Work

The future of fossil fuels, chemicals, and feedstocks: Outlining a research agenda on the role of China in the global petrochemical industry

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Petrochemical production is tightly entangled with fossil fuel extraction and constitutes the primary driver of oil demand growth. Therefore, scholars have increasingly started exploring the linkages between fossil fuels and chemicals, tracing their importance for the political economy of energy transitions. A defining feature in the global petrochemical industry is that the majority of the recent and ongoing build-out of production capacity is located in China. Therefore, the outlook of the Chinese petrochemical industry is critical to the prospects of national as well as global energy transitions. In this paper, we review and contextualize the Chinese expansion, distilling key dimensions that shape the prospects of petrochemical transitions: i) Chinese political economy dynamics and the role of industrial policy; ii) the tensions between petrochemical expansion, decarbonization, and pollution; and iii) ramifications for the international political economy of petrochemicals. On this basis, we propose a research agenda that explores these three areas in more depth, outlining key issues for an increasingly important trend that shapes reconfigurations in the global energy order.

Source: Energy Research & Social Science

DOI: 10.1016/j.erss.2024.103750

Authors: Mathias Larsen, Joachim Peter Tilsted

Institutions: Brown University, Lund University

Language: English

Topic: Global Energy Security and Policy

Subfield: General Energy

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Affordable and clean energy, Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,300