Empirical Study Of China’s Regional Economic Difference On Carbon Emissions

China has undergone rapid economic growth and stepped into the process of industrialization and urbanization, accelerating energy consumption and carbon emissions. As one of the largest contributor of carbon dioxide, China is experiencing tremendous pressures of emission-reduction. Meanwhile, China is also facing serious income inequality issues in the period of economy transformation. Fair income distribution is an urgent and fundamental move to safeguard equity and justice as well as social harmony. China needs to develop economy with emission-reduction, and to solve the problems of equity and efficiency.Based on the two goals, our study investigated the factors impact on carbon emissions in China by whole and regional analyses based on the theoretical framework of Environmental Kunzites Curve (EKC), with a panel data covering28provinces in China over the period1995-2010. Considering regional differences in China, we divided the provincial database into three subsamples:the Eastern region, the Central region and the Western region. Further emphasis on regional economic difference on carbon emissions is raised concern. The empirical results show that income growth increases China’s carbon emissions, and the effects of income growth on carbon emissions vary across regions and decline continuously from the Western region to the Central and Eastern regions. This research reveals that a more equitable income distribution may help control carbon emissions in developing China, and there is a win-win situation of income redistribution and emission-reduction. Our findings not only contribute to advancing the existing literature, but also deserve particular attention frompolicy makers in China to achieve the emission-reduction target.