Regional differences and driving factors analysis of carbon emission intensity from transport sector in China

Highlights: • Transport sector's carbon emission intensity in China is calculated. • Characteristics of regional disparity in carbon emission intensity is analyzed. • Main reasons for this regional imbalance are revealed. • Extended STIRPAT and GTWR models are applied to identify the driving forces. • Spatial variations of the driving forces in multi-aspects are observed. Realizing the coordinated development of regional emission reduction and low-carbon transportation has become a hot issue concerned by governments worldwide. Using data from 30 provinces of China's transport sector, this paper investigates and evaluates the regional differences of carbon emission intensity (CEI). Additionally, we employ the extended STIRPAT (stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence and technology) and GTWR (geographically and temporally weighted regression) model to reveal the influence of driving factors on CEI from spatial-temporal perspectives. The results indicate the following: (1) CEI tends to decrease and presents a pattern of low in the southeast and high in the northwest in space. (2) The eastern region has the greatest degree of regional difference, and the central region has the smallest. The major reason for the widening of the overall differences in China is the within-group differences in the three geographical regions. (3) CEI in China's transport sector has regional characteristics, and the effect of urbanization, energy structure, population scale and industrial structure on CEI vary among the regions. Energy intensity occupies a pivotal position among all the driving factors and poses a positive impact on the CEI of transport sector.