Inequality and the driving forces of carbon emissions from urban and rural household consumption in China

Household consumption is emerging as a significant source of carbon emissions growth; however, embedded equity concerns, particularly the mechanisms underlying urban–rural carbon inequality, remain inadequately explored. This study examined the trends, sources, and driving mechanisms of carbon inequality in household consumption between urban and rural residents in China from 2005 to 2022. The findings reveal that while carbon emissions from households continue to rise and the absolute urban–rural gap widens, relative inequality has narrowed. Structurally, the decline in inequality is primarily attributable to a reduction in within-group disparities, particularly in rural areas. Regarding the driving factors, the dominant role of income inequality weakened, inequality in consumption propensity exerted a persistent suppressive effect, and inequality in the carbon intensity emerged as a new driving force. Findings from the decomposition analysis reveal that household income is the primary and persistent driver of the growth in urban–rural per capita consumption-based carbon emissions, with the income effect in urban areas being several times that in rural areas. By contrast, carbon intensity acts as a mitigating factor, with its inhibitory effect growing steadily, whereas the role of the propensity to consume is limited. Further analysis indicates that the driving factors exhibit spatial heterogeneity at the provincial level. These findings provide critical insights into the evolving landscape of consumption-based carbon inequality in urban and rural China. • Examines urban–rural consumption-based carbon inequality in China from 2005 to 2022. • Absolute emission gaps widen, while relative urban–rural inequality narrows. • Declining within-group disparities drive the reduction in relative inequality. • Income remains the dominant driver, with stronger effects in urban areas. • Carbon intensity increasingly mitigates consumption-based carbon inequality.