Industrial characteristics and drivers of urban carbon cycle: From an analysis of typical cities in China

The urban carbon cycle is an important part of the global carbon cycle. Clarifying the processes and drivers of the urban carbon cycle is essential for achieving urban carbon neutrality. Research on the urban carbon cycle under various industrial characteristics is still insufficient. In this study, four typical Chinese cities are selected and their carbon cycle processes and influencing factors are analysed. Here we propose an urban carbon neutral rate to evaluate the balance between urban carbon input and carbon output. Through Grey correlation analysis, we explore the main influencing factors of urban carbon neutral rate. The results show that the carbon neutral rate of Chinese cities is uneven and polarised. Heavy industrial cities face major challenges in urban carbon neutrality. In addition, the main factors affecting the carbon neutral rate of cities of different industrial types are not the same. The formulation of urban carbon neutral policies and measures should be differentiated and focused according to the industrial characteristics of cities.