Trajectory, drivers, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from urban water system in China during 1980–2030
Urban water systems (UWSs) continuously evolve in response to changes in urban populations, technological advancements, and lifestyle shifts, resulting in significant changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Understanding how GHG emissions vary across the different developmental stages of a UWS is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-09-01
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| Series: | Resources, Environment and Sustainability |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666916125000568 |
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| author | Shiyu Pei Zonghan Li Yi Liu Chunyan Wang Hao Wu Shuming Liu Yujun Huang |
| author_facet | Shiyu Pei Zonghan Li Yi Liu Chunyan Wang Hao Wu Shuming Liu Yujun Huang |
| author_sort | Shiyu Pei |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Urban water systems (UWSs) continuously evolve in response to changes in urban populations, technological advancements, and lifestyle shifts, resulting in significant changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Understanding how GHG emissions vary across the different developmental stages of a UWS is crucial for charting pathways toward carbon neutrality under varying levels of urbanization and infrastructure maturity. To explore the long-term patterns of GHG emissions from the UWS, we developed a systematic accounting framework encompassing four energy-related subsystems: water extraction, water supply, residential water use, and wastewater treatment. We applied this framework to China’s UWS across its transitional trajectory—from early development to system-wide maturity (1980–2020) at the provincial level. Results show that over the 40 years, GHG emissions from China’s UWS increased approximately 14-fold, surpassing the overall rate of population growth by 143.9%. From the early 1990s till now, residential water use emerged as the dominant source of UWS-related emissions, accounting for approximately 77.6% of total emissions. Our scenario analysis estimates a potential 34.0% reduction in China’s carbon emissions (128.3 Mt CO2-eq) by 2030 through water-saving strategies. This study offers critical insights into promoting low-carbon operations and sustainable management of UWS, and serves as an important reference for global efforts net-zero water infrastructure. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3813b08c8bc94bdf9aac4f8f7e3c3948 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2666-9161 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-09-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Resources, Environment and Sustainability |
| spelling | doaj-art-3813b08c8bc94bdf9aac4f8f7e3c39482025-08-20T03:17:03ZengElsevierResources, Environment and Sustainability2666-91612025-09-012110024410.1016/j.resenv.2025.100244Trajectory, drivers, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from urban water system in China during 1980–2030Shiyu Pei0Zonghan Li1Yi Liu2Chunyan Wang3Hao Wu4Shuming Liu5Yujun Huang6School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR ChinaSchool of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR ChinaSchool of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR ChinaCorresponding author.; School of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR ChinaSchool of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR ChinaSchool of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR ChinaSchool of Environment, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR ChinaUrban water systems (UWSs) continuously evolve in response to changes in urban populations, technological advancements, and lifestyle shifts, resulting in significant changes in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Understanding how GHG emissions vary across the different developmental stages of a UWS is crucial for charting pathways toward carbon neutrality under varying levels of urbanization and infrastructure maturity. To explore the long-term patterns of GHG emissions from the UWS, we developed a systematic accounting framework encompassing four energy-related subsystems: water extraction, water supply, residential water use, and wastewater treatment. We applied this framework to China’s UWS across its transitional trajectory—from early development to system-wide maturity (1980–2020) at the provincial level. Results show that over the 40 years, GHG emissions from China’s UWS increased approximately 14-fold, surpassing the overall rate of population growth by 143.9%. From the early 1990s till now, residential water use emerged as the dominant source of UWS-related emissions, accounting for approximately 77.6% of total emissions. Our scenario analysis estimates a potential 34.0% reduction in China’s carbon emissions (128.3 Mt CO2-eq) by 2030 through water-saving strategies. This study offers critical insights into promoting low-carbon operations and sustainable management of UWS, and serves as an important reference for global efforts net-zero water infrastructure.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666916125000568Urban water systemGreenhouse gas emissionsHistorical trajectoryDriving factorsScenario analysis |
| spellingShingle | Shiyu Pei Zonghan Li Yi Liu Chunyan Wang Hao Wu Shuming Liu Yujun Huang Trajectory, drivers, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from urban water system in China during 1980–2030 Resources, Environment and Sustainability Urban water system Greenhouse gas emissions Historical trajectory Driving factors Scenario analysis |
| title | Trajectory, drivers, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from urban water system in China during 1980–2030 |
| title_full | Trajectory, drivers, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from urban water system in China during 1980–2030 |
| title_fullStr | Trajectory, drivers, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from urban water system in China during 1980–2030 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Trajectory, drivers, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from urban water system in China during 1980–2030 |
| title_short | Trajectory, drivers, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from urban water system in China during 1980–2030 |
| title_sort | trajectory drivers and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from urban water system in china during 1980 2030 |
| topic | Urban water system Greenhouse gas emissions Historical trajectory Driving factors Scenario analysis |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666916125000568 |
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