Abstract
The construction of a reasonable evaluation index system for low-carbon cities is an important part of China’s green development strategy in urban areas. In this study, based on the theoretical framework for the concept of low-carbon cities, the perspectives from three index systems—that is, the Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Response model of intervention (DPSIR), a complex ecosystem, and a carbon source/sink process—were integrated to extract common indicators from existing evaluation index systems for low-carbon cities. Subsequently, a standardized evaluation index system for low-carbon cities that contained five indicators—carbon emission, low carbon production, low carbon consumption, low-carbon policy, and social economic development—was established. Thereafter, Xiamen was selected for an empirical analysis by determining the indicator weight with an entropy weight method and by carrying out a comprehensive evaluation using a linear summation model. The results showed that the weights of the five selected primary indicators for the evaluation of low-carbon cities were: low-carbon production > low-carbon consumption > social economic development > carbon emission > low-carbon policy. Among the secondary indicators, the average entropy weight of “pollution emission” was the highest at 0.1591, while the average entropy weight of “urbanization rate” was the lowest at 0.0360. Furthermore, the comprehensive index of low-carbon development in 2015 was higher than that in 2010, while the rate of economic growth was greater than the growth rate of carbon emission, which indicated that the relative decoupling of economic growth from carbon emission was basically achieved.
Highlights
In recent years, global warming has led to the gradual adoption of developmental models involving green, low-carbon, and circular economies [1]
Cities are the main contributors to carbon emissions, accounting for 75% of total emissions, and this proportion continues to rise with urbanization [4]
In the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Paris, China submitted the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) documents, which stated that China would reach its peak in CO2 emissions around 2030 and would strive to decrease its CO2 emission per unit Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2030 by 60–65% compared to that in 2005 [6]
Summary
Global warming has led to the gradual adoption of developmental models involving green, low-carbon, and circular economies [1]. In the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Paris, China submitted the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) documents, which stated that China would reach its peak in CO2 emissions around 2030 and would strive to decrease its CO2 emission per unit Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2030 by 60–65% compared to that in 2005 [6]. In this context, the low-carbon development model has become the best choice for long-term global development [7]. The lack of adequate standards related to low-carbon cities significantly constrains the strategic development, planning, and construction of low-carbon cities
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