Coordination between economic growth and carbon emissions: Evidence from 178 cities in China

Tackling with the contradiction between economic growth and carbon emissions in the high-quality development of the Chinese economy remains a critical issue. Different from previous national, inter-provincial, or county-level studies, our study used the entropy method and coupling coordination model to explore the coordination level between economic growth and carbon emissions based on the panel data of 178 cities in China from 2011 to 2019. Next, we introduced the Dagum Gini coefficient and K-means clustering to compare the city-level differences. The findings revealed the following: (1) Overall, the coordinated level of economic growth and carbon emissions in 178 cities showed a steady upward trend. (2) By decomposing inter-regional differences using the Dagum Gini coefficient, we find disparities are shrinking but remain driven primarily by between-region gaps. (3) Looking across city types, consumption-oriented cities like Beijing and Shanghai with strong service sectors lead in coordination. Among industry-oriented cities, those dependent on resources lag while equipment manufacturing-led and light industry cities fare better. Ecological priority cities show split patterns, with specialized industrial cities moderately coordinated but agriculture-and forestry-oriented cities struggling. Our findings suggested that the coordination level between carbon emissions and economic growth in most cities in China had scope for improvement. Targeted recommendations provide actionable next steps for policymakers in meeting China's “dual carbon” goals while maintaining economic stability.