Carbon Emission Efficiency of Construction Industry in Hunan Province and Measures of Carbon Emission Reduction

The construction industry is among the pillars of China’s economic development. However, it causes high carbon emission and high energy consumption, which should be considered when drafting energy saving and emission reduction policies. The sustainable development of this industry lies in the effective estimation of carbon emission efficiency and implementation of energy-saving and emission reduction measures in accordance with local practical situations. First, investigations on the emission efficiency of the construction industry and relevant emission reduction policies in foreign developed countries were reviewed in this study. Second, the carbon emission efficiency of the construction industry in 13 prefecture-level cities in Hunan Province (China) from 2011 to 2017 were estimated using the SBM (Slack Based Measure) model involving unexpected outputs. Finally, specific suggestions on reducing the carbon emission of the construction industry were proposed. CO2 emissions in the construction industry increase annually as a response to economic development and urbanization. The carbon emission efficiency of Hunan Province’s construction industry maintained a stable growth rate in 2011-2017. The industry achieved an annual growth rate of 2.7% in 2017 from that in 2011. The carbon emission efficiency of Changsha City, Zhangjiajie City, and Yiyang City were relatively higher than those of other cities in the province. Such findings serve as a reference to the quantification of potential of Hunan Province in reducing the carbon emission, the formulation of specific carbon emission reduction goal, the augmentation of the means to evaluate energy saving and emission reduction, and the development of a low-carbon construction industry.