Constraints and Countermeasures: To Promote Low-Carbon Economy Development of Re

Abstract

This article summarized the experience of low-carbon economy development in both foreign and domestic countries. Also， the present study proposed a low carbon system where the government plays the leading role in developing low-carbon economy， enterprises set up the goal of low-carbon operation， market instruments are used to adjust low-carbon operation， society layout is arranged in a low-carbon manner， and lowcarbon consumption awareness among residents is well established. In addition， the existing problems and proposed countermeasures were discussed for low-carbon development of resource-based cities.

Key words： Low-carbon economy； Resource-based city； Development problem

INTRODUCTION

Resource-based cities have made a huge contribution to national economy and social development in China. However， as the economy of the resource-based cities grow， problems like resource depletion and ecological environment deterioration are also becoming increasingly severe， posing great threat to the sustainable development of its economy and people’s life quality. Therefore， promoting low-carbon economy of resource-based cities will not only bring new opportunities for their own development， but is also of great important economic and political significance to the society as a whole.

1. CONSTRAINTS OF LOW CARBON E C O N O M Y D E V E L O P M E N T I N RESOURCE-BASED CITIES

1.1 Low-Carbon Policy is Imperfect and LowCarbon Consumption Awareness is poor

Development of laws and regulations on low-carbon economy in China is still at its infancy， and the strategic and policies and systems of low-carbon development is still not perfect （Xia， 2008）. Thus， low-carbon market management is mainly achieved through administrative means by such as energy conservation and emission reduction by the government. This leads to many serious problems of the carbon trading market. Besides， the lack of proper low-carbon consumption habits and lifestyle also highlights the needs of strengthening people’s lowcarbon consumption awareness.

1.2 Backward of Low-Carbon Technology， and Insufficient R & D Funding

At present， China’s investment in low-carbon technology projects mainly comes from government funding， and it lacks a proper investment mechanism which integrates the efforts of government， enterprises and the society （Zhang， 2010）. Due to the lack of confidence on low-carbon technology， the financial industry provides little funding for low-carbon projects with few financing instrument. As a result， the funding for low-carbon technologies development is far from satisfactory.

2. PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE OF LOWCARBON ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES

2.1 Practice of Low-Carbon Economic Development in Foreign Countries

The United Nations has held many conferences to coordinate the efforts of all countries and yielded with a series of international agreements. Under the influence of UN， countries all over the world made various efforts in developing low-carbon economy. They established various low-carbon development strategies and related laws and took a variety of measures and actions such as introducing the “Green New Deal” （See Table 2. Guan， 2005）.

3. COUNTERMEASURES FOR LOWCARBON ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT OF RESOURCE-BASED CITIES

To develop low-carbon economy， resource-based cities should take the concept low-carbon development as their guide， and take into account various factors including their actual economic and social development， resources and environment conditions. To achieve the goal of lowcarbon regulation， low-carbon business， low-carbon market operation， low-carbon society layout and lowcarbon public consumption， changes in government regulation means， corporate operating mode， market operation order， social layout and public consumption concept are required （Qian， 2005）.

3.1 Government： Low-Carbon Supervision

（1） Establish overall strategic plan of low-carbon economy development. Government should define development goals and integrate low-carbon economy development into city construction. In accordance with the general requirements of “low consumption， low emission， low pollution and high-yield”， the government should act as a lighthouse for low-carbon economy development by developing appropriate laws and regulations and establishing specialized agencies.

（2） Promote innovation of low-carbon technologies. Government can make mandatory and incentive policies to promote continuous advancement of low-carbon technologies， and provide special energy-saving fund for enterprise to enhance energy-saving and low-carbon technological innovation. Besides， efforts should also be made to accelerate the application of the existing lowcarbon technologies， and self-dependent innovation of key low-carbon technologies， which would provide impetus for low-carbon economy development and industrial restructuring.

（3） Establish and improve low-carbon laws and regulations （Chen， 2007）. The government should strengthen environmental management and governance of resource-based cities， and take resolute efforts to put an end to overexploitation of nature and disorderly emission of the “three wastes”. Also， the government should set a deadline for enterprises to keep industrial pollution sources under control and provide rewards such as financial subsidies and tax relief for business transformation.

（4） Adjust industrial structure actively and develop low-carbon industries vigorously（Wang， 2009）. The government should promote transformation and upgrading of traditional industries， advocate low-carbon development for high-carbon industry， and encourage the use of new technologies， processes and equipment among enterprises. Thus， both industrial transformation and core competitiveness would be enhanced. Besides， the government should also make more efforts in accelerating the development of lowcarbon industries and popularize low-carbon products actively.

（5） Establish a systematic capital protection mechanism（Wang， 2009）. The government should increase investment in technological innovation， expand their fiscal expenditure for environmental protection， and improve the management of clean production， renewable energy sources and new energy development. The government should make relevant policies to encourage banks to level up green credit services and provide preferential policies on credit and fiscal subsidy for resource-based cities.

（6） Enhance the popularity of low-carbon education. The government should guide and promote public participation in the construction of the low-carbon city， popularize low-carbon knowledge and concept， and raise low-carbon awareness among the public through advocacy and education.

3.2 Enterprises： Low-Carbon Operations on the Basis of Fulfilling Social Responsibility and Profit Maximization

（1） Develop low-carbon technologies and establish low-carbon technology system. Enterprises should actively develop technologies to improve energy utilization and establish diversified low-carbon technology system of new energy， renewable energy and natural carbon sinks. Enterprises could also make good use of hydrogen energy and develop “low-carbon and hydrogen-rich”technologies， which would promote the transformation to low-carbon economy.

（2） Produce low-carbon products and strengthen comprehensive utilization of by-products and waste （Zhang， 2012）. To boost business profits， enterprises should produce eco-efficient low-carbon products through improvement and introduction of advanced technologies. Additionally， enterprises should strengthen the comprehensive utilization of waste and by-products such as gangue， coal cinder and coal washing mud and turn the waste into treasure.

（3） Extend industrial chain and improve deep processing. Through comprehensive management of coal and electric power， enterprises should enhance their ability of value-increasing in energy intensive processing and to improve the processing efficiency. This would not only bring economic， but also social and environmental benefits to resource-based cities.

CONCLUSION

The development of low-carbon economy for resourcebased cities is imperative. Low carbon transformation of resource-based cities is a project which requires systematic planning and implementation， and the joint efforts of the government， the market， enterprises， society and residents. In general， a low carbon economy requires the government to exercise its regulatory power； enterprises to conduct low-carbon operations； a low-carbon market which works properly； a rational low-carbon city layout； and a population with low-carbon awareness. Only in this way， can we achieve sustainable urban development.

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