Regional relationship between urban-rural economic inequality and carbon intensity in China's counties: Unveiling the trade-off

Abstract

The relationship between economic inequality and carbon intensity in emerging economies remains a subject of ongoing debate. By utilizing multiple satellite datasets, this study examines over 2000 county-level regions in China through the calculation of the Dagum-Gini coefficient and the application of fixed-effects regression analysis. The results demonstrate that higher urban–rural inequality are correlated with lower carbon intensity, particularly in rural areas of less-developed counties, thereby underscoring a potential trade-off between economic inequality and carbon emissions. Mechanism analysis reveals that this relationship is predominantly mediated by differences in energy consumption and industrial structure. These findings provide valuable insights for governments aiming to reconcile urban–rural economic inequalities with low-carbon development objectives.