Research on the Relationship Between Urban Carbon Emissions and Economic Development of China From the Perspective of Carbon Peak

Purpose/Significance To Coordinate high-quality economic growth and low-carbon urban development, and further decompose China’s objective of carbon peak, detailed policies for carbon emission reduction and industrial development are designed. Design/Methodology Using the city-level carbon emissions data, a quantitative analysis is conducted on the factors influencing the carbon emissions and the carbon peak of China. A model of the Environmental Kuznets Curve is used for robust regression analysis to illustrate the relationship between urban carbon emissions and high-quality economic development, and to analyze whether China’s carbon market pilot can promote the carbon peak. Then, the sub-sample regression shows that there is great heterogeneity in the path of carbon peak in Chinese cities. Findings/Conclusions Key industries and sectors such as industrial energy, transportation, agriculture, rural and urban life, for carbon control are accurately identified. China should speed up the launch of the national carbon market and give full play to the market mechanism of carbon reduction. The policies of carbon peak should be regional targeting, and support the green and low-carbon development of small and medium-sized cities in the central and western regions.