Regional Carbon Emission Reduction Research Articles

Research on the impact of regional integration policy on carbon emissions--Taking the Yangtze River Economic Belt as an example.

The Yangtze River Economic Belt serves as a paradigm of ecological integration and high-quality development within China. Under the constraints of the "Dual Carbon" goal, how does the integrative policy of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, aimed at reinforcing inter-regional industrial cooperation, impact carbon emissions across various provinces within the region? Leveraging panel data from 30 Chinese provinces spanning 2009-2019 and treating the 2016 promulgation of the "Yangtze River Economic Belt Development Planning Outline" as a quasi-natural experiment, this study employs a Difference-in-Differences (DID) model for discerning the effects of regional integration policies on carbon emissions, intensity, and efficiency in the 11 provinces of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. The research further delves into the underlying mechanisms through which policy interventions modulate provincial carbon emissions. Key findings include: (1) The policy's enactment has significantly attenuated provincial carbon emissions and intensity, albeit somewhat hampering the enhancement of carbon efficiency-conclusions robust to parallel trend and placebo tests; (2) Heterogeneity analyses reveal disparities in the policy's carbon emission effects, contingent on varying economic development levels and geographical loci; (3) Mechanistically, while the integration bolsters regional environmental governance and strengthens economic ties-thereby curtailing provincial emissions-it is evident that local governments have been somewhat inept in effectively channeling the influx of substantial short-term capital, hence stifling provincial carbon efficiency. In light of these insights, it is posited that local governments within the Yangtze River Economic Belt should ardently endeavor to refine and elevate regional industrial structures, champion the construction of an integrated regional market, intensify capital oversight and coordinated utilization, and enhance the efficiency of regional capital allocation, all in the quest to augment regional carbon emission reduction performance.

The influence effect of regional carbon emission reduction under the perspective of fiscal decentralization: Government intervention or market mechanism?

AbstractBased on the perspective of fiscal decentralization, the study focuses on 30 provinces in China and employs various econometric models including the threshold model, spatial econometric model, mediation model, and regulation model. The research findings indicate that fiscal decentralization has a double‐threshold effect on government intervention, market mechanisms, and regional carbon emission reduction. Both government intervention and market mechanisms have inhibiting effects on carbon emission, with significant coefficients of GOVI and MARM at the 1% level. The cooperation between government intervention and the market mechanism effectively limits carbon emissions. Government intervention facilitates regional carbon emission reduction through the construction of new infrastructures and energy structure transformation, yielding a significant intermediary effect. The market mechanism is positively regulated through green finance and technology innovation to promote regional carbon emission reduction. Moreover, government intervention enables the market to achieve carbon emission reduction more effectively, especially in areas with a higher degree of government intervention. Continuous improvement and upgrading of regional and national carbon markets are essential to attain the carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. Furthermore, attracting more participants to these markets for emission control subjects is necessary to enhance the effectiveness of government–market coordination.

Land use data can improve the accuracy of carbon emission spatial inversion model

AbstractInvestigating the spatial distribution and correlation characteristics of carbon emissions would be conducive to the policy formulation for precise carbon emission spatial reduction. Firstly, a new carbon emission spatial inversion model was developed, incorporating nighttime light data and land use data. After verifying the validity and accuracy of the inversion results, the continuous carbon emission spatial data in the Beijing‐Tianjin‐Hebei Urban Agglomeration (BTHUA) were acquired from 2000 to 2019. Then, the spatial distribution and correlation characteristics were further analyzed in the BTHUA. Finally, policy recommendations were proposed for carbon emission reduction and urban sustainable development. The results showed that the built model can improve the accuracy of the carbon emission spatial inversion data. The carbon emissions were low in the northwest and high in the southeast of the BTHUA, with a noticeable expansion of the high carbon emission contiguous areas around Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, and other prefecture‐level cities, which was consistent with the socioeconomic development pattern. The center of gravity of carbon emissions moved to the southeast, showing a relatively stable distribution. The spatial correlation degree of carbon emissions among cities gradually increased, with Beijing and Tianjin playing a prominent role. As a scientific tool, the spatial inversion model helps to produce more accurate spatial data. The results and conclusions can provide useful and scientific references for spatial analysis and regulation strategies of regional carbon emission reduction.

