Study on provincial carbon emission inequality in China from 1995 to 2019 based on the improved Gini index

The Chinese government has set ambitious carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals for 2030 and 2060. To achieve these targets, China will need to adopt stricter carbon emission policies in the future. Due to China's vast territory, there are significant disparities in economic development levels and carbon dioxide emissions (CEs) among its provinces. Therefore, equitable carbon reduction policies are crucial for regional economic development. This study calculates CEs from energy consumption in 30 Chinese provinces using energy balance tables and CEs factors. Based on this, the Dagum decomposition Gini index is used to quantitatively assess CEs inequality between the primary, secondary, and tertiary industries in China's central, eastern, and western regions. The results show that over the past 25 years, China's CEs have increased from 3.17 billion tons to 13.32 billion tons, with an average annual growth rate of 6.17%. Additionally, CEs inequality in China has decreased by 3.96%. Moreover, CEs inequality in the eastern provinces has decreased the most (57.65%), followed by the central and western regions. Furthermore, CEs inequality in the secondary industry has expanded in all three regions, while inequality in the tertiary industry remained smaller due to technological and geographical constraints.