Regional Emission Reduction Research Articles

A Comparative Study of Carbon Emissions from Industrial and Domestic Wastewater Treatment Plants under the Background of Carbon Neutralization

This paper studied the characteristics of the carbon emission of an industrial wastewater treatment plant (IWWTP) and a domestic WWTP (DWWTP) located in a high-tech industrial park of Shaanxi Province, China. The results showed that the total carbon emissions of the IWWTP and DWWTP were 10.13 kg/t and 1.84 kg/t in 2020, respectively. Indirect carbon emissions play a dominant role in the total carbon emission of the IWWTP, which accounts for about 97.6% of the total amount. The direct carbon emissions of greenhouse gases (e.g., CH4, N2O) account for about 62% of the total carbon emissions in the DWWTP, followed by the indirect carbon emissions generated by electricity consumption (31.06%) and chemical consumption (6.94%). Additionally, the centralized recycling and re-utilization of the wastewater could achieve 1.06 kg/t and 1.16 kg/t of carbon emission reduction in the IWWTP and DWWTP, respectively, while the carbon emissions of the DWWTP are inversely proportional to the treatment capacity. Therefore, it is of great value to collect and utilize intensively the recycled water to achieve the goal of regional carbon emission reduction and carbon neutralization of WWTPs in industrial parks.

Emission reduction pressure and enterprise digital transformation: do enterprise innovation and digital economy matter?

PurposeCoordinating low-carbonization and digitalization is a practical implementation pathway to achieve high-quality economic development. Regions are under great emission reduction pressure to achieve low-carbon development. However, why and how regional emission reduction pressure influences enterprise digital transformation is lacking in the literature. This study empirically tests the impact of emission reduction pressure on enterprise digital transformation and its mechanism.Design/methodology/approachThis article takes the data of non-financial listed companies from 2011 to 2020 as a sample. The digital transformation index is measured by entropy value method. The bidirectional fixed effect model was used to test the hypothesis.FindingsThe research results show that emission reduction pressure forces enterprise digital transformation. The mechanism lies in that emission reduction pressure improves digital transformation by promoting enterprise innovation, and digital economy moderates the nexus between emission reduction pressure and digital transformation. Furthermore, the effect of emission reduction pressure on digital transformation is more significant for non-state-owned, mature and high-tech enterprises.Originality/valueThis paper discusses the mediating role of enterprise innovation between carbon emission reduction pressure and enterprise digital transformation, as well as the moderating role of digital economy. The research expands the body of knowledge about dual carbon targets, digitization and technological innovation. The author’s findings help update the impact of regional digital economy development on enterprise digital transformation. It also provides theoretical guidance for the realization of digital transformation by enterprise innovation.

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.

Extension of Japan’s Prefectural Emission Accounting and Enrichment of Socioeconomic Data from 1990 to 2020

With the continuous increase in carbon dioxide emissions due to human activities and the resulting severe climate issues, there is global concern about energy conservation and emission reduction. However, detailed data on energy consumption and emissions at a fine-grained scale, particularly regarding spatial dimensions and sector-specific emissions, remains insufficient and in need of refinement and timely updates. In Japan, following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, there has been a significant shift from nuclear power generation to reliance on fossil fuels across various sectors, highlighting disparities in emissions data across different regions and industries. Our work extends the emissions time series for Japan’s 47 prefectures, incorporating their socioeconomic characteristics over a broader time frame and with a more detailed sectoral classification. The emissions inventory, covering the period from 1990 to 2020, is based on the consumption of the three main fossil fuels across 32 sectors, with emissions carefully allocated for regional power generation. This dataset, presented in a unified format, is expanded to include longer time scales and more detailed socioeconomic data. It is anticipated to offer crucial insights for establishing regional emission reduction targets and identifying sectoral priorities for decarbonization.

