Carbon-Saving Potential of Urban Parks in the Central Plains City: A High Spatial Resolution Study Using a Forest City, Shangqiu, China, as a Lens

Abstract

This article investigates the potential for carbon reduction in urban parks in Shangqiu City using high-resolution remote sensing imagery. The aim is to guide modern urban carbon neutrality strategies. The carbon-saving potential is estimated based on the mitigation of the urban heat island effect by park greenery, which reduces energy consumption. Then, the sample parks were divided into different categories, and 16 landscape metrics were selected to analyze their relationship with carbon-saving potential and driving factors. We found that a total of 300.57 t CO2 could be reduced in Shangqiu City parks, and on average, a park could reduce 2.55 ± 0.31 t CO2 (1.79 ± 0.29 t CO2 ha−1) per summer day. The significant effect of landscape patterns on park carbon-saving differs between park categories, which means that park carbon-saving enhancement strategies need to be different for different park categories. Meanwhile, this study implies that the landscape pattern can be designed to enhance the carbon-saving potential of urban parks, which can play a great role in promoting the process of carbon neutrality and mitigating climate change in China.