Study on the impact of regional carbon emissions on enterprise technological innovation under the background of low-carbon transformation in China

Low-carbon transition, as the backbone of corporate innovation drive, has an important strategic position globally. In order to avoid heterogeneous intercepts related to explanatory variables or interfering with each other, this paper empirically examines the impact of regional carbon emissions on corporate technological innovation and its mechanism based on the data of listed companies in China from 2009 to 2020, using a fixed-effects model. It is found that 1) the reduction of regional carbon emissions is favourable to corporate technological innovation; 2) in terms of the impact mechanism, the reduction of regional carbon emissions promotes corporate technological innovation by enhancing R&D investment and reducing financing constraints. 3) Based on the study of heterogeneity, it is found that: from the perspective of spatial distribution, regional carbon emissions show the phenomenon of “high on both sides and low in the middle”; state-owned enterprises refer to wholly state-owned enterprises, wholly state-owned companies and state-owned capital holding companies in which the State Council and the local people’s governments respectively perform the responsibilities of funders on behalf of the state. In terms of the nature of equity, compared with state-owned enterprises, regional carbon emissions have a greater impact on the technological innovation of non-state-owned enterprises. 4) Further analysis reveals that the low-carbon city pilot policy is conducive to regional carbon emission reduction. Through the comparison before and after the implementation of low carbon policy, this paper reliably verifies that the introduction of urban carpet policy is conducive to regional carbon emissions, and explores the issue of enterprise technological innovation from the perspective of low carbon transformation, providing theoretical support for the carbon emission reduction efforts and the improvement of the technological innovation capacity of different enterprises. At the same time, it fully affirmed the important role of regional carbon emissions, continued to deepen the process of green transformation of enterprises, and boosted the high-quality development of low-carbon enterprises.

Competition or cooperation? Research on the spatial game relationship of regional carbon emission efficiency

The gradient differences of economic development and industrial structure differences in Jing-Jin-Ji Region are significant. The ability of Jing-Jin-Ji Region to pay for environmental protection is imbalanced. The above two situations make it difficult to achieve coordinated pollution reduction and carbon reduction governance. Accurately measuring carbon emission efficiency and thoroughly analyzing the cooperation and competition relationship of regional carbon emission reduction based on fully considering stakeholders are of great significance for the joint construction, prevention and control of regional ecological environment. The research is also of great significance for promoting high-quality economic development and ensuring effective protection of the regional ecological environment. This study combines game theory and DEA theory to measure the carbon emission efficiency of the Jing-Jin-Ji Region, and then uses spatial game theory to analyze the average degree of being attacked, anti-attack ability, strongest attacker, and optimal partner for the carbon emission efficiency of different DMUs. The study concluded that: 1) Xicheng District and Hedong District have higher carbon emission efficiency, while Mentougou District, Fengtai District, Changping District, Fangshan District, Shijingshan District, Pinggu District and Yanqing County have the lowest carbon emission efficiency. 2) From an analysis of the degree of being attacked, it can be observed that economically developed areas experience a higher average degree of being attacked compared to economically underdeveloped areas. In regions with lower economic development, the influence of the local government on reducing carbon emissions is not significant, whether acting independently or in collaboration. Regions with contrasting industrial structures could be ideal partners, and areas with higher carbon emission efficiency could collaborate with regions with lower carbon emission efficiency to achieve greater reduction potential.

Guided by the goal of “double carbon”, what is the carbon emission reduction effect of the promotion and application of green technology in China?

“Carbon peaking and carbon neutralization” is an important measure to promote China’s ecological and environmental protection and high-quality economic development, and the innovation and application of green technology are critical factors in achieving the “double carbon” goal. Based on the number of citations of green patents of listed enterprises in 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020, this paper uses GGDP to replace traditional GDP and calculate carbon emission intensity. Based on the relevant panel data at the provincial level, this paper constructs a spatial Durbin model to analyze the impact mechanism of whether the promotion and application of green technologies promote regional carbon emission reduction. The specific research results are as follows: (1) Through regression of the core explanatory variables with a one-stage lag, it is verified that the promotion and application of green technology has a significant positive promoting effect on regional carbon emission reduction, and there are significant spatial spillover effects and “learning by doing” effects. (2) In the part of heterogeneity test, the impact of green technology promotion and application on carbon emission reduction presents apparent regional heterogeneity and factor endowment heterogeneity. (3) The mediating effect test verifies the mediating effect of energy structure and industrial structure on the influence of green technology promotion and application on regional carbon emission reduction. (4) In the part moderating effect test, it is verified that marketization level and new infrastructure construction have a positive moderating effect in their influencing process, financial development, and government support will weaken the influence of green technology promotion and application on carbon emission reduction effect, and human capital level has a nonlinear regulating effect. The research conclusions of this paper provide necessary enlightenment for the coordination and unification of China’s economic transition to innovation-driven and green and low-carbon development.

