A Study on Initial Carbon Emission Quota Allocation Schemes in the Yangtze River Delta Region

Abstract

Global climate change has become a pressing global challenge, and the scientific allocation of carbon emission rights is crucial for achieving regional emission reduction targets and promoting low-carbon transformation. As a core region of my country's economic development, the Yangtze River Delta region accounts for a high proportion of the country's total carbon emissions. The three provinces and one municipality of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui exhibit significant differences in economic development levels, industrial structures, and carbon emission intensity. These differences reflect regional development imbalances and pose practical difficulties for the fair and efficient allocation of carbon emission rights. This paper takes the three provinces and one municipality of the Yangtze River Delta as the research object, and, focusing on the 2030 carbon peak target, designs and analyzes three initial carbon emission quota allocation schemes: fairness-oriented, efficiency-oriented, and a hybrid scheme balancing fairness and efficiency. By comparing the implementation effects of each scheme, its advantages and disadvantages are identified, providing theoretical support and practical reference for the construction of the carbon market in the Yangtze River Delta region, and also offering a reference for carbon quota allocation in other regions of China.