Exploring the relationship between urbanization, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions in different provinces of China

Unlike previous studies, this paper empirically investigates the impact of urbanization on energy consumption and CO2 emissions with consideration of provincial differences. The results show the following: (1) Urbanization increases energy consumption and CO2 emissions in China, but it is not the most outstanding contributor to the increases. (2) Significant differences exist between provinces in terms of the impact of urbanization on energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The distribution of urbanization strongly and relatively strongly affects energy consumption in regions with high-urbanization areas but also those with low-urbanization areas. Meanwhile, urbanization strongly and relatively strongly affects the regional CO2 emissions in northern China, where the major coal production areas, characterized by an energy-guzzling heavy industry base, are located. (3) Some evidence supports the arguments of urban environmental transition theory. Cities at a post-industrial stage (such as Beijing and Shanghai) experience a large effect from urbanization because of higher energy consumption in private residential and public service sectors, while in western and central China, the impact of urbanization can be associated with industrial development, which is characterized by low energy efficiency, high energy consumption and high emissions. In eastern China, the coexistence of light industrial structures and rapid urbanization has led to a smaller impact from urbanization on energy consumption and CO2 emissions than in the other two regions.