End-of-pipe or process-integrated： evidence from LMDI decomposition of China＇s SO2 emission density reduction

In this study, reduction in sulfur dioxide （SO2） emission is decomposed into three parts： source preven- tion, process control and end-of-pipe treatment, using the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index method （LMDI）. Source prevention and process control are defined as process- integrated treatment. It is found that from 2001 to 2010 the reduction of SO2 emission density in China was mainly contributed by end-of-pipe treatment. From the 10th Five Year Plan （FYP） period （2001-2005） to the llth FYP period （2006-2010）, the Chinese government has attempted to enhance process-integrated treatment. How- ever, given its initial effort, the effect is limited compared with that of the end-of-pipe treatment. The effectiveness of environmental regulation and technology in the reduction of SO2 density in 30 provinces （municipality/autonomous regions） from 2001 to 2010 is also investigated. This implies that environmental regulation and technology promote process control and end-of-pipe treatment sig- nificantly, but does not influence source prevention. Furthermore, environmental technology will only take effect under the circumstances of stringent environmental regulation. Therefore, to fulfill the whole process treat- ment, environmental regulation should be strengthened and environmental technology upgraded at the same time.