Inter-provincial carbon emission intensity factor analysis and carbon intensity projection calculation in China

The extended “STIRPAT” model and the GM(1,1) model are used to predict the factors influencing inter-provincial carbon emission intensity and carbon intensity in China respectively. In this paper, based on the collation of inter-provincial carbon emission data, the extended “STIRPAT” model is formulated for carbon dioxide emissions and carbon intensity emissions, and the Hausman test is used to determine the influence form of the models. The main influencing factors of carbon intensity were identified: economic development level, energy intensity, and energy consumption structure. The paper constructs GM(1,1) model for carbon emission intensity from 2010-2019 using the gray prediction method,and calculates the carbon emission intensity of China’s inter-provincial 2022 by residual test, correlation test, variance, and small error probability test, and then predicts the carbon demand of each province and city in 2022 according to the expected average annual growth rate, and finally concludes that using carbon emission intensity as the carbon emission reduction target of each region, and it cannot fundamentally solve the problem of carbon pollution in China. Compared to the regional carbon emission reduction target, there is a greater degree of regional imbalance in carbon intensity between provinces in China, and the target of reducing carbon emission intensity somehow avoids the fact that the carbon emission reduction intensity target can be achieved without reducing the absolute amount of carbon emissions that continue to increase. The focus of achieving the “double carbon” target lies in the reduction of total carbon emissions, and the target of reducing carbon intensity will eventually be transformed into a binding target of total carbon emissions in the process of implementation, so attention should be shifted from recessiontype carbon reduction and efficiency-type carbon reduction to innovative carbon reduction. It is necessary to increase investment in renewable energy, and gradually expand the scope of application of photovoltaic, and wind power to ensure the reduction of total carbon emissions.

Regional inequality, spatial spillover effects, and the factors influencing city-level energy-related carbon emissions in China

Data show that carbon emissions are increasing due to human energy consumption associated with economic development. As a result, a great deal of attention has been focused on efforts to reduce this growth in carbon emissions as well as to formulate policies to address and mitigate climate change. Although the majority of previous studies have explored the driving forces underlying Chinese carbon emissions, few have been carried out at the city-level because of the limited availability of relevant energy consumption statistics. Here, we utilize spatial autocorrelation, Markov-chain transitional matrices, a dynamic panel model, and system generalized distance estimation(Sys-GMM) to empirically evaluate the key determinants of carbon emissions at the city-level based on Chinese remote sensing data collected between 1992 and 2013. We also use these data to discuss observed spatial spillover effects taking into account spatiotemporal lag and a range of different geographical and economic weighting matrices. The results of this study suggest that regional discrepancies in city-level carbon emissions have decreased over time, which are consistent with a marked spatial spillover effect, and a ‘club' agglomeration of high-emissions. The evolution of these patterns also shows obvious path dependence, while the results of panel data analysis reveal the presence of a significant U-shaped relationship between carbon emissions and per capita GDP. Data also show that per capita carbon emissions have increased in concert with economic growth in most cities, and that a high-proportion of secondary industry and extensive investment growth have also exerted significant positive effects on city-level carbon emissions across China. In contrast, rapid population agglomeration, improvements in technology, increasing trade openness, and the accessibility and density of roads have all played a role in inhibiting carbon emissions. Thus, in order to reduce emissions, the Chinese government should legislate to inhibit the effects of factors that promote the release of carbon while at the same time acting to encourage those that mitigate this process. On the basis of the analysis presented in this study, we argue that optimizing industrial structures, streamlining extensive investment, increasing the level of technology, and improving road accessibility are all effective approaches to increase energy savings and reduce carbon emissions across China.