Relationship between the development and CO2 emissions of transport sector in China

The transport sector imposes enormous challenges for energy consumption and CO2 emission reduction. Using data from 30 provinces in China, this paper adopted the Tapio decoupling index to examine the relationship between the development of the transport sector and its CO2 emissions from provincial perspective. Additionally, we employed the logarithmic mean divisia index method to explore the effect of several factors on the state of decoupling. The results showed that the under-developed provinces were more likely to present a weak decoupling state than the developed and coastal provinces. Income level was the major influential factor limiting the development of decoupling in the transport sector. The population scale had a very small negative role in the development of decoupling. Moreover, the effects of CO2 emissions efficiency, transport intensity and industry structure varied across provinces. By offering a provincial perspective on decoupling states and its driving factors, this study can provide a reference for governments in proposing carbon-reduction policies and promoting low carbon development of the transport sector.