Synergistic effects of heat and carbon on sustainable urban development: Case study of the Wuhan Urban Agglomeration

Abstract

The rapid pace of urbanization has resulted in pressing climatic challenges, notably an escalation in carbon emissions and rising urban temperatures. Urban expansion frequently coincides with heightened carbon emissions, releasing substantial quantities of greenhouse gases such as CO2. This exacerbates the urban heat island (UHI) effect and poses a threat to urban living conditions. To shed light on the intricate relationship between land surface temperature (LST) and carbon emissions and provide novel insights into the synergistic regulation of “heat” and “carbon” in sustainable urban development, we conducted an in-depth investigation of the Wuhan Urban Agglomeration spanning from 2003 to 2018. Employing data on impervious surface fraction (ISF), LST, and carbon emissions, we harnessed weighted center and standard deviation ellipse analyses to explore the spatiotemporal expansion patterns of ISF, LST, and carbon emissions. We examined the relationship between LST and carbon emissions using spatial correlation analysis. The results revealed that regions with high carbon emissions and elevated LST were predominantly concentrated in the central urban areas of each city, aligned with the distribution of high-density impervious surfaces. The weighted centers of ISF, LST, and carbon emissions exhibited a progressive shift toward the central region of Wuhan, intensifying spatial clustering effects. The global Moran's I index for LST and carbon emissions increased from 0.33 in 2003 to 0.48 in 2018, signifying a strong positive correlation between LST and carbon emissions. In the clustering maps of LST and carbon emissions, the high-high clustering trend persistently expanded, signifying a shift from “dispersion” to “agglomeration” in urban heat and carbon effects. In regions marked by consistent carbon emission growth, the correlation coefficient (R) between carbon emissions and LST was 0.4, and the Pearson coefficient was 0.64, both higher than those in areas with gradual carbon emission growth. Within stable carbon emission growth areas, every 0.1-ton increase in carbon emissions has a 40% probability of a 1.33 °C temperature rise. As the rate of carbon emissions increased, the positive synergistic effect between carbon emissions and LST continued to increase. This study provides empirical support and academic groundwork to reduce urban emissions and mitigate the effects of UHIs.