Regional CO2 emissions and cross-boundary mitigation potential in China

This paper presents a new framework for investigating regional CO2 emissions from the perspective of the domestic supply chain, with a combination of linkage analysis and structural decomposition analysis (SDA), which allows for a better understanding of spatial emission distributions and cross-boundary potential for CO2 mitigation. Based on the multi-regional input–output (MRIO) tables of 2007 and 2012, Chinese provinces (cities) are categorised into three groups according to linkage characteristics, among which, Group I is suggested to be given priority in formulating mitigation policies due to their stronger regional CO2 influence characteristics. Moreover, regions in Group I have been more affected by inter-regional trade than other groups with regard to their local CO2 emissions. Therefore, turning Group I into a low-carbon production pattern could help construct greener domestic supply chains. The results emphasise that regional analysis on CO2 emissions should go beyond the local factors, and that regional mitigation polices should consider the position and participation degree of different regions in domestic supply chains.