DYNAMIC ANALYSIS FOR REGIONAL CARBON FOOTPRINT COUPLING AND INFLUENCING FACTORS

Based on current research on carbon footprint, this paper proposes concepts and models pertaining to regional carbon capacity, carbon footprint density, and the carbon footprint coupling degree. Dynamic analysis on the variation of carbon footprint and the degree of coupling of carbon footprint in Liaoning province, from 1996 to 2014, was carried out. The impact of economic development, energy intensity, energy efficiency, population pressure, and the energy structure on the carbon footprint of the Liaoning Province was analysed by logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method. Results indicated that the carbon footprint emitted in Liaoning increased annually by 8.249% from 52.06065 million t to 1.3494741 billion t. The degree of coupling of carbon footprint changed from 3.4732 in 1996 to 0.2484 in 2014. The coupling coordination process underwent two stages: coupling imbalance and basic coupling. Economic development, population pressure, and energy intensity contribute to the increase in carbon footprint. Economic development is the main contributor. Energy efficiency and energy structure impede the emission of carbon footprint. Carbon footprint in Liaoning can be reduced by optimising industrial structure and distribution, developing new energy resources and improving the coverage of solid carbon vegetation.