Analysis of the evolution and drivers of carbon inequality based on a human well-being equity perspective

Regional development imbalances lead to the geographic separation of producers and consumers in interregional trade, thus resulting in an unequal distribution of carbon emissions (CE) and human well-being (HWB). Few studies have analyzed the long-term dynamic evolution and driving factors of interregional carbon inequality from the perspective of HWB equity. This study calculates the changes in embodied CE and HWB and their interregional flows and changes in carbon inequality in 2007, 2012, and 2017 using a multiregional input‒output (MRIO) model, and analyzes the drivers of interregional CE/HWB transfer, and then makes policy implications. The results indicate that carbon inequality in China shows a worsening trend because of the mismatch between the change in CE transfers in carbon-intensive sectors and the change in HWB transfers in economic and social capital. At the national level, CE intensity, HWB intensity, production structure, and per capita consumption have the most significant effects on embodied CE and embodied HWB. The direction of the factor drivers affecting interregional net carbon emissions (NCE) and net human well-being (NWB) transfer depends largely on the resource endowment and the extent of the effects of the different drivers and development status of two regions. This study provides a new perspective for analyzing the evolution of carbon inequality in China and provides important insights for reducing carbon inequality and realizing carbon equity.