Abstract
China's dependence on coal is a major contributor to local and global environmental problems. In this paper we estimate the price elasticity of demand for coal in China using a panel of province-level data for 1998-2012. We find that provincial coal demand has become increasingly price elastic. As of 2012 we estimate that this elasticity was in the range -0.3 to -0.7 in point estimate terms when responses over two years are considered. The results imply that China's coal market is becoming more suited to price-based approaches to reducing emissions. The elimination of coal consumption subsidies could reduce national coal use and related emissions by around 2%.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 309-322 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | China Economic Review |
| Volume | 36 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Dec 2015 |