Researchers from the University of Birmingham found that a further 21 cities have cut CO2 emissions as their economies or populations have ‘declined’ over the same period - defined as passively emission-declined cities.
‘Emission peaked’ cities, such as Beijing, achieved emission decline mainly due to efficiency improvements and structural changes in energy use, whilst ‘declining’ cities, such as Fuxin (Liaoning province) and Shenyang (Liaoning province), are likely to have reduced emissions due to economic recession or population loss.
The study suggests that emission targets for cities needs to be set individually considering their resources, industrialisation levels, socio-economic characteristics and development goals.
Super-emitting cities with outdated technologies and lower production efficiency should develop stringent policies and targets for emissions reduction, while less developed regions could have more emission space for economic development...
