Work

Spatial-temporal evolution and convergence of industrial carbon productivity in China

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Industrial carbon productivity (ICP) is an indicator for economic development with reduced carbon emissions and building low-carbon cities. This paper assesses ICP in 284 cities of 8 economic regions in China from 2003 to 2021. The Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition (DGC) is applied to identify the variation in ICP among studied regions. The kernel density estimation (KDE) model and spatial Markov chain (SMC) are employed to explore the spatial-temporal evolution trend of ICP. The spatial convergence of ICP is analyzed based on the spatial panel convergence (SPC) model. The results indicate that ICP in studied cities in China has increased during 2003–2021, while the ICP gap among studied regions has narrowed. The primary factor contributing to the ICP gap before 2012 was inter-regional variation, and after 2012 was the intensity of transvariation. If a city is adjacent to one with a high ICP, its ICP is more likely to increase. Convergence exists both overall and within the 8 economic regions. Policy implications for improving ICP and reducing ICP disparities in Chinese cities are discussed.

Source: Environmental and Sustainability Indicators

DOI: 10.1016/j.indic.2025.101065

Authors: Xiaosong Ren, Min Zhao, Ping Gao, Jiahui Li

Institutions: Beijing Institute of Technology, Shanxi University of Finance and Economics, Chongqing University, University of Manchester

Language: English

Topic: Energy, Environment, Economic Growth

Subfield: Economics and Econometrics

Field: Economics, Econometrics and Finance

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Industry, innovation and infrastructure, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,350