Provincial-level CO2 emissions intensity inequality in China: Regional source and explanatory factors of interregional and intraregional inequalities

Abstract

As the largest emitter in the world, China has pledged to reduce CO2 emissions intensity (CO2 emissions per unit of output) by 60-65% between 2005 and 2030. CO2 emissions intensity inequality analysis in China can provide a scientific basis for the Chinese government to formulate reasonable regional carbon emission abatement strategies, so as to realize the goal above. This paper adopted the Theil index to study the provincial-level CO2 emissions intensity inequality in China during 2005-2015. The regional decomposition was firstly conducted and then the factors of interregional and intraregional inequalities were explored. The results show: (i) a clear increase in provincial CO2 emissions intensity inequality in China has happened; (ii) this inequality and its increase were both mainly explained by the intraregional component; and (iii) the energy efficiency was the most important and positive contributor in the interregional, Eastern, Central, andWestern China inequalities. Energy efficiency was also the key factor that caused the growth in interregional and Western China inequalities. However, most of the Eastern and Central China inequality increments over the whole period were respectively driven by the expanding carbonization gap and the changing GDP share, instead of the trajectory of energy efficiency. According to the results, regional emission mitigation strategies were proposed.