Spatial differentiation of urban carbon emissions — An exploratory spatial data analysis in Beijing

While the fossil energy-related carbon emissions have been documented in cities, much less attention has been devoted to exploring the spatial pattern and structure of carbon emissions in urban area. On the basis of carbon emissions estimation of sub-districts in Beijng, this article performs an exploratory spatial data analysis (ESDA) to investigate the spatial differentiation of urban carbon emissions over 2000~2010. The results confirm the assumption about the spatial autocorrelation of carbon emissions based on spatial agglomeration of population and spatial restructuring of economy. The carbon emissions in sub-districts reflect a core-periphery structure in Beijing and reveal a significant presence of spatial autocorrelation with distinct spatial clusters of high and low values of carbon emissions. However, the carbon emission centers are dissimilar with population centers due to differentiation from geographical division of labor. Overall, our results shed new light on the analysis of urban spatial structure of resource utilization and environmental impact.