The impact of urbanization on carbon emissions of rural households: a study based on micro-level measurement

As urbanization continues to advance, the living standards of households in rural areas of China are improving, and carbon emissions are gradually increasing. Rural households will become a key area of emission reduction in the future. This paper uses panel data from the 2012 to 2018 China Family Panel Studies database to analyze the impact of urbanization on carbon emissions of Chinese rural households at the micro level. The results show that: (1) urbanization has an inverted "N"-shaped impact on rural household carbon emissions. (2) Different dimensions of urbanization have different effects on rural household carbon emissions, but there is synergy between them. (3) Mechanism analysis shows that the level of energy consumption, the cleaner structure of energy consumption, the level of consumption, and the upgrading of the consumption structure are important channels through which urbanization affects the carbon emissions of rural households. Finally, this paper puts forward relevant suggestions to provide scientific references and important inspirations for the green development of urbanization in developing countries around the world.