A Preliminary Study of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Effects of Land Use Control

Abstract

Land use change not only directly influences carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems but can also cause energy-related carbon emissions. This study examined spatiotemporal land use change across Jiangsu Province, China; calculated vegetation carbon storage loss caused by land use change and energy-related carbon emissions; analysed the relationship among land use change, carbon emissions and social-economic development; and optimized land use structure to maximize carbon storage. Our study found that 13.61% of the province’s land area underwent a change in type of land use between 1995 and 2010, mainly presented as built-up land expansion and cropland shrinkage, especially in southern Jiangsu. Land use change caused a 353.99 × 104 t loss of vegetation carbon storage loss. Energy-related carbon emissions increased 2.5 times from 1995 to 2013; the energy consumption structure has been improved to some extent while still relying on coal. The selected social-economic driving forces have strong relationships with carbon emissions and land use changes, while there are also other determinants driving land use change, such as land use policy. The optimized land use structure will slow the rate of decline in vegetation carbon storage compared with the period between 1995 and 2010 and will also reduce energy-related carbon emissions by 12%.

Spatial-temporal dynamics of carbon emissions and carbon sinks in economically developed areas of China: a case study of Guangdong Province

“…Our study shows that Guangdong Province didn’t undergo drastic LULCC dynamics from 2005 to 2013, with only 7.14% of land area having experienced changes in land types (Table 1 ), which is much lower than that in Jiangsu Province 26 . Built-up land has been continuously expanded from 2005–2013, mainly at the expense of cropland and forest land.…”

“…However, considering that the total paddy area in China is 15.79 times of that of Guangdong Province 89 , CH 4 emissions in our study may have been overrated to a certain extent. In this study, we did not consider the effect of soil organic carbon (SOC) because SOC changes may need much more time compared with vegetation 25 , 26 .…”

“…It has been reported that coastal regions are an ideal study area for exploring the relationship between land use patterns and carbon emissions derived from social and economic factors, since these regions are characterized by high population densities, rapid economic growth and intense energy consumption 26 – 28 . Guangdong, the most affluent and populous province in China, has undergone rapid development since the implementation of China’s economic reform and opening policy in 1978 29 , 30 .…”

Effects of urbanization on productivity of terrestrial ecological systems based on linear fitting: a case study in Jiangsu, eastern China

“…Economic development in Jiangsu has been more efficient and at lower cost compared to other areas of China, resulting in faster urban construction land expansion compared to other cities 32 . The major drivers for this expansion include GDP increase, urban population growth, and fixed asset investments 33 . In particular, accelerated population growth has contributed heavily to the recent urbanization in Jiangsu (population urbanization).…”

How Does Land Urbanization Promote CO2 Emissions Reduction? Evidence From Chinese Prefectural-Level Cities

“…The links between urbanization and CO 2 emissions have recently been extensively investigated by existing research (Lai et al, 2016;Chuai et al, 2016). Previous studies have also addressed multiple effects of different aspects of urbanization, including economic, population, land, and social urbanization, on CO 2 emissions (Zhou et al, 2019a).…”