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Chinese Journal of Management Science ›› 2025, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (11): 310-320.doi: 10.16381/j.cnki.issn1003-207x.2023.0876

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Achieving China's Regional Dual-carbon Goals by Adopting Differentiated Policies in Different Regions: Structural Decomposition and Clustering Analysis Based on Spatial Differences in Carbon Emissions in China

Hongguang Nie1,2, Cairui Jiang2, Jianlei Mo3()   

  1. 1.School of Economics,Liaoning University,Shenyang 110134,China
    2.School of Economics and Management,Changchun University of Science and Technology,Changchun 130022,China
    3.Institutes of Science and Development,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100190,China
  • Received:2023-05-30 Revised:2023-08-27 Online:2025-11-25 Published:2025-11-28
  • Contact: Jianlei Mo E-mail:mo_jianlei@126.com

Abstract:

Due to different resource endowments, industrial division and development stages, CO2 emissions pattern in different regions of China show spatial heterogeneity. The Action Plan for Carbon Peaking before 2030 points out that all regions should take measures by category and take orderly steps to achieve carbon peak based on their own economic and social development stages and resource and environmental endowments. By analyzing the key driving factors of carbon emissions in China's 30 provinces and cities and identifying their differences, a classification of Chinese provinces and cities is proposed, and strategies for each type of provinces and cities are put forward to reach carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in the future.In order to propose a scientific and reasonable spatial classification, the spatial differences and key drivers of carbon emissions in 30 provinces of China (except Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) are quantified by constructing a multi-regional spatial structure decomposition analysis model. Based on the results of spatial structure decomposition analysis, a cluster analysis of 30 provinces in China is made, so as to identify the carbon emission characteristics of each type of provinces, and key strategies for achieving “dual carbon” goal in various provinces are put forward.The results show that there are six key factors leading to the spatial differences of carbon emissions among provinces in China, which are sectoral structure, demand allocation, final demand, energy intensity, production structure and energy mix effects. Based on the contribution of the above drivers to the spatial differences of carbon emissions among provinces in China, 30 provinces are classified into five categories through cluster analysis, i.e. growth-driven provinces, efficiency-driven provinces, balanced-developing provinces, extensive-growth provinces and provinces with great transformation potential. Although growth-driven provinces have a high level of carbon emissions, their energy intensity, energy mix and sectoral structure are better than the national average level, and economic growth is the main driver of the high level of carbon emissions in these provinces. The carbon emission level of efficiency-driven provinces is generally low, as a result of the higher energy efficiency and better energy mix in these provinces. The level of carbon emissions in the balanced-developing provinces is in the middle of all provinces in China, and the effects of various drivers are also in the middle of the whole country. The level of carbon emissions in extensive-growth provinces is high, as a result of low efficiency and unreasonable structure in these provinces. The provinces with great transformation potential have the lowest carbon emission level with rich renewable energy sources and thus large transition potential.The contributions of this paper are as follows. First, the spatial differences of carbon emissions among provinces in China are identied. Second, the drivers of the spatial differences of carbon emissions among provinces in China are analyzed. Third, it provides a methodology for the classification of provinces in China for the ‘Action Plan for Peak Carbon by 2030’, and the key strategies to achieve the "dual carbon" goal for various provinces are further proposed.

Key words: China's carbon emissions, spatial differences, driving factors, spatial structural decomposition analysis, cluster analysis, dual carbon

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