Analysis of the non-equilibrium and evolutionary driving forces of carbon emissions in China's construction industry

Abstract

Clarifying the historical characteristics and influencing factors of carbon emissions in the construction industry is essential for formulating targeted emission reduction policies. The study utilized Dagum Gini coefficient and geographical detector to measure and analyze the regional disequilibrium characteristics and key driving factors of carbon emissions from the construction industry in China. The results indicate that regional disparities are the primary drivers of spatial imbalances in carbon emissions from China's construction industry. Indirect and interactive carbon emission driving forces were the main drivers of the spatial imbalance of carbon emissions. The output value of the regional economy and industrial structure exerted a significance influence. Notably construction output value, industrial structure and energy efficiency emerged as the main interaction factors. From these findings, four main conclusions are drawn: Controlling the carbon emission of building materials significantly alleviates the spatial imbalance of carbon emission in China's construction industry. The principle of regional coordinated carbon emission reduction in the construction industry should be followed. The regional economic level and industrial structure differences significantly affect the non-equilibrium of construction industry's carbon emissions. Accelerate the development of energy infrastructure can help to improve the construction industry's carbon emission balance. For the first time, Dagum Gini coefficient was combined with geographical detector analysis to study the disequilibrium of carbon emissions in the construction industry. This approach identified new multi-factor interaction driving forces, contributing to a deeper understanding of carbon emissions in the construction sector.