Is there a concrete relationship between energy consumption, economic development and environmental load in developing economies? A case study in Shandong Province, China

Shandong Province is currently experiencing fast urbanization and economic booming. However, low energy efficiency, energy shortage and other energy related issues are becoming the limiting factors for further economic development. Based on the analysis of Resource and Environmental Performance Index (REPI) of the past decade, the energy saving index shows that the energy saving level in Shandong fell behind the national average level in China. The sulfur dioxide saving index, however, shows that sulfur dioxide reduction in Shandong was significant. The energy demands of Shandong in 2010, 2015 and 2020 have been forecasted with the environmental load model. In a projected ideal scenario, the energy consumption does not increase with economic development. On the contrary, Shandong can achieve rapid economic development with less energy consumption and affordable environmental load if the industrial structure is being further optimized, technological upgrading efforts are strengthened, strict pollutant control measures are implemented, and reasonable plans for energy development are established.