Managing Carbon Efficiency and Carbon Equity

China has committed to achieving carbon neutrality by 2060, primarily focusing on reducing carbon intensity. Understanding the regional embodied carbon emissions is critical for managing carbon efficiency and carbon equity in this process. Using the input-output and SBM-DEA models, this article first calculates China's regional embodied carbon emissions. The results reveal substantial carbon transfers between China's different regions. Therefore, designing reduction pathways solely based on production-based carbon emissions raises fairness concerns. To address this, this article employs the SBM-DEA model to calculate the regional reduction potential and marginal abatement costs using the regional embodied carbon emissions and optimize China's pathways of regional carbon emission reduction. The new pathways consider consumption-based reduction potential, marginal abatement cost, and reduction equity, and are all in line with China's carbon reduction target. These schemes are of practical significance for China to develop a more efficient and equitable regional emission reduction plan.

Emergy benefit and radiation effect of multi-dimensional service function of vegetation ecosystem

Vegetation, as a multi-type and multi-functional green energy, plays an important role in regional carbon emission reduction and carbon neutrality. This study carried out the concept of green and sustainable development in depth and constructed an emergy quantification methodology system for the multidimensional service functions of vegetation ecosystems consisting of forests and grasslands based on the theory of emergy analysis and multidisciplinary integration methods. Using the theory of spatial correlation and breakpoints, we delineated the major ecological zones and investigated the radiation effects of typical regulating functions. Taking Luoyang, China, as an example, the results showed that the annual sequence of vegetation ecosystem service function (VES) emergy in Luoyang City showed a decreasing and then increasing trend with 2015 as the cut-off point. Early-stage Forest exploitation had profound effects, while increasing cultural benefits in later stages demonstrated national emphasis on forest research and conservation. The forest's high-quality ecological zone in Luoyang City could be found in the three southern counties of Luoning (LN), Luanchuan (LC), and Song (S). The radiation effect encompassed the entire city, resulting in an obvious impact with a total radiation of approximately 4.10E+20 sej. The high-quality ecological zone of the grassland did not appear until 2020 and is located in Yiyang (YY) county in central Luoyang. It benefited only the surrounding counties and had a total radiation of 1.32E+18sej. However, the development trend is optimistic. The spatial pattern of vegetation should be suitable for natural conditions, and the development strategy of localization as the driving force of the whole should be realized through the establishment of high-quality ecological zones, so as to promote harmonious coexistence between human and nature through green development.

Spatial effects and heterogeneity analysis of the impact of environmental taxes on carbon emissions in China

Environmental taxes are important means by which governments can address environmental pollution problems. Amid increasingly severe global warming, how should environmental taxes be used to better combat pollution and reduce emissions to promote sustainable socioeconomic development? This empirical analysis explores the influence of environmental taxes on CO2 emissions by utilizing a spatial Durbin model constructed with panel data from 2006 to 2020 encompassing 30 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities under the direct jurisdiction of China's central government. First, we found that a strong spatial auto-correlation exists between carbon emission intensity and environmental taxes at the geographic and economic levels in each province. The characteristics of high–high and low–low agglomeration are consistent with the actual situation where each province has a strong regional correlation. Second, the estimation results of environmental taxes' spatial effect on carbon emissions show that under the neighboring space weight matrix, environmental taxes and fees can not only better promote regional carbon emission reduction but also reduce the carbon emissions of neighboring regions. Under the economic distance weight matrix, environmental taxes' impact on reducing carbon emission intensity in the province is not significant, but it can promote the reduction of carbon emissions in the economically neighboring provinces. Additionally, the results of the sub-tax estimation of environmental taxes and carbon emission intensity show that differences exist in the impacts of different environmental taxes on carbon emission intensity under different weight matrices. Among them, environmental protection, resource, vehicle and vessel, and urban land use taxes are basically unfavorable in reducing carbon emission intensity in a region and its neighboring regions, while urban maintenance and construction and cultivated land occupation taxes enhance carbon emission reduction. Our findings suggest that efficiently promoting carbon emissions reduction requires effectively utilizing the spatial effects of environmental taxes and carbon emissions, establishing and improving the regional carbon emissions reduction linkage mechanism, including carbon dioxide in the scope of taxation to further strengthen environmental taxes' positive impact on carbon emission reduction, and focusing on the heterogeneity of environmental tax implementation to achieve emission reduction goals.

