Developing a refined land use emission intensity inventory in China with land use activity-based data

Current accounting of land use emission intensity (LUEI) based on specific land use activities is insufficient. This study develops a refined and spatially explicit LUEI inventory by integrating authoritative national land survey data and sophisticated land use activity data within an activity-based carbon accounting framework, alongside quantifying uncertainty using Monte Carlo simulation. The results demonstrated that from 2009 to 2021, the areas of construction land, planting garden, and forestland increased, while those of cropland, grassland, and water area decreased in China. Land use carbon emission (LUCE) consistently increased during this period, primarily driven by energy consumption. LUEI in China was estimated at 3.75 Mg C ha⁻¹, which exhibited an east-high and west-low pattern, with an uncertainty range from –21.31 % to +15.31 %. This study's LUEI accounting framework provides a transferable method foundation for international land carbon accounting, meanwhile its findings provide crucial data and scientific support for China's “dual carbon” targets.