by consumers and producers in urban and rural areas within China. It takes advantage of an unusual combination of temporal and regional data sets in order to estimate temperature, as well as price and income elasticities of electricity demand. The estimated positive temperature/electric power feedback implies a continually increasing use of energy to produce electric power which, in China, is primarily based on coal. In the absence of countervailing measures, this will contribute to increased emissions, increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, and increases in greenhouse warming.

Citation:

Asadoorian, M.O., R.S. Eckaus and C.A. Schlosser (2006): Modeling Climate Feedbacks to Energy Demand: The Case of China. Joint Program Report Series Report 135, 21 pages (http://globalchange.mit.edu/publication/14210)
  • Joint Program Report
Modeling Climate Feedbacks to Energy Demand: The Case of China

Asadoorian, M.O., R.S. Eckaus and C.A. Schlosser

Report 

135
21 pages
2006

Abstract/Summary: 

This paper is an empirical investigation of the effects of climate on the use of electricity by consumers and producers in urban and rural areas within China. It takes advantage of an unusual combination of temporal and regional data sets in order to estimate temperature, as well as price and income elasticities of electricity demand. The estimated positive temperature/electric power feedback implies a continually increasing use of energy to produce electric power which, in China, is primarily based on coal. In the absence of countervailing measures, this will contribute to increased emissions, increased atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases, and increases in greenhouse warming.