Integrated evaluation of city-level CO2 emissions and sinks from 2010 to 2019: Spatio-temporal patterns in the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China

The intensifying impact of global climate change has led to increased attention being paid to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and sinks. However, it remains a challenge to accurately assess and map the spatial distribution of CO2 emissions and sinks. Previous studies have primarily focused on national and provincial level research, leaving city-level studies relatively overlooked. Acknowledging the significance of interregional differences and the crucial ecological and economic aspects of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB), we devised a research framework to analyse spatio-temporal patterns through city-level CO2 emissions and sinks. The city-level CO2 emissions were estimated using provincial data and linear allocation models, while CO2 sinks were estimated based on the areas of ecosystems and their corresponding sink coefficients. The analysis of YERB's spatio-temporal patterns focuses on regional hotspots, outliers, and time-series clustering. The findings show that: (1) Between 2010 and 2019, ecosystems within YREB absorbed approximately 41.17%–46.70% of CO2 emissions, with the increase rate of CO2 emissions being lower than that of sinks. (2) City-level CO2 in Western Region of YREB exhibited low emissions and high sinks, while Eastern Region showed high emissions and low sinks, and these characteristics were intensifying. (3) City-level CO2 emissions and sinks demonstrated a “core-periphery” clustering pattern. (4) The regional CO2 balance was predominantly driven by most cities in Eastern Region. This study provides a comprehensive understanding of CO2 emissions and sinks at the city level and offers valuable insights for developing regional collaborative emission reduction strategies in YREB.

Study on the Initial Allocation of Carbon Emission Rights Applicable to China's National Conditions: from the Perspective of Comprehensive Principles

<p>The scientific and reasonable allocation of initial carbon emission rights is the foundation of establishing and perfecting the carbon trading system, which is directly associated with the completion of carbon emission reduction targets. Guided by the rational distribution of China's carbon emission rights, this paper adopts a multi-index method to investigate the initial distribution of China's carbon emission rights from a regional perspective according to the comprehensive principles of fairness, efficiency, sustainability, and environmental capacity limit. The results show that the use of regional historical carbon emissions or economic factors as a single indicator of carbon emission rights distribution is unreasonable according to historical emissions or GDP, and the results are quite different from the actual demand. Under the overall coordination degree allocation model, it is reasonable for Region 2, Region 3, and Region 4 to undertake higher emission reduction responsibilities, and the emission reduction tasks in these regions are likely to be completed, which shows that the carbon emission rights allocation under the comprehensive principle is more in line with the actual demand and has good operability, robustness, and compatibility. The allocation of carbon emission quota requires the scientific and reasonable formulation of the total national allocation, that all provinces and cities can form a stable quota expectation, effectively design the allocation principle scheme, give consideration to fairness and operability, and do not share the responsibility of regional emission reduction with a one-size-fits-all approach.</p>

Exploring the climate change mitigation potential and regional distribution of agrivoltaics with geodata-based farm economic modelling and life cycle assessment

Tackling climate change remains a critical challenge for society. Achieving climate neutrality requires a massive expansion of renewable energies such as wind and photovoltaics (PV). Agriculture plays a key role in this context, especially as the expansion of ground-mounted PV systems often leads to land-use conflicts. Agrivoltaics (AV), which combines agricultural and electricity production, can be a solution, but the synergies are particularly dependent on local agronomic conditions. There is also a knowledge gap in how AV expansion impacts greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions at the landscape level and how it contributes to regional emission reduction targets. In this study, we analysed the economic and climate change mitigation impacts of AV expansion pathways in the German state Baden-Württemberg using an integrated land use model and life cycle assessment under the assumption of general rentability of electricity production by AV. We found that implementing AV on 1%–5% of the regions's arable and grassland area reduced the total agricultural gross margin by a maximum of approximately 0.5%. Concurrently, AV implementation reduced GHG emissions by about 1.2 million to 5.9 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent (Mt CO2-eq). Even if this reduction is almost exclusively accounted for in the energy sector, in absolute terms it amounts to more than the current GHG emissions from Baden-Württemberg's agricultural sector (about 4.4 Mt CO2-eq in 2021). In the 5% expansion scenario, almost 90% of the installations were installed on grassland, but this share dropped to 72% when considering landscape quality constraints. Although we found considerable regional disparity, our findings still suggest that AV is an essential component for regional emission reduction targets. These results are particularly relevant for policymakers in spatial planning, agricultural and energy policy.

