Spatial Heterogeneity of the Carbon Emission Effect Resulting from Urban Expansion among Three Coastal Agglomerations in China

Jiqun Wen, Xiaowei Chuai, Shanchi Li, Song Song, Yuanwei Li, Mengjie Wang and Shuosheng Wu
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Jiqun Wen: School of Public Management, Guangdong University of Finance & Economics, Guangzhou 510320, China
Xiaowei Chuai: School of Geography & Ocean Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
Shanchi Li: Beijing GEOWAY Software Co., Ltd., Beijing 100043, China
Song Song: School of Geographical Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Yuanwei Li: School of Public Management, Guangdong University of Finance & Economics, Guangzhou 510320, China
Mengjie Wang: School of Public Management, Guangdong University of Finance & Economics, Guangzhou 510320, China
Shuosheng Wu: School of Public Management, Guangdong University of Finance & Economics, Guangzhou 510320, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 17, 1-20

Abstract: Land-use change, particularly urban expansion, can greatly affect the carbon balance, both from the aspects of terrestrial ecosystems and anthropogenic carbon emissions. Coastal China is a typical region of rapid urban expansion, and obvious spatial heterogeneity exists from the north to south. However, the different urban change characteristics and the effect on carbon balance remain undetermined. By unifying the spatial-temporal resolution of carbon source and sink data, we effectively compared the carbon budgets of three coastal urban agglomerations in China. The results show that all of the three urban agglomerations have undergone an obvious urban expansion process, with the built-up area increasing from 1.03 × 10 4 km 2 in 2000 to 3.06 × 10 4 km 2 in 2013. For Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH), the built-up area gradually expanded. The built-up area in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) gradually changed before 2007 but rapidly grew thereafter. The built-up expansion of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) passed through three growing stages and showed the largest mean patch size. Carbon emission spatial patterns in the three urban agglomerations are consistent with their economic development, from which the net ecosystem production (NEP) spatial patterns are very different. Compared to carbon emissions, NEP has a carbon sink effect and can absorb some carbon emissions, but the amounts were all much lower than the carbon emissions in the three urban agglomerations. The carbon sink effect in the Yangtze River Delta is the most obvious, with the Pearl River Delta following, and the lowest effect is in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei. Finally, a scientific basis for policy-making is provided for viable CO 2 emission mitigation policies.

Keywords: urban expansion; carbon sink; carbon emission; urban agglomeration; spatial (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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