Carbon inequality at the sub-national scale: A case study of provincial-level inequality in CO₂ emissions in China 1997-2007

This study asks whether sub-national inequalities in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions mirror international patterns in carbon inequality using the case study of China. Several studies have examined global-level carbon inequality; however, such approaches have not been used on a sub-national scale. This study examines inter-provincial inequality in CO₂ emissions within China using common measures of inequality (coefficient of variation, Gini Index, Theil Index) to analyze provincial-level data derived from the IPCC reference approach for the years 1997-2007. It decomposes CO₂ emissions inequality into its inter-regional and intra-regional components. Patterns of per capita CO₂ emissions inequality in China appear superficially similar to, though slightly lower than, per capita income inequality. However, decomposing these inequalities reveals different patterns. While inter-provincial income inequality is highly regional in character, inter-provincial CO₂ emissions inequality is primarily intra-regional. While apparently similar, global patterns in CO₂ emissions are not mirrored at the sub-national scale.