Carbon Emission Status and Regional Differences of China: High-Resolution Estimation of Spatially Explicit Carbon Emissions at the Prefecture Level

Jinwei Guo, Yanbing Qi (), Jiaqi Luo, Guohong Du, Jingyan Sun, Xin Wei () and Mukesh Kumar Soothar
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Jinwei Guo: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
Yanbing Qi: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
Jiaqi Luo: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
Guohong Du: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
Jingyan Sun: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
Xin Wei: College of Humanities & Social Development, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
Mukesh Kumar Soothar: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-27

Abstract: There are disagreements regarding the accuracy of estimation and spatial distribution of carbon emissions in China. It is of great significance to estimate a more detailed carbon emission inventory for China and analyze the carbon emission characteristics of different regions. This study comprehensively estimated carbon dioxide and methane emissions (and their spatial distributions) across eight carbon-emitting sectors in 360 prefecture-level cities in China in 2020. The results indicated that total carbon emissions in China amounted to 146.00 × 10 8 t, with carbon dioxide and methane accounting for 95.87% and 4.13%, respectively. The industrial sector was the main source of carbon emissions, accounting for 75.42% of the total. The North China Plain, the Northeast Plain, and the Sichuan Basin were identified as the carbon emission hotspot areas with the most intensive carbon emission densities. Among the clustered four carbon emission zones based on carbon emission density and economic carbon intensity, the High Carbon Emission Density and High Economic Carbon Intensity zones accounted for 41.73% of total carbon emissions. To achieve carbon neutrality, it is essential to devise emission reduction strategies for specific areas by thoroughly considering spatially explicit variation at the prefecture level, with a focus on primary carbon-emitting cities and sectors.

Keywords: carbon emission estimation; prefecture level; carbon emission sources; carbon emission zoning; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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