Quantifying high-resolution carbon emissions driven by land use change in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

Accurate research on carbon emission spatial distribution is vital for achieving carbon neutrality. Previous studies suffered from scale effects, demanding enhanced resolution. This study collected and computed land use carbon emission data for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). It also introduced a novel method to downscale this data into 30 m raster format using night light and NDVI data. The study showed a consistent annual rise in GBA land use carbon emissions, accompanied by increasing disparities. At the city level, emissions in the highest-ranking cities were 58 times higher than those in the lowest-ranking ones. Impervious land carbon emissions held over 90% sway over total carbon emissions, making them the primary driver of land use-related carbon emissions. Remarkably, high-emission zones, such as coastal cities Guangzhou, Foshan, Dongguan, and Hong Kong, expanded outward, forming multi-tiered, high-density carbon areas, giving rise to an “∩” shape pattern. Carbon emission change rates from cropland were modest, characterized by a pattern of fluctuation. Moreover, spatial autocorrelation and K-means cluster analyses uncovered a noticeable spatial correlation among urban land use carbon emissions in the GBA. Consequently, a compelling case exists for enhancing inter-city cooperation to collectively pursue regional emission reduction objectives.

China's provincial carbon emission driving factors analysis and scenario forecasting

Studying the drivers of China's carbon emissions at the provincial level can clarify differences in carbon emissions due to initial resource endowments and explore pathways to achieve China's 2030 carbon peak and 2060 carbon-neutral commitments (China's 30.60 decarbonization target). In this paper, the carbon emissions of 30 provinces in China during 2000–2019 were calculated using the emission coefficient method. The LMDI model was used to investigate each province's carbon emission drivers. On this basis, the STIRPAT model is used to predict the carbon emissions of each province under three scenarios: low carbon, baseline, and high carbon. The results show that: (1) China's carbon emissions have significant regional differences, and the trend of total carbon emissions is consistent with that of per capita carbon emissions; (2) Economic development contributes the most to regional carbon emission; (3) China's carbon emission trend can be divided into four patterns: gathering type, discrete type, overlapping type, and idiotype. The results enrich the research on carbon emission drivers and forecasts, provide targeted policy recommendations for China to coordinate regional economic development, energy conservation, and carbon emission reduction, and explore a path for China to achieve the 30.60 decarbonization goal.

Synergistic regional emission reductions in China: Network evolution, spatial and temporal characteristics, and driving factor

Synergistic regional emission reduction (SRER) is an important part of the strategy to achieve carbon neutrality. In this paper, a system efficiency value-added model is proposed to measure the strength of SRER network relationships for 40,186 sets of city pairs and the SRER levels of 284 cities in China from 2011 to 2021. Subsequently, the evolution characteristics of the SRER network, the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban SRER levels, and the driving factors of the SRER network evolution are further analyzed. The results are as follows: SRER network is shifting from a fan-shaped network pattern of “three-region clustering and sporadic coverage” to a shuttle-shaped nested network pattern of “east-west linkage and multi-region support”. Time series analysis found that urban SRER level in China showed fluctuating growth characteristics during the study period. Spatial analysis reveals that the spatial autocorrelation of urban SRER level is decreasing, and the spatial distribution range is expanding towards the southwest. Emission reduction comparative advantages (CAER), green innovation division of labor (GIDL) and urban economic linkages (LCEL) are driver factors of SRER network evolution. This study proposes an evaluation method for the urban SRER level from network relationships perspective. Subsequently, network evolution characterization, spatial and temporal characterization, and driving factor analysis were conducted. The results of the study provide important theoretical guidance and inspiration for grasping the current status and enhancement paths of China's urban SRER level.

