Newswise — Jia Yue, Zhixiong Weng, et al. have conducted a study entitled “Disparities in carbon emissions across households: insights from daily diet”. This study was published in Frontiers of Environmental Science & Engineering, Volume 19, Issue 7.
Rural household food consumption is a key contributor to China’s carbon emissions, with significant disparities shaped by multiple factors. The aim of this study was to explore the inequality of rural household food carbon emissions and the influence of household characteristics. The researchers utilized data from the 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey (3810 farming households across 10 areas) and employed direct carbon emission measurement, Dagum-Gini coefficient, and threshold-effect models for analysis. Key findings include: the average rural household food consumption is 1031.66 kg, with pork contributing the highest carbon emissions (39.75%); higher income, education level, younger household heads, and larger household size are associated with increased food carbon emissions; significant regional and income disparities exist (eastern-western inter-regional Gini coefficient 0.413, low-high income inter-group Gini coefficient 0.449); threshold effects are observed with college-educated heads, 32.80-33.25-year-old heads, and 3-5 member households showing elevated emissions. This study clarifies the structural characteristics and inequality of rural food carbon emissions, providing a basis for targeted low-carbon policies.
For more detailed information, the full paper is available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11783-025-2007-6.
