What drives the temporal dynamics and spatial differences of urban and rural household emissions in China?

Temporal dynamics and spatial differences of urban and rural household CO2 emissions are worth exploring in the face of climate change. This study combines decomposition analysis models and Dagum's Gini coefficient method to explore household emission characteristics and key drivers of 30 provinces in China. Income is still the major factor driving the growth of household emissions. Urbanization is accompanied by a population shift from rural areas to urban areas. Population has a positive effect on urban household emissions and a negative effect on rural household emissions. Although the rural population gradually decreases, their increasing income level and propensity to consume lead to emissions that are not negligible. Household CO2 emissions have significant spatial differences. For urban households in the eastern coastal region and rural households in the northern region, the population size effect drives the growth of household emissions. Rational population mobility is beneficial to reduce intra-regional differences in household emissions. Propensity to consume and emission intensity are important factors driving household emission growth in underdeveloped provinces and resource-based provinces, respectively. Thus improving household green awareness and promoting consumption upgrades are urgent. To enhance the coordination of regional development, cross-regional flows of technology and capital will help reduce regional emission disparities. •Shows the regional gaps of China's rural and urban household CO2 emissions.•Identifies key factors driving temporal and spatial disparities in household emissions.•Heterogeneous characteristics of urban and rural households are distinguished.•Provincial specific policies with interregional integration policies are necessary to reduce household CO2 emissions.