Emission trend and drivers of CO2 emission in Chinese cities from 2012 to 2018

China has pledged to peak CO₂ emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060, and climate actions are urgently needed. Cites are basic administrative units and leaders in implementing emission reduction policies in China, and a comprehensive analysis of characteristics and historical emission trends in Chinese cities is of great importance. This study developed a city-level CO₂ emission inventory in China during 2012-2018 by merging multiple databases. The results reveal spatial heterogeneity and inequality in Chinese cities’ CO₂ emissions. In general, eastern cities emit more CO₂ than western cities. According to the emission-Lorenz curve, the top 10% of 336 cities contribute over 30% of total CO₂ emissions in 2018. From the perspective of emission trends, more than 60% of cities in China failed to achieve the decoupling of GDP growth and carbon emissions. The overall positive correlation between per capita GDP and per capita carbon emission in Chinese cities indicates that even cities with a relatively high level of development still need to further promote carbon emission reduction. As for sectoral drivers, industrial boilers and cement sectors were the major drivers for CO₂ emission reduction in most cities, while the increase in carbon emissions from thermal power and industrial boiler sectors led to the rebound of carbon emissions in most cities.