A building operational carbon emissions database of 362 Chinese cities: Construction process and spatiotemporal characteristic analysis

The existing calculation methods of city building carbon emissions based on energy audits, city statistics and energy balance sheets have problems such as time-consuming and labour-intensive, missing data and large errors, resulting in the lack of a complete and accurate database of city building carbon emissions in China. To address this, the calculation method based on city statistical data (CSD-M) and the calculation method based on provincial energy balance sheets (PEB-M) were used to calculate the carbon emissions from city buildings. The PEB-M was corrected using CSD-M results, reducing the error to 12.8%. Based on CSD-M and modified PEB-M, a database of building carbon emissions in 362 Chinese cities was developed. Finally, the spatio-temporal characteristics of city building carbon emissions in China were analysed, and the current situation of carbon emissions in different cities was compared. This study provides a basis for future carbon reduction policies tailored to city characteristics. • 362 Chinese cities were categorised into three groups based on two city attributes. • Based on CSD-M, PEB-M was modified. • A database of building carbon emissions for 362 Chinese cities was developed. • The characteristics of building carbon emissions in Chinese cities were analysed.