Decomposition analysis of freight energy consumption in China based on Kaya‐LMDI methods

Energy consumption in the freight transport sector is a critical issue as it seeks to balance the growing demand for freight transportation with environmental sustainability. The main aim of this study is to investigate how the different drivers of energy consumption have evolved in China's freight transport sector between 2000 and 2020. This study also examines how these different drivers' (including economic activity, freight transport intensity, freight transport structure, and freight energy intensity) regulation of freight energy consumption has changed. The results are obtained by employing the bottom‐up measurement model based on Kaya identity‐logarithmic mean divisia index methods (Kaya‐LMDI). The analysis reveals a cumulative increase of 175.19 million tonnes coal equivalent (mtce) in freight energy consumption during 2000–2020 in China, primarily fueled by economic activity effect (338.85 mtce) and freight transport structure effect (58.25 mtce). However, the freight transport intensity effect and the freight energy intensity effect have mitigated this increase, with a decrease of 116.05 mtce and 105.85 mtce, respectively. Notably, the year 2018–2019 saw a 61.37 mtce decrease in freight energy consumption, largely due to reduced energy intensity. The findings also emphasize the significant effect of road transport on energy conservation; it was identified as the freight transport mode that most significantly affected the variation in the freight transport energy consumption and had the greatest potential for energy saving.