Work

Compensating food security services: A framework for inter-provincial horizontal carbon transfers driven by embodied agricultural non-CO2 emissions

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: In the context of carbon neutrality, ecological unequal exchange is worsened by the spatial decoupling of China's agricultural production and consumption. We created the Agricultural Value-Carbon Inequity Index (AVCI) by incorporating a high-resolution non-CO 2 emission inventory into a dynamic Environmentally Extended Multi-Regional Input-Output model (EE-MRIO). Inter-provincial embodied emission transfers surged by 352.4% (382.73 Mt CO2e) from 2002 to 2023. In 2023, CH 4 accounted for 74.2% of transferred emissions, and urban household consumption contributed 52.3% of consumption-based emissions. The AVCI measures a severe double squeeze: wealthy coastal consumers are subsidized by interior producing regions, which endure significant environmental costs for little economic returns. We developed an interprovincial horizontal compensation mechanism powered by dynamic shadow carbon pricing to internalize these externalities. This provides a strong policy tool for fair agricultural low-carbon transitions by converting environmental justice into exact financial quotas. For instance, under the 2023 calculation, Zhejiang would contribute 225 million CNY to a national fund as the largest payer, and Heilongjiang would receive 208 million CNY from the fund as the largest recipient.

Source: Resources Conservation & Recycling Advances

DOI: 10.1016/j.rcradv.2026.200362

Authors: Xiaoyu Wang, Leshan Jin

Institution: China Agricultural University

Language: English

Topic: Environmental Impact and Sustainability

Subfield: Environmental Engineering

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Climate action, Reduced inequalities, Zero hunger

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,290