Research on the spatial spillover effect of carbon trading market development on regional emission reduction

This paper introduces the current situation of carbon trading market in China and the effect of carbon emission reduction in each region. Theoretically, it expounds the influence mechanism and spatial spillover way of carbon trading market on regional carbon emission. Next, we use the data of 30 provinces in China from 2006 to 2019 to build a continuous spatial difference in difference model (SDM-DID) to empirically study the spatial spillover effect of carbon trading market on regional emission reduction. The results are as follows: First, the implementation of the pilot policy of carbon emission trading has significantly promoted the carbon emission reduction in the pilot areas. From the perspective of impact mechanism, the implementation of carbon trading pilot policy promotes carbon emission reduction in pilot areas by promoting clean transformation of energy consumption structure, improving technology absorption capacity and stimulating development of low-carbon technologies. From the perspective of spatial spillover effect, China’s regional carbon emissions have significant spatial spillover effect, and carbon emissions trading has spatial spillover effect. From the perspective of spatial spillover, the carbon emission trading market promotes the carbon emission reduction in neighboring areas by promoting the clean transformation of energy structure in neighboring areas, improving technology absorption capacity and promoting technological progress.

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.

The heterogenicity features revealed based on the regional and sectoral carbon metabolic system: An empirical analysis of heavy-polluted cases in China

The Chinese government has made a positive response and policies to address global climate change, regions and sectors has become more important in reducing carbon emission. This study used the indicator of carbon emission intensity to evaluate the reduction effect of carbon emission of heavy-polluted regions and sectors, and also their features in China. The results indicated firstly, the aggregated carbon emission intensity of regions was primarily influenced by their embodied added value. From 2012 to 2015, the regions’ embodied added value increased more than 2 times. Secondly, the embodied carbon emission of the manufacture of chemical products sectors in regions were dominated by emission implied in metabolic path length greater than five, which took the proportion of more than 30% of emission. This showed that emission reduction policies for heavy-polluted sectors should focus on controlling the emission implied in trading with downstream sectors, and also demonstrated that the heavy-polluted sectors drove the reduction of carbon emission of other sectors. Thirdly, the carbon emission of heavy-polluted sectors in coastal regions fell due to implementing the carbon emission trading scheme policy, while heavy-polluted sectors in the inland regions radiated to their upstream and downstream sectors. This study analyzes regional and sectoral carbon emission reduction effect and provides theoretical and practical bases for urban development.

Inequality characteristics and influencing factors of CO2 emissions per capita in Jiangsu Province, China.

Analyzing the inequality characteristics and influencing factors of CO2 emissions per capita (CEPC) is conducive to balancing regional development and CO2 emissions reduction. This study applied the Gini coefficient and Theil index to investigate the CEPC inequalities during 2005-2017 at the county level in Jiangsu Province, China. Considering the spatial spillover and interaction effects, the factors influencing CEPC were analyzed by a hierarchical spatial autoregressive model. The results showed that the inequalities in CEPC first increased and then decreased at the inter-regional, and inter-county levels. The spatial pattern of CEPC was stable, and there was a significantly positive spatial autocorrelation of CEPC at the county level. The High-High type counties were mainly located in Sunan (southern Jiangsu). The spatial interaction effects of the CEPC between the prefecture and county levels indicated that governments at the prefecture level should integrate their county governments to reduce the CEPC. Moreover, carbon intensity, GDP per capita, land urbanization, and industrial structure play an important role in reducing CEPC. Our findings provide a scientific basis for formulating reasonable and effective carbon emission reduction policies.

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.