Research on Regional Carbon Emission Reduction in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration Based on System Dynamics: Key Factors and Policy Analysis

Urban agglomerations are regions where the economy and population are highly concentrated, which are also spatial units with more concentrated carbon emissions. A detailed decomposition of driving factors based on changes in carbon emissions of urban agglomerations can provide a reference for better carbon reduction policies. In this paper, we establish an evaluation framework of carbon emission drivers of urban agglomeration from the perspective of CO2 generation and removal using a system dynamics method. The key influencing factors and optimal emission reduction measures of carbon emissions in urban agglomerations are explored. The results are as follows: (1) The industrial structure is the key influencing factor of carbon emissions; (2) compared with no implementation of any policies, the total carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity of integrated policies all significantly decrease, with a decrease of 43.68% and 53.32%, respectively in 2035; (3) energy structure adjustment has a significant effect in reducing carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity; (4) the role of increasing investment in technological innovation in ensuring achievement of “carbon peak” should not be ignored. It is found that integrated policies often exhibit a better emission reduction effect, but this effect is not a simple summation of the effects of each single policy.

Identifying and assessing the multiple effects of informal environmental regulation on carbon emissions in China

Against the backdrop of the global carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, the role of informal environmental regulation, epitomized by public engagement, is assuming an increasingly pivotal position within the realm of environmental management. By contrast, amidst the prevailing landscape dominated by formal environmental regulation (command-and-control and market-driven approaches), the environmental effects of informal environmental regulation on carbon emissions have received scant attention. Consequently, we examine the net, nonlinear, and mediation effects of informal environmental regulation on carbon emissions using panel data from 30 provinces in China, from 2003 to 2019. We find that informal environmental regulation has a significant effect on regional carbon emission reduction, especially in the eastern cities, pilot cities, and cities with long-term governor's tenure. Its U-shaped effect is confirmed by changes in environmental decentralization. The key points remain valid after the robustness test and the endogenous processing. The mechanism analysis shows that informal environmental regulation can reduce carbon emissions in the dual channels by improving industrial structure transition and renewable energy substitution. Therefore, this study assesses the management effectiveness of informal environmental regulation and determines the underlying mechanism between it and regional carbon emission reduction to provide a reference and an empirical basis for other countries regarding environmental improvement.

The impact of farmland use transition on CO2 emissions and its spatial spillover effects from the perspective of major function-oriented zoning: The case of Huang-Huai-Hai plain

Global warming seriously threatens the sustainable development of society and the economy, and the farmland use system is one of the major sources of CO2 emissions. However, few studies have explored the carbon emission reduction effect of farmland use transition (FUT) and its spatial spillover effects. To address the problem, here, CO2 emissions reductions that could be achieved by farmland use transition are quantified, followed by an assessment of the spatial spillover effects of FUT on CO2 emissions from the perspective of Major Function-oriented Zoning. Results showed that there was a significant spatial autocorrelation among CO2 emissions, FUT, and its specific morphologies, and the CO2 emission showed a spatial pattern of “higher in the east and lower in the west” and “higher in the north and lower in the south”. The direct and spatial spillover effects of quantitative farmland use transition, spatial structure farmland use transition, and production function farmland use transition on CO2 emissions were positive, while that of living and ecological function farmland use transition were negative. Furthermore, FUT's carbon emission reduction effects in different MFZs were relatively complicated with heterogeneity. These findings provide theoretical support for policymakers to achieve regional carbon emission reduction goals through FUT and inspirations for coordinating sustainable development.

The study on the characteristics of carbon pressure agglomeration and the dynamic evolution of heterogeneity in China from a regional perspective.

