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

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.