Energy and water utilization efficiency in different sectors in Guangdong

Multi-scale input-output method was used in this study to calculate water-energy resource intensity of various sectors in the economic system of Guangdong Province．Resource circulation between Guangdong and other regions in China was quantified, and the final use of resources in various sectors in Guangdong was analyzed, to accurately quantify efficiency of resource utilization and to discover key sectors for resource conservation．Water intensity of agriculture (619.25 m³·(10 000 yuan)⁻¹), energy intensity of power, gas and water production and supply (120.64 GJ·(10 000 yuan)⁻¹) were found to be significantly higher than other sectors．The average water use efficiency and energy consumption efficiency of all sectors in Guangdong were higher than the national average but lower than world average．The mutual utilization efficiency of water and energy was higher both than the national average in China and the world average．Net inflow of water resources to Guangdong Province was 8.145 billion m³, accounting for one quarter of the total．The net inflow of energy was 5.53×10⁹ GJ, accounting for 66% of direct energy consumption．Developed economy and large population were found to have a strong agglomeration effect on resources．Construction, electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing had heavy demand on water and energy, and these were key sectors in the conservation and bidirectional resource regulation of water and energy in Guangdong．