How to recognize and characterize land use-based carbon emissions within city networks in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China

Human-induced land modification is a significant contributor to carbon emissions. To facilitate the collective reduction of emissions within city clusters and promote eco-friendly urban development, this paper developed a research framework for analyzing carbon emissions. An empirical study was conducted within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region of China, focusing on the spatio-temporal patterns of carbon emissions and network features. The results showed that: (1) Carbon emissions among cities in the BTH region displayed significant variation from 2005 to 2020, with an increasing gap in carbon deficit. (2) Inter-city carbon emission correlation showed a declining trend, accompanied by pronounced spatial spillover effects in the region. (3) The network exhibited a bicentric pattern, centered around BJ and TJ, and the network correlations were more likely to occur between nearby developed cities, with poor regional synergistic emission reduction capacity. The implications of this study are valuable for promoting the establishment of an economic system that fosters green, low-carbon, and circular development. Furthermore, the findings contribute to the effective pursuit of carbon reduction and mitigation of climate change in China.