Provinces (cities and districts) with identifiable boundaries are under intense pressure to reduce emissions as a fundamental unit and research object of carbon peaking and carbon-neutrality goals. Due to the significant variability of regional development, achieving equilibrium between carbon emissions and carbon absorption is challenging, contributing to the difficulty of developing carbon emission reduction and relevant green strategic initiatives in China. Therefore, this paper explored the spatial effect of carbon balance with carbon pressure as the starting point. First, this paper defined the "carbon pressure index" (CPI) of 30 provinces (cities and districts) in China from 2000 to 2019. Second, this paper validated the CPI agglomeration evolutionary characteristics in global and local aspects based on the Moran's index. Third, this paper identified and decomposed the spatial heterogeneity of CPI using the kernel density estimation method and the Theil index, then extracted typical cities to analyze the specific causes. Finally, this paper classified the seven regions in China into four types according to a comprehensive analysis of CPI. The results indicated that China's ecological carbon cycle system was in a serious "carbon overload" state. Thirty provinces (cities and districts) showed significant spatial agglomeration characteristics. The spatial gap of CPI was gradually decreasing nationwide, and the intra-regional differences were the leading cause of CPI levels in China. This can provide policy basis for the improvement of China's balanced development system of regional carbon emission reduction.

The Interconnection Ideas for Carbon Emissions Trading Market in Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao and Greater Bay Area

Building the interconnection mechanism of carbon emission trading market in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is an innovative exploration to promote regional carbon emission reduction. This paper analyzes the feasibility of interconnecting carbon emission trading markets in the Bay Area from the perspectives of the difference between industrial structure and energy consumption, as well as the compatibility of carbon emission trading systems, by analyzing the operation status of carbon trading markets in Guangdong, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Macao, and the experience of Guangdong and Shenzhen as the Chinese carbon trading pilot. Based on the above discussion, this paper puts forward three adjustment ideas for the interconnection of the Bay Area Carbon Market: providing legal support, unifying the access to industry sectors and its quantities, and establishing a complete carbon emission monitoring, reporting and verification institution.

Assessment of embodied carbon transfer in China’s interregional gas–electricity–heat trade based on multi-stream and multi-node model

With the implementation of the national ”dual carbon” goal, fully and effectively evaluating the spatial carbon transfer of regional natural gas–electricity–heat trade flows will help to better clarify the regional carbon emission reduction responsibilities and improve the efficiency of regional coordinated emission reduction. Therefore, this paper adopts an accounting system based on production and consumption, constructs a multi-stream and multi-node carbon transfer assessment model of regional natural gas–electricity–heat chain, calculates the embodied carbon transfer of natural gas–electricity–heat trade transmission, and analyzes the path of spatial transfer of implied carbon emissions between regions in China. The results show that the implicit spatial carbon transfer pattern of China’ s gas, electricity and heat cross-regional trade shows that Beijing, Tianjin and coastal developed areas have gradually become the main carbon inflows, and the NWC, NEC and other regions with rich resources but underdeveloped areas have become the main carbon outflows; the path of regional carbon transfer is roughly from upstream underdeveloped regions to downstream regions with better economic development, of which the secondary and tertiary transfers of embodied carbon from natural gas account for 6.1% and 0.8% of the total transfer.

Research on the Spatial Network Characteristics, Synergistic Emission Reduction Effects and Mechanisms of Carbon Emission in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Urban Agglomeration

With the in-depth advancement of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei coordinated development strategy, establishing a new mechanism for coordinated development in regional coordinated development is an important measure to realize the green, low-carbon and sustainable development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration. At present, there are significant differences in carbon emission intensity among different cities in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, which poses a significant obstacle to the synergistic development goals of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. Therefore, studying the carbon emissions of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration is of great significance for achieving synergistic development in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and achieving China’s dual carbon goals. Based on the above practical background, this study focuses on the carbon emissions of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, using the gravity model, the social network analysis method, and the synergistic effects of carbon emission reductions model to analyze the general characteristics of the carbon emission spatial network, individual characteristics of the carbon emission spatial network, and synergistic effects of carbon emission reduction in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration. The study found that the carbon emission spatial network of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration presents a typical core–periphery structure. From the perspective of the general characteristics of the spatial network, the ranking structure of carbon emissions among cities in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei is strict, and the network stability is good; from the perspective of individual characteristics of the spatial network, Beijing and Tianjin are the centers of the carbon emission spatial network of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, playing an important role of “betweenness” and “bridge”, while cities in Hebei Province are in a weak position in this regard. From the perspective of the measurement result of synergistic effects of carbon emission reduction, there is significant room for improvement in the synergistic effects of carbon emission reductions in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, and there are significant differences in the synergistic effects of carbon emission reduction among various cities. In general, at this stage, the core–periphery structure of the spatial network of carbon emissions in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration is still solid, and the synergistic effects of carbon emission reduction between cities are weak. Establishing a sound synergistic mechanism of regional carbon emission reduction is the key to solving the carbon emission problem of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration. Therefore, this study proposes countermeasures and suggestions to improve the synergistic mechanism of the reduction in carbon emissions in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration from three levels—the formation layer, the implementation layer, and the guarantee layer—in order to promote synergistic emission reduction, ecological and environmental governance, and sustainable development of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration.

