A systematic review of the evidence on decoupling of GDP, resource use and GHG emissions, part II: synthesizing the insights

摘要: Strategies toward ambitious climate targets usually rely on the concept of "decoupling"; that is, they aim at promoting economic growth while reducing use natural resources and GHG emissions. GDP coinciding with absolute reductions in emissions or resource is denoted as "absolute decoupling", opposed to "relative where increase less so than does GDP. Based bibliometric mapping part I (Wiedenhofer et al., this issue), we synthesize evidence emerging from selected 835 peer-reviewed articles. We evaluate empirical studies decoupling related final/useful energy, exergy, material resources, well CO2 total find relative frequent for but not useful a quality-based measure energy use. Primary can be decoupled largely extent which conversion primary exergy improved. Examples long-term are rare, recently some industrialized countries have both production- and, weaklier, consumption-based analyze policies strategies literature by classifying them into three groups: (1) Green growth, if sufficient were deemed possible without altering trajectory. (2) Degrowth, given priority over growth. (3) Others, e.g. role was analyzed reference change mitigation. conclude large rapid cannot achieved through observed rates, hence needs complemented sufficiency-oriented strict enforcement reduction targets. More research needed interdependencies between wellbeing,