Research On Driving Factors Of Carbon Footprint In Guanzhong Region And Its Decoupling Relationship With Economic Growth

Urban carbon emission reduction significantly affects the global carbon balance and plays a vital role in responding to the challenge of climate change.With the acceleration of population agglomeration and urban expansion,as a new type of regional spatial form,urban clusters are gradually forming.A large concentration of production factors such as population,industry,and capital has caused over-development of cities and increased carbon footprint,which in turn induces "urban diseases" such as haze weather,crowded population,and traffic jams.The heat island effect caused not only affects the public’s quality of life and urban development.Quality is a hindrance and seriously affects the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)of urban clusters,which makes carbon emission reduction a hot issue of global concern.This phenomenon is particularly prominent in the Guanzhong area and has become a prominent shortcoming restricting the development of Shaanxi Province.As a typical city cluster in Northwest China,the flow of factors in the Guanzhong area is becoming more frequent,the land space is accelerating,the population is highly concentrated,and energy demand is increasing,resulting in a serious overload of carbon emissions.In 2015,the United Nations proposed 17 sustainable development goals at the Sustainable Development Summit.Among them,sustainable modern energy(SDG7)and action to address climate change(SDG13)are closely related to carbon emission reduction.Therefore,exploring the factors driving the changes in the carbon footprint of the Guanzhong area and its decoupling relationship with economic growth is of great practical significance to the role of urban clusters in China’s carbon emission reduction and the realization of sustainable development goals.Taking the Guanzhong area as an example,this study uses the IPCC carbon footprint assessment model to measure and analyze the temporal and spatial evolution characteristics of the carbon footprint,and uses the logarithmic average Dixie index decomposition method(LMDI)and the Tapio decoupling model to explore the differences in the role of carbon footprint driving factors.And its decoupling relationship with economic growth.The results show that(1)the carbon footprint of Guanzhong region showed an upward trend from 2007 to 2018.The total carbon footprint increased from 161.60 million t CO2 eq to 274.02 million t CO2 eq,an increase of 71.25%,and the carbon footprint generated by the energy consumption account was in the carbon footprint.The proportion of the four accounts is as high as 76.05%.(2)Urban sprawl,industrial structure and economic growth level promote the increase of carbon footprint in Guanzhong area,while population agglomeration plays a restraining effect.Energy structure and energy intensity play a significant role in increasing carbon footprint in different cities.difference.(3)The decoupling state of carbon footprint and economic growth in the Guanzhong region from 2007 to 2018 showed a change trend of "weak decoupling-expansion connection-weak decoupling→strong decoupling",and the decoupling state of various cities in Guanzhong region was also unstable,indicating Decoupling has not really been achieved.Therefore,it is recommended that the Guanzhong area scientifically control urban spatial expansion and population density,optimize the spatial structure,reduce the cost of clean energy,build a clean and efficient energy system,promote low-carbon adjustment of the industrial structure,and develop low-carbon industries.The different characteristics of the driving factors of the carbon footprint in Guanzhong area and its decoupling relationship with GDP discovered in this study will provide theoretical support and methodological references for promoting the sustainable development of urban agglomerations.