Research on regional ozone prevention and control strategies in eastern China based on pollutant transport network and FNR

O3 pollution in China has worsened sharply in recent years, and O3 formation sensitivity (OFS) in many regions have gradually changed, with eastern China as the most typical region. This study constructed the transport networks of O3 and NO2 in different seasons from 2017 to 2020. The transport trends and the clustering formation patterns were summarized by analyzing the topological characteristics of the transport networks, and the patterns of OFS changes were diagnosed by analyzing the satellite remote sensing data. Based on that, the main clusters that each province or city belongs to in different pollutant transport networks were summarized and proposals for the inter-regional joint prevention and control were put forward. As the results showed, O3 transport activity was most active in spring and summer and least active in winter, while NO2 transport activity was most active in autumn and winter and least active in summer. OFS in summer mainly consisted of transitional regimes and NOx-limited regimes, while that in other seasons was mainly VOC-limited regimes. Notably, there was a significant upward trend in the proportion of transitional regimes and NOx-limited regimes in spring, autumn, and winter. For regions showing NOx-limited regime, areas with higher out-weighted degrees in the NO2 transport network should focus on controlling local NOx emissions, such as central regions in summer. For regions showing VOC-limited regime, areas with higher out-weighted degrees in the O3 transport network should focus on controlling local VOCs emissions, such as central and south-central regions in summer. For regions that belong to the same cluster and present the same OFS in each specific season, regional cooperative emission reduction strategies should be established to block important transmission paths and weaken regional pollution consistency.

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.

Exploring pollution control in transboundary watersheds under the perspective of ecological compensation based on aggregate game.

Pollution control in inter-provincial river basins involves many complex subjects, so it is difficult to effectively implement ecological compensation policies. To clarify the interest relationship among pollution control subjects and stimulate their willingness to cooperate in collaborative governance, this paper builds a multi-agent coordinated pollution control model based on the theory of aggregate game; explores the change of equilibrium action of a single pollution control agent and multi-actors, symmetric, and asymmetric situations under the influence of synergistic benefits; and studies the incentive mechanism design to maintain the cooperation of various agents. The research results show that an increase in the number of upstream firms would lead to a reduction in the incentive effects of downstream government compensation and an increase in the likelihood of "free-riding" and "coordination failure." Synergy benefits vary positively with the degree of cooperation between government and enterprises, and higher synergy benefits can effectively compensate for the high transaction costs caused by multiple entities, alleviate the financial pressure on downstream governments, and increase the willingness of upstream and downstream entities to cooperate. In addition, focusing on wastewater reduction from core enterprises, such as heavy polluters can help improve the efficiency of regional emissions reduction, while having a catalytic effect on small enterprises.

Unveiling the impact mechanism of urban resilience on carbon dioxide emissions of the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration in China

With the increasingly severe global climate change situation, the construction of low-carbon and resilient cities is expected to be an effective means of accelerating the achievement of carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. As a major global economic and carbon-emitting power, it is necessary to advocate for China to accelerate the construction of low-carbon and resilient cities. We have formulated a comprehensive methodological framework to appraise the effects of urban resilience (UR) on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This study first constructs a “social-economic-institutional-ecological-engineering” UR assessment framework. Based on this framework, we establish an evaluation system for the UR of the urban agglomeration to explore the dynamic evolution of its spatial and temporal patterns. And then this study uses the SBM-DEA method that includes undesirable outputs to measure the carbon emission efficiency of the urban agglomeration. Finally, the spatial Durbin model is used to analyze the spatial spillover effects of UR on CO2 emissions, and the mechanism of CO2 emission spatial effects is theoretically explained by introducing geographical laws. The results show that the overall UR level in the region increased from 0.107 in 2000 to 0.318 in 2020, with an average carbon emission efficiency of 0.82, but still at a relatively low level. Moreover, there are significant differences in the regional level, with Guangzhou and Shenzhen and their surrounding cities showing significantly higher levels compared to other cities. Regarding the spillover effects analysis, CO2 emissions exhibit significant spatial spillover effects between cities. Improving UR can reduce urban CO2 emissions, but it may also have negative spillover effects on surrounding cities. This research can provide a new perspective for improving the study of regional CO2 emissions reduction and its influencing mechanisms while also offering important references for accelerating the construction of UR and achieving regional carbon peak targets.