Inequality of Carbon Intensity: Empirical Analysis of China 2000–2014

On the 3 September 2016, China officially ratified the Paris agreement as the main global producer of carbon emissions. A key of China’s commitment is to reduce its carbon intensity by 60–65% between 2005 and 2030. An improved understanding of the inequality of carbon intensity at national-, inter-regional-, and intra-regional scale is a prerequisite for the development of a more cost-effective carbon intensity reduction policy. In this study, we used the Dagum Gini coefficient and its subgroup decomposition method to quantify China’s inequality of carbon intensity between 2000 and 2014 based on available and updated data. The results show: (i) The Gini coefficient indicates a rising inequality of the carbon intensity at both national and sub-national scale, suggesting accelerated inequality of carbon intensity at national-, inter-regional, and intra-regional-scale. (ii) The Gini coefficient indicates a rising trend of intra-regional carbon intensity in Central and Western China, while the trend declines for Eastern China. (iii) The Gini coefficient indicates rising carbon intensity between Eastern and Central China, Western and Eastern China, and Central and Western China. (iv) Transvariation intensity occupies a leading role in the increasing national-level carbon intensity Gini coefficient. Ultimately, several policy recommendations are provided.