Mapping socioeconomic spatiotemporal transition and its contribution to carbon emissions in China
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21792001 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xianglan Wen (Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture), Huimin Li (0000-0001-7494-6745, Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, corresponding author), Xiaofan Zhao (0000-0002-8779-475X, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Xiao‐Fan Zhao (0000-0003-1809-4730, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), Xiu Yang (0000-0003-4751-2751, Tsinghua University), Yang Xiu (Tsinghua University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 183-196 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Climate and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1756-5529 • E-ISSN: 1756-5537 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/17565529.2025.2509815 |
| OpenAlex | W4410637437 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 40 |
China's carbon emission patterns have undergone fundamental transformation through concurrent spatial restructuring of population distribution, economic activity, and energy systems, though their combined climate effects remain insufficiently assessed. This study develops an extended KAYA model to quantify the synergistic impacts of these three-dimensional center-of-gravity shifts. During 1995-2020, when China's carbon emissions grew from 2.8 to 10.5 Gt, key findings reveal: (1)The southward migration of population centers drove 336.02 Mt emission increases, showing strong coupling with emission patterns; (2)The southwest shift of economic activity demonstrated phase-dependent variations, yielding a net increase of 11.46 Mt; (3)Energy production's westward relocation achieved 32.23 Mt reductions, with post-2009 accelerating divergence between energy and emission centers evidencing successful clean energy transition. This spatial-emission linkage mechanism demonstrates that China's dual-carbon strategy requires establishing regionally differentiated climate governance that integrates population mobility, industrial relocation, and energy layout into a unified policy framework
Carbon fibers · China · Climate change · Economic geography · Economics · Environmental resource management · Geography · Greenhouse gas · Natural resource economics · Regional science · Socioeconomic status · Sociology · Computer Science · Demography · Energy, Environment, Economic Growth · Environmental Impact and Sustainability · Environmental Science · Urban Transport and Accessibility · Geology · Oceanography
Growth in emission transfers via international trade from 1990 to 2008
Per-capita carbon emissions in 147 countries
The LMDI approach to decomposition analysis
Regional development and carbon emissions in China
Contributions to accelerating atmospheric CO 2 growth from economic activity, carbon intensity, and efficiency of natural sinks
How population migration affects carbon emissions in China
An Essay on the Principle of Population (1798)
STIRPAT, Ipat and ImPact
Impact of population, age structure, and urbanization on carbon emissions/energy consumption
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |