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Association between coal consumption and urbanization in a coal-based region: a multivariate path analysis

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Abstract

This study examines causal relationship between urbanization and coal consumption. By taking Shanxi Province, China, as a typical case area, a multivariate path analysis model is used to seek for the key driving factors of coal consumption throughout its urbanization during the period of 1978 to 2014. The result indicates that the key factors are urban household disposable income and residential area per capita, which are closely related to urban construction and household lifestyle. It is expected that the study may inform better policies on coal consumption reduction and energy structure improvement.

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Acknowledgements

This study is sponsored by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41301639, No. 41571520), Shanxi Scholarship Council of China (No. 2016–078).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geographical Science, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, 041004, China

    Xiaojia Guo

  2. College of Earth and Environmental Science, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Zilong Zhang & Guokui Wang

  3. Faculty of Geosciences and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 611756, China

    Rui Zhao

  4. Department of Geography, University of Toronto Mississauga, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada

    Guokui Wang

  5. School of Foreign Language, Shanxi Normal University, Linfen, 041004, China

    Jing Xi

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  1. Xiaojia Guo
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  2. Zilong Zhang
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  3. Rui Zhao
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  4. Guokui Wang
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  5. Jing Xi
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Correspondence to Rui Zhao.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Guo, X., Zhang, Z., Zhao, R. et al. Association between coal consumption and urbanization in a coal-based region: a multivariate path analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 533–540 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-0436-x

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