Carbon Emission and Emission Reduction with Low-carbon Technologies in Chinese Cold Chain Industry

Abstract

The pursuit of fresh food quality has promoted the rapid development of the cold chain industry. The increase in cold chain equipment and facilities causes excessive energy consumption and refrigerant leakage, which has a negative impact on the environment. The development of the cold chain industry is therefore under pressure to reduce emissions under the current "two-carbon" goal. Considering the carbon footprint of the entire cold chain, this study calculates carbon emissions from three aspects, including refrigerant leakage, energy consumption, and food loss and waste. Emission reduction using environmental-friendly refrigerants, high-efficiency technologies, and low-carbon energy is also analyzed. The calculation results show that the current carbon emissions related to the cold chain are up to 402 million tons and will increase to 436 million tons in 2030 if the cold chain industry is developed with existing technology. However, emissions can decrease to 272 million tons, if environmental-friendly refrigerants, high-efficiency technologies, and low-carbon energy are applied.

Keywords

• cold chain
• carbon emission
• dual carbon targets
• low-carbon technologies