Carbon Emissions: Economic Consumption

Dear Colleagues,

Demand is an underlying driving force for supply, and, therefore responsible for all associated environmental impacts generated in production. The climate-development dilemma evolves along with socioeconomic changes, which generates lots of questions to answer.

Our world is dynamically complex with the evolution of socioeconomic backgrounds. We live in an unequal world in all forms. Intense consumption behavior from the rich and middle-class in maintaining their lifestyles has led to them becoming major emitters, while rising demands from the poor when attempting to escape poverty has led to them becoming growing potential emissions contributors; We also live in an aging world. The increasing numbers of old people and low birth rates in many countries may reduce consumption, while a young and vivid population structure has emerged in others, bringing fresh purchase power and stimulating consumption as well as consumption-related emissions. We live in a globalized world. All products we consume are increasingly more unlikely to be locally produced. Trade makes our lives better with accessible cheap products but also results in carbon leakage from consumers to producers. In other words, global supply chains spread the environmental impacts to producers, which are no longer necessarily related with consumers. Carbon emissions triggered by these consumptions deserve to be better viewed in the cohesive and dynamic context of globalization, aging society, and economic growth.

This Special Issue will publish high-quality research papers on the inter-disciplinary field of carbon emissions related with economic consumption in the context of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds at a global or regional scale. We also welcome submissions focusing on demand-side mitigation strategies at a customer level.

Dr. Heran Zheng
Dr. Zengkai Zhang
Dr. Yuli Shan
Dr. Ou Jiamin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• economic growth
• carbon footprint
• carbon inequality
• low