On May 30, 2024, the research team led by Professor Jun Pang at the School of Ecology & Environment, Renmin University of China, published a review paper titled “ Promoting the Achievement of Carbon Neutrality Targets: Systematic Review of Research Dimensions and Measurement Methods on Carbon Equity in China” in the top journal Environmental Science & Technology . Ying Tian, a Ph.D. candidate from the 2021 cohort in Population, Resource, and Environmental Economics, is the first author, with Professor Pang serving as the corresponding author.

Currently, China is actively implementing a range of policies to address global climate change, with a commitment to achieving carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. However, significant spatial heterogeneity persists across the country in terms of economic development stages, industrial and energy structures, income levels, and carbon reduction capabilities. This disparity has led to a misalignment between carbon reduction responsibilities and development rights among various stakeholders, giving rise to issues of carbon equity. Compared to other developed economies, the transition period from carbon peaking to carbon neutrality in China is exceptionally brief, accompanied by substantial reductions in emissions, which further intensifies the issue of carbon equity. As the world's largest developing country, it is crucial for China to fully integrate considerations of carbon equity into its carbon reduction strategies, thereby ensuring a balanced distribution of development rights across entities and facilitating the smooth and orderly realization of carbon neutrality goals.

Amid this context, carbon equity has become a critical focal point in climate change research, drawing growing scholarly attention. However, existing literature lacks a comprehensive review addressing studies on carbon equity. To bridge this gap, Professor Jun Pang’s research group conducted a systematic examination, with a primary focus on China, to organize, categorize, compare, and project the research dimensions and measurement methods of carbon equity. Through extensive literature analysis, they categorize research dimensions into intergenerational, regional, trade, and income-based carbon equity. Building upon this foundation, the study details the significance of each dimension and summarizes the strengths, limitations, and applicability of various measurement methods. Finally, in light of China's unique context, the study further investigates potential research directions for each dimension.

This publication provides scholars with a clearer understanding of carbon equity issues and recent advancements in related research. It also serves as a theoretical foundation for developing carbon reduction policies in China that incorporate carbon equity considerations, thereby facilitating a proactive and steady advancement towards achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. Furthermore, the study’s findings offer valuable insights for other developing countries in shaping their own climate change mitigation strategies.

Full text link:https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.3c09782

Environmental Science & Technology is a leading journal in the field of environmental studies, recognized as an A+ journal by Renmin University of China. It is classified in the Q1 category by the Journal Citation Reports (JCR) and currently holds an impact factor of 11.4.