Spatial variation of carbon budget and carbon balance zoning of Central Plains Economic Region at county-level

Regional carbon budget and carbon balance is one of the core fields of the studies on global climate change and carbon emission. Study on carbon budget and carbon balance based on county scale will not only help to establish theoretical framework for the evaluation of carbon efficiency and carbon ecological pressure on county- level, but also has great significance for county- level carbon compensation and the formation of low- carbon development strategies. Using statistical data and land use data of 2009 of each county in Central Plains Economic Region, the carbon budget and its spatial distribution of Central Plains Economic Region was estimated and analyzed, and furthermore the optimization scheme of main functional areas of Central Plains Economic Region based on carbon budget zoning was put forward. The main conclusions are as follows:(1) Total carbon absorption and carbon emission of Central Plains Economic Region in 2009 was 0.13 Gt and 0.21 Gt respectively. There appeared obvious spatial difference among each county. From the spatial level, carbon emission of each county gradually decreased from municipal district to circumjacent counties, while carbon absorption has a characteristic of lower carbon absorption in Northwest and higher carbon absorption in Southeast of Central Plains Economic Region.(2) There was remarkable spatial difference on carbon compensation rate. The higher the per capita GDP, the lower the compensation rate, and vice versa.(3) Economy contribution coefficient of carbon emission was obviously mismatched with carbon ecological capacity because of the different patterns in spatial distribution of carbon sources and sinks.(4)According to the result of carbon balance, the Central Plains Economic Region was divided into five kinds of areas based on the aim of regional low- carbon and harmonious development as follows: carbon emission intensity control area, total carbon emission control area, carbon sink area, carbon budget balance area and low-carbon optimization area. Finally,the optimization scheme for main functional areas of Central Plains Economic Region and the corresponding low- carbon development strategies was put forward based on the carbon balance zoning.