Assessing provincial inter-provincial carbon flow and economic inequality in China's construction industry

Inter-regional trade leads not only to the movement of goods and economies, but also to the shifting of emissions. As one of the largest emitters in China, the carbon flow and economic inequality in the construction industry due to inter-provincial trade need to be further investigated, which is ess...

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Main Authors: Guo Xiaomin, Fang Chuanglin
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Environmental and Sustainability Indicators
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000686
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author Guo Xiaomin
Fang Chuanglin
author_facet Guo Xiaomin
Fang Chuanglin
author_sort Guo Xiaomin
collection DOAJ
description Inter-regional trade leads not only to the movement of goods and economies, but also to the shifting of emissions. As one of the largest emitters in China, the carbon flow and economic inequality in the construction industry due to inter-provincial trade need to be further investigated, which is essential for developing sustainable models. Based on various data sources, this study applied the emission coefficient method, multi-regional input-output analysis, and carbon inequality index to investigate the inter-provincial transfer of carbon emissions within China's construction industry. This study found, there are substantial disparities in the embodied flows of carbon emissions and the economic benefits across provinces, with a high concentration of emissions in the northern coastal regions. Henan stands out as the province with the highest carbon emissions supporting its own development, with 172.09 × 104 t and importing the largest economic benefit,5732.89 billion yuan,. Zhejiang is the biggest contributor, of 40.92 × 104 t and 969.30 billion yuan, respectively. Additionally, the study reveals a significant correlation between net carbon emissions transfer and GDP per capita. Regions in the southeast and northeast generate higher economic output per unit of carbon emissions from the Construction Industry, in contrast to the northwest and southwest, where severe carbon inequality persists. These results highlight the need for reductions in embodied carbon emissions within the construction Industry and the implementation of carbon compensation mechanisms. This study can also serve as a reference for other emerging nations confronting similar challenges of carbon inequality and the pursuit of sustainable regional development models.
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spelling doaj-art-cd08f89c4afb449a9b74e0ed206c19ce2025-08-20T02:11:09ZengElsevierEnvironmental and Sustainability Indicators2665-97272025-06-012610064710.1016/j.indic.2025.100647Assessing provincial inter-provincial carbon flow and economic inequality in China's construction industryGuo Xiaomin0Fang Chuanglin1Institute of Finance and Economics, School of Urban and Regional Science, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, 200433, ChinaInstitute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Corresponding author. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, CAS, China.Inter-regional trade leads not only to the movement of goods and economies, but also to the shifting of emissions. As one of the largest emitters in China, the carbon flow and economic inequality in the construction industry due to inter-provincial trade need to be further investigated, which is essential for developing sustainable models. Based on various data sources, this study applied the emission coefficient method, multi-regional input-output analysis, and carbon inequality index to investigate the inter-provincial transfer of carbon emissions within China's construction industry. This study found, there are substantial disparities in the embodied flows of carbon emissions and the economic benefits across provinces, with a high concentration of emissions in the northern coastal regions. Henan stands out as the province with the highest carbon emissions supporting its own development, with 172.09 × 104 t and importing the largest economic benefit,5732.89 billion yuan,. Zhejiang is the biggest contributor, of 40.92 × 104 t and 969.30 billion yuan, respectively. Additionally, the study reveals a significant correlation between net carbon emissions transfer and GDP per capita. Regions in the southeast and northeast generate higher economic output per unit of carbon emissions from the Construction Industry, in contrast to the northwest and southwest, where severe carbon inequality persists. These results highlight the need for reductions in embodied carbon emissions within the construction Industry and the implementation of carbon compensation mechanisms. This study can also serve as a reference for other emerging nations confronting similar challenges of carbon inequality and the pursuit of sustainable regional development models.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000686Carbon flowCarbon inequalityMulti-regional input-output modelObligation assignment of emission responsibilityConstruction industry
spellingShingle Guo Xiaomin
Fang Chuanglin
Assessing provincial inter-provincial carbon flow and economic inequality in China's construction industry
Environmental and Sustainability Indicators
Carbon flow
Carbon inequality
Multi-regional input-output model
Obligation assignment of emission responsibility
Construction industry
title Assessing provincial inter-provincial carbon flow and economic inequality in China's construction industry
title_full Assessing provincial inter-provincial carbon flow and economic inequality in China's construction industry
title_fullStr Assessing provincial inter-provincial carbon flow and economic inequality in China's construction industry
title_full_unstemmed Assessing provincial inter-provincial carbon flow and economic inequality in China's construction industry
title_short Assessing provincial inter-provincial carbon flow and economic inequality in China's construction industry
title_sort assessing provincial inter provincial carbon flow and economic inequality in china s construction industry
topic Carbon flow
Carbon inequality
Multi-regional input-output model
Obligation assignment of emission responsibility
Construction industry
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000686
work_keys_str_mv AT guoxiaomin assessingprovincialinterprovincialcarbonflowandeconomicinequalityinchinasconstructionindustry
AT fangchuanglin assessingprovincialinterprovincialcarbonflowandeconomicinequalityinchinasconstructionindustry