The Future of Rural China: Evaluation of an Agent-Based Model to Predict Home Heating and Cooking Practices on Energy Use

University Of Colorado At Boulder, Boulder CO

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports the doctoral dissertation field research of Ms. Abilgail Watrous in China. Her research seeks to answer the student?s thesis question: "How will the factors of education, income, and migration influence solid-fuel use in rural China over the next 20 years?" The project, which is designed to advance knowledge and understanding of rural energy use in China, has three components: surveys of migrant workers to understand how migration affects energy perspectives and fuel use, adult energy-education programs, and continued documentation of rural energy use. Ms. Watrous will collaborate with Prof. Xudong Yang of Tsinghua University in Beijing and make use of innovative analytical and modeling methods (agent-based models) as well as the public surveys. This is a unique project that will develop important data as well as the related analytical tools to address the challenges of expanding energy use and the associated climate change. Because energy use raises several social and environmental challenges, especially at the scale of the issue encountered in China, this proposal is especially timely. An important contribution of the project is to understand better the impact of the migration of rural Chinese to cities as it relates to overall energy use.