Ecological network analysis of the energy metabolic system under the revitalizing process: Insight from the case of Jilin province, China

Abstract How the Northeast Revitalization Plan is reshaping the socioeconomic and energy system of this rustbelt region in China remains unclear to date. In this study, an ecological network model based on environmentally extended input-output tables was developed to quantify the changes in the energy metabolic process of Jilin Province under the implementation of the revitalization policy from 2002 to 2012. The results showed that large investments under the revitalization policy triggered substantial increases in embodied energy consumption, from 314.25 Mtce in 2002 to 651.33 Mtce in 2012. The transportation equipment and chemical products sectors achieved evident scale expansion and strengthened their dominant influence on the energy metabolic system, indicated by the increase of both pulling and driving force indicators. However, the construction and service group sectors presented a stagnant energy consumption trend, which suggested that this revitalization process had failed to fuel urbanization and social development. In addition, the dominance of exploitation relationships among the sectors remained unchanged. The robustness index decreased from 0.32 to 0.28 due to the increase in redundancy and the decrease in efficiency in the system, which is an unfavorable trend for sustainable regional development. This research revealed the complicated effect of revitalization efforts on the energy metabolic system of a rustbelt region, which is informative for effective energy policy making as well as revitalization plan adjustment.