Carbon Emissions of Chinese Urban Households Driven by Income: 1995-2014

Over the past three decades, the rapid development of the Chinese economy has driven consumption in urban households, leading to a significant increase in indirect carbon dioxide emissions.The issue of indirect household carbon emissions has increasingly become a focal point of academic research.This paper, based on micro-level survey data of urban households, employed the input-output method to calculate indirect carbon emissions from 1995 to 2014.By utilizing the structural path decomposition method, it identified key paths contributing to carbon emissions.The results indicate that from 1995 to 2014, per capita indirect carbon emissions for Chinese urban residents increased from 1.08 tons to 7.39 tons.The multiple of indirect carbon emissions for high-income household compared to low-income household rose from 2.30 times in 1997 to 4.51 times in 2012.Carbon emissions from lowincome household were primarily attributed to essential goods such as clothing and food, while high-income household's emissions were largely associated with the consumption of transportation-related goods.This paper provides insights for policymakers in developing countries seeking to reduce household carbon emissions, as the differences in carbon emissions and their driving factors among income households serve as a basis for formulating differentiated policies.