Nhận biết (M1)

In China, use of solid fuel (e.g., coal, wood) as a share of total household fuel use fell by about 40 percent between 2000 and 2019; such shifts are typically explained by appeal to the energy ladder, a model holding that fuel choice is mediated mainly by household income (specifically, high-technology fuels displace solid fuels as incomes rise). Moses Pundo and Gavin Fraser's study of fuel use in Kenya shows this model to be reductive, however: household fuel use was heterogeneous, flexible, and influenced by several factors, including the type of dwelling a household occupies.

Based on the text, how would an advocate of the energy ladder model most likely explain the change observed in China?

• A.

  Between 2000 and 2019, household incomes rose in China, resulting in households meeting a greater proportion of their fuel needs with high-technology fuels.

• B.

  Household incomes in China rose from 2000 to 2019, which weakened the association between income and household fuel choice.

• C.

  Solid fuel use declined in China between 2000 and 2019 because changes in household income during that period made solid fuels more expensive relative to income.

• D.

  Beginning in 2000, high-technology fuels became more readily available in China, enabling households of various income levels to shift away from solid fuels.