Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Greenhouse gas emissions from the usage of typical e-products by households: a case study of China

  • Published:
Climatic Change Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The number of electric and electronic products (e-products) owned by Chinese households has multiplied in the past decade. In this study, we analyz the GHG emissions from e-products in Chinese households in order to understand and determine how to mitigate their effects on climate change. The results show that the usage stage of e-products has become an important source of GHG emissions in China, with total GHG emissions of these household e-products reaching about 663 million tons CO2 eq., accounting for about 8.85 % of all Chinese GHG emissions in 2012. The average GHG emission per household per year in China was 1538 kg CO2 eq. in 2012, a little higher than that of Norwegian households (1200 kg CO2 eq.). The electricity mix plays a very important role in GHG emissions, and the 78 % coal-fired power consumption accounted for 99.69 % of the total GHG emissions. Our research also supports the view that GHG emissions from household e-products increased with economic level. To reduce the GHG emissions of household e-products, the development of energy-saving e-products and changes to the electricity mix would be very effective measures.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akorede MF, Hizam H, Ab Kadir MZA, Aris I, Buba SD (2012) Mitigating the anthropogenic global warming in the electric power industry. Renew Sust Energ Rev 16:2747–2761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andrae ASG, Vaija MS (2014) To which degree does sector specific standardization make life cycle assessments comparable?—the case of global warming potential of smartphones. Challenges 5:409–429

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bos JFFP, Jd H, Sukkel W, Schils RLM (2014) Energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in organic and conventional farming systems in the Netherlands. NJAS - Wagening J Life Sci 68:61–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Corcoran PM, Andrae ASG (2013) Emerging trends in electricity consumption for consumer ICT. Report from NUI Galway, Ireland. Available online: http://aran.library.nuigalway.ie/xmlui/handle/10379/3563

  • Dahowski RT, Davidson CL, Li XC, Wei N (2012) A $70/tCO2 greenhouse gas mitigation backstop for China’s industrial and electric power sectors: insights from a comprehensive CCS cost curve. Int J Greenh Gas Control 11:73–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dones R, Bauer C, Bolliger R, Burger B, Faist Emmenegger M, Frischknecht R, … & Tuchschmid M (2007) Life cycle inventories of energy systems: results for current systems in Switzerland and other UCTE countries. Ecoinvent Rep 5(5)

  • Duan H, Eugster M, Hischier R, Streicher-Porte M, Li J (2009) Life cycle assessment study of a Chinese desktop personal computer. Sci Total Environ 407:1755–1764

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duan H, Miller TR, Gregory J, Kirchain R (2014) Quantifying export flows of used electronics: advanced methods to resolve used goods within trade data. Environ Sci Technol 48:3263–3271

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • EC (European Commission) (2014) Eco-design of energy-related products. http://ec.europa.eu/energy/efficiency/ecodesign/eco_design_en.htm

  • Evans L, Milfont TL, Lawrence J (2014) Considering local adaptation increases willingness to mitigate. Glob Environ Chang 25:69–75

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang W, Yang Y, Xu Z (2013) PM10 and PM2.5 and health risk assessment for heavy metals in a typical factory for cathode ray tube television recycling. Environ Sci Technol 47:12469–12476

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feng C, Gao X, Wu J, Tang Y, He J, Qi Y, Zhang Y (2015) Greenhouse gas emissions investigation for towns in China: a case study of Xiaolan. J Clean Prod 103:130–139

  • Gnansounou E, Dong J, Bedniaguine D (2004) The strategic technology options for mitigating CO2 emissions in power sector: assessment of Shanghai electricity-generating system. Ecological Economics 50:117–133

  • Hertwich EG, Roux C (2011) Greenhouse gas emissions from the consumption of electric and electronic equipment by Norwegian households. Environ Sci Technol 45:8190–8196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hikwama BP (2005) Life cycle assessment of a personal computer. Bachelor Thesis of Southern Queensland University, Australia

  • Jaccard M, Tu J (2011) Show some enthusiasm, but not too much: carbon capture and storage development prospects in China. Glob Environ Chang 21:402–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li J, Tian B, Liu T, Liu H, Wen X, Si H (2006) Status quo of e-waste management in mainland China. J Mater Cycles Waste Manag 8:13–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li X, Ou X, Zhang X, Zhang Q, Zhang X (2013) Life-cycle fossil energy consumption and greenhouse gas emission intensity of dominant secondary energy pathways of China in 2010. Energy 50:15–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li J, Zeng X, Stevels A (2015) Ecodesign in consumer electronics: past, present and future. Crit Rev Environ Sci Technol 45(8):840–860

  • Liu Z, Guan D, Crawford-Brown D, Zhang Q, He K, Liu J (2013) Energy policy: a low-carbon road map for China. Nature 500:143–145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • NBSC (National Bureau of Statistics of China) (2013) Chinese statistical yearbook (2003–2012). http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2013/indexch.htm

  • Park W Y (2011) TV energy consumption trends and energy-efficiency improvement options. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. LBNL5024-E

  • PRé (2014) World’s leading LCA software. http://www.pre-sustainability.com/simapro

  • Song Q, Li J (2014) A systematic review of the human body burden of e-waste exposure in China. Environ Int 68C:82–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song Q, Wang Z, Li J (2012a) Residents’ behaviors, attitudes, and willingness to pay for recycling e-waste in Macau. J Environ Manag 106:8–16

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song Q, Wang Z, Li J, Yuan W (2012b) Life cycle assessment of desktop PCs in Macau. Int J Life Cycle Assess 18:553–566

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song Q, Wang Z, Li J, Zeng X (2012c) Life cycle assessment of TV sets in China: a case study of the impacts of CRT monitors. Waste Manag 32:1926–1936

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vennemo H, Aunan K, Jinghua F, Holtedahl P, Tao H, Seip HM (2006) Domestic environmental benefits of China’s energy-related CDM potential. Clim Chang 75:215–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu Z, Zhang H, Krause CM, Cobb NS (2010) Climate change and human activities: a case study in Xinjiang, China. Clim Chang 99:457–472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang J, Chen B (2013) Integrated evaluation of embodied energy, greenhouse gas emission and economic performance of a typical wind farm in China. Renew Sust Energ Rev 27:559–568

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng L, Yu Y, Li J (2014) China’s promoting energy-efficient products for the benefit of the people program in 2012: results and analysis of the consumer impact study. Appl Energy 133:22–32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou W (2006) How developing countries can engage in GHG reduction: a case study for China. Sustain Sci 1:115–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The work was financially supported by the National Key Technologies R&D Program (2014BAC03B04), and a special fund of the State Key Joint Laboratory of Environmental Simulation and Pollution Control (11Z02ESPCT).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jinhui Li.

Electronic supplementary material

Twelve tables containing background information on in-use stock, usage information, main components of e-products, the electricity generation and consumption, and the GHG emissions of e-products in China. Three figures containing electricity composition, volume prediction of e-products, and the past GHG emissions of e-products in China.

ESM 1

(DOCX 65 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Song, Q., Li, J. Greenhouse gas emissions from the usage of typical e-products by households: a case study of China. Climatic Change 132, 615–629 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-015-1449-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-015-1449-4

Keywords

Navigation