Spatial analysis of commuting carbon emissions in main urban area of Beijing: A GPS trajectory-based approach

Commuting carbon emissions (CCE) constitute a significant portion of urban carbon emissions and exert a notable influence on urban land use policies and spatial planning strategies. Traditional methods for estimating CCEs have many disadvantages and are less accurate in terms of space and time. In this study, a typical weekday in the main urban area of Beijing is selected as the research object. First, taxi CCEs are estimated by an improved VSP model based on GPS trajectory data. Second, taxi CCEs are obtained by filtering the commuting trajectories based on POI data and taxi trajectories. Finally, the spatial distribution characteristics of taxi CCEs are analysed by spatial autocorrelation. The results show that (1) the morning peak commuting carbon emission in Beijing reaches 5338.04 kg/h, accounting for 26.13 % of the total carbon emission of cab trips; the evening peak commuting carbon emission reaches 3858.73 kg/h, accounting for 18.89 % of the total carbon emission of cab trips; (2) the spatial distribution of CCE in Beijing shows that the western part of the core area is higher, while the northeast and southwest of the central city are higher; (3) High-value commuting carbon emission areas are mainly concentrated in regions with a more developed financial industry; the carbon emissions from the city ring road and airport highway significantly surpass those of other areas. This research introduces an innovative approach to examine CCE and measure it within various functional zones of urban areas. The findings of this study can serve as valuable guidance for informing future urban spatial configurations and land use policies, leading to more effective and sustainable urban development.