Industrial Upgrading, Total Factor Energy Efficiency and Regional Carbon Emission Reduction in China

Industrial Upgrading, Total Factor Energy Efficiency and Regional Carbon Emission Reduction in China

Analysis of influencing factors and prediction of carbon emissions of typical urban agglomerations in China: a case study of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Achieving the "double carbon" goal is a major task and challenge facing China. The emission reduction actions in typical urban agglomerations are of great significance. Based on the consideration of the impact of regional coordinated development, this study analyzed influencing factors and conducted prediction of carbon emissions from terminal energy consumption in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region. Firstly, the factors affecting carbon emissions were screened through the STIRPAT model. Then, the paper designs different scenarios and finally uses the genetic algorithm extreme learning machine (GA-ELM) algorithm to predict the carbon emissions of the BTH region, with and without considering the impact of the coordinated development strategy. The research shows that the increase in energy intensity and the improvement of energy consumption structure have the largest promotion effect on carbon emission reduction. At the same time, the significant role of the coordinated development strategy in promoting regional carbon emission reduction was verified. Therefore, the BTH region should adhere to the path of coordinated development, innovate low-carbon technology, and deepen the concept of green consumption to promote the realization of regional carbon emission reduction goals.

Restructure or Misallocation? Enterprises’ Carbon Emission Intensity under Market Integration

Incorporating urbanization with carbon efficiency into one analytical framework could be a new method for formulating the regional carbon emission reduction path. Based on the panel data from 2001 to 2014, the two-way fixed effects (TWFE) and continuous differences-in-differences (DID) methods are adopted to examine how the county-to-district upgrading policy (CDUP) affects the efficiency of an enterprise’s carbon emissions. The results show that the CDUP will significantly decrease the efficiency of an enterprise’s carbon emissions. The average carbon emissions of enterprises increased by 0.886 per unit of output by the CDUP, which remains significant after controlling for endogeneity. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of the CDUP is significant for enterprises in low-level cities, but not in high-level cities, which is closely connected with regional governance and enterprise productivity. Moreover, market integration, regional carbon carrying capacity and industrial agglomeration is introduced to explain the phenomenon. The results suggest that the urbanization policy should coordinate the characteristics of industries and areas. Furthermore, the results can provide suggestions for enterprise production and local governance toward sustainable development.

Analysis and prediction of the temporal and spatial evolution of carbon emissions in China's eight economic regions.

Facing increasingly severe environmental problems, as the largest developing country, achieving regional carbon emission reduction is the performance of China's fulfillment of the responsibility of a big government and the key to the smooth realization of the global carbon emission reduction goal. Since China's carbon emission data is updated slowly, in order to better formulate the corresponding emission reduction strategy, it is necessary to propose a more accurate carbon emission prediction model on the basis of fully analyzing the characteristics of carbon emissions at the provincial and regional levels. Given this, this paper first calculated the carbon emissions of eight economic regions in China from 2005 to 2019 according to relevant statistical data. Secondly, with the help of kernel density function, Theil index and decoupling index, the dynamic evolution characteristics of regional carbon emissions are discussed. Finally, an improved particle swarm optimization radial basis function (IPSO-RBF) neural network model is established to compare the simulation and prediction models of China's carbon emissions. The results show significant differences in carbon emissions in different regions, and the differences between high-value and low-value areas show an apparent expansion trend. The inter-regional carbon emission difference is the main factor in the overall carbon emission difference. The economic region in the middle Yellow River (ERMRYR) has the most considerable contribution to the national carbon emission difference, and the main contributors affecting the overall carbon emission difference in different regions are different. The number of regions with strong decoupling between carbon emissions and economic development is increasing in time series. The results of the carbon emission prediction model can be seen that IPSO-RBF neural network model optimizes the radial basis function (RBF) neural network, making the prediction result in a minor error and higher accuracy. Therefore, when exploring the path of carbon emission reduction in different regions in the future, the IPSO-RBF neural network model is more suitable for predicting carbon emissions and other relevant indicators, laying a foundation for putting forward more scientific and practical emission reduction plans.