Abstract China's urban population will increase by 268 million from 2010 to 2030, with the consumption of a large number of resource‐intensive products. Quantitative analysis of the environmental impacts (water, energy and carbon) of urban agglomerations can make trade‐offs among water conservation, energy use, climate change mitigation, and urban development. In this study, a multi‐layer water‐energy‐carbon production path analysis (MWPPA) model is developed for identifying the key final demands, sectors and supply chain paths of the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PUA). Results show that, water, energy and carbon‐emission intensities respectively reduced by 27.3%, 35.6% and 27.6% in 2015, compared to the levels in 2012. More than half of the water‐energy‐carbon (WEC) footprints are export‐driven, where Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Foshan dominate the WEC footprints of PUA. Results also disclose that Shenzhen is the main recipient of water‐energy, while Jiangmen and Huizhou are the main providers of water and energy, respectively. Policy makers are suggested that each industry actively integrate into global value chains in order to leverage its comparative advantage, and Huizhou should take full advantage of its fossil base to form a complete industry chain from the R&D end to the production end around the energy industry.
Plain Language Summary Not only do urban areas consume large amounts of water and energy, they are also the specific implementation units of carbon reduction policies. The United Nations Sustainable Development goals (UN SDGs) make it clear that water conservation, energy access, climate change mitigation, and urbanization development are important parts of its agenda. As one of the most developed urban agglomerations in China, the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration (PUA) is also the main consumer of water, energy and carbon (WEC). This study reveals that more than half of the WEC footprints are export‐driven, and Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other developed economies dominate the WEC footprints of PUA. Compared to 2012, the consumption intensity of WEC was reduced in 2015. The results also find that light industry and equipment manufacture play key roles in the WEC system. Results suggest that greener production needs to be adopted not only within but also outside of urban agglomerations, while individual cities need to actively promote the integration of each industry into global supply chains.
Key Points A multi‐layer water‐energy‐carbon production path analysis model is developed Exports drive more than half of water, energy and carbon footprints in the Pearl River Delta In the Pearl River Delta, cities of Jiangmen and Huizhou supply the most water and energy, and Huizhou and Dongguan provide the most carbon