Spatial correlations of land-use carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta region: A perspective from social network analysis

The use and transformation of land by humans are the main cause of the increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Using land-use data and socioeconomic statistics for 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015, and 2018, this study examines the carbon emissions from land use and their intensity in the entire Yangtze River Delta Region. We constructed a spatial correlation network of land-use carbon emissions by using a modified gravity model to analyze the characteristics of the spatial correlations and spillover effects of land-use carbon emissions. Results reveal that: (1) the spatial differences in land-use carbon emissions gradually increased, whereas those in land-use carbon emission intensity gradually narrowed from 1995 to 2018; (2) the high-degree centrality of Shanghai, Wuxi, and Suzhou indicated that they had always played leading roles in the network from 1995 to 2018. Moreover, Shanghai and Wuxi had large land-use carbon radiation ranges and together with Suzhou, Hangzhou, Changzhou, and Nanjing, exhibited above-average betweenness centrality from 1995 to 2018 and strong bridging capabilities across the entire network; (3) the land-use carbon emissions had obvious spatial correlations and spillover effects. Our results can provide a scientific basis from an urban agglomeration perspective for the transformation of China’s current economy into a low-carbon one, as well as the realization of regionally differentiated and coordinated emission reduction.