Inclusive wealth growth pathways within the carbon peak target for Chinese cities

China is committed to the Sustainable Development Agenda and peaking its carbon emissions by 2030. However, interactions between these two agendas and pathways to achieving both remain understudied. This study assesses the sustainability performances and carbon emission patterns of Chinese cities and analyzes their interplay. To measure sustainability, we adopt the Inclusive Wealth Index framework that looks at the productive base of an economy, including produced capital, human capital, and natural capital. The results reveal that several national demonstration zones achieve sustainable peaking in correspondence with declining emissions and increasing sustainability from 2012 to 2019, driven by industrial transformation, education improvement, and renewable resources growth. Comparatively, some northeastern cities mitigate emissions by cutting carbon-intensive industries but fail to develop new sectors to support socioeconomic development, leading to a decline in well-being. Our findings emphasize the need for cities to synergize sustainable development and carbon-peaking pathways while tailoring strategies to local contexts. • Pilot cities achieved declining carbon emissions and growing well-being • Sustainable peaking relies on industrial transformation, education, and renewables • Some northeast cities remain on an unsustainable path despite peaking emissions • The aging trend hinders sustainability progress and intensifies regional disparities The Paris Agreement and the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provide the foundation for sustainable development under a changing climate. China is committed to its international responsibilities through a national plan on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development as well as a commitment to reach peak carbon emissions by 2030. It is essential for Chinese cities to design development pathways that align with both goals. Here, this study provides a holistic assessment of sustainability performances and carbon emission patterns of Chinese cities and delves into the interactions between these two indicators. The results find that pilot cities achieved sustainable peaking, with emissions declining and sustainability improving. By contrast, some northeastern cities met emission reduction targets but at the cost of well-being. This study serves as a foundation for different types of cities as well as other countries to develop pathways suited to both sustainable development goals and peak carbon targets in the future. Cheng et al. assess sustainability performances and carbon emission patterns of Chinese cities and analyze the interactions between these two indicators. This study demonstrated a win-win situation in which growing well-being and declining carbon emissions can coexist at the city level. However, some northeast cities mitigated carbon emissions but at the cost of human well-being. The findings highlight the need for cities to synergize sustainable development and carbon-peaking pathways.