Correlation analysis of carbon emissions and influencing factors in China

The correlation degrees among carbon emissions and influencing factors help to make correct judgment and insightful short and long term policies for the low-carbon economy. According to the carbon emissions data provided by American Oak Ridge National Laboratory Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC), from which we selected the data of world's top 11carbon emitting countries, a comparative carbon emissions analysis is made and the analysis reflects several trends in global emissions and one of the significant is that China overtakes United States as the world's largest carbon emitter. This article, referring to the CDIAC's estimate China carbon emissions data from 2000 to 2011, analyses the correlations among China's carbon emissions and several influencing factors, such as, technology progress, population, economic growth, industrial structure, energy prices and the urbanization by using relation gray system theory gray correlation analysis. The analysis reflects that economic growth is the main influencing factor for carbon emissions, technology progress and urbanization take the second and third position separately, and energy prices turns out to be the last influencing factor for carbon emissions. Finally, we propose the carbon reduction strategies, proposals and recommendations for the low-carbon economy, expecting countermeasures to be taken to reasonably control the carbon emissions.