Household consumption is one of the important factors to induce CO2 emission. Change in lifestyle
and increase in living expenditures with income growth may lead to increase in CO2 emission. This paper
calculated the inventory of CO2 emission in China based on input-output model, and then estimated CO2
emission induced by urban and rural household consumption based on statistic data of household living
expenditure from 1995 to 2004 in China. The results show that from 1995 to 2004, CO2 emission per capita
induced by household consumption has increased from 911kgCO2 to 1,564kgCO2. The ratio of
consumption-induced CO2 emission to total CO2 emission has risen from 37% to 45% in the past decade. The
CO2 emission induced by indirect energy consumption has increased from 641kgCO2 to 1,193kgCO2, and the
ratio of indirect emission to total emission has risen from 70% to 76% during same period. CO2 emission per
capita induced by urban household consumption has increased from 1,583kgCO2 to 2,498kgCO2. CO2
emission per capita induced by rural household consumption has grown from 636kgCO2 to 894kgCO2. A
significant regional difference in CO2 emission induced by of household consumption can be observed. In 2004,
CO2 emission per capita induced by household consumption in Shanghai is 4,499kg, while it in Yunnan is only
745 kgCO2. CO2 emission per capita induced by urban household consumption in Shanghai is 4,680kg, while it
induced by rural household consumption in Yunnan is only 580kgCO2. The former is 8 times of the latter. CO2
emission increases with growth in income.
Change in lifestyle has driven significant increase in CO2 emission. CO2 emission per capita induced by
housing expenditure has increased from 399kgCO2 to 521kgCO2 during 1995-2004. CO2 emission per capita
induced by transport expenditure has increased from 33kgCO2 to 189kgCO2. Especially increase in private
transport expenditure and house building expenditures are key driving factors to induce growth of CO2
emission. There are large differences in CO2 emission induced by changing lifestyle between urban and rural
areas and cross provinces. In 2004, CO2 emission per capita induced by housing expenditure in Shanghai is
1,927kgCO2, while it in Hunan is only 613kgCO2. CO2 emission per capita induced by transport expenditure
in Guangdong is 509kgCO2, while it in Gansu is only 17kgCO2. It can be expected that households in
low-income regions will increase consumption to improve their livings with income growth in future. Although
it may induce much more CO2 emission, a reasonable level of CO2 emission is needed to satisfy human basic
needs and to improve household livelihood. A noticeable fact is that CO2 emission per capita induced by
household consumption in developed areas of China has reached at a quite high level. Adjustment in lifestyle
towards low-carbon society is required urgently.