The accounting for greenhouse gas emissions of a low-carbon industrial park in China: a case study in Chongqing

In this study, based on the whole stages of planning, construction and operation of the projects of various sectors in a low-carbon industrial park, a method of accounting GHG emissions is established to analyze comprehensively different GHG sources through a multi-angle approach. A low-carbon industrial park in Chongqing, China, was chosen for a case study. The results show that from 2006 to 2011, total GHG emissions of this industrial park increased by 69.1% from 1.23Mt CO2e to 2.08Mt CO2e, and will reach 4.34Mt CO2e in 2015 according to the planning of new projects. GHG emissions of operational projects are much bigger than projects under construction. Overall, the industry sector is the biggest source of GHG emissions in the park, accounting for about 92.4% of the total volume in 2006 and 85.9% in 2011, and the share will be 83.5% according to the 2015 project planning. Regarding the future low carbon development of the studied industrial park, this paper suggests that it should focus on the industry sector, extend the aluminum processing industrial chain, and actively introduce high value-added and energy-efficiency projects.