Evaluation of Provincial Carbon Neutrality Capacity of China Based on Combined Weight and Improved TOPSIS Model

• Main Authors: Dongxiao Niu, Gengqi Wu, Zhengsen Ji, Dongyu Wang, Yuying Li, Tian Gao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-03-01
• Series: Sustainability
• Subjects: carbon neutrality; capability assessment; cloud model; improved TOPSIS model
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/5/2777

It will be a huge challenge for China to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060. At present, China needs to understand its own carbon neutrality status and then scientifically plan a path to achieve carbon neutrality. In order to evaluate the carbon neutrality capacity of China’s provinces, this paper firstly constructs an evaluation indicator system, which includes 20 indicators at six levels. Then, a combination of subjective and objective weighting methods, as well as an improved technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS) model, are used to calculate evaluation results. On this basis, the reasons for their different carbon neutrality capacities are analyzed. The results show that the use of renewable energy, maintaining ecological environmental quality, and low-carbon technology are important factors affecting China’s carbon neutrality capacity, and according to the evaluation results, China’s provinces are divided into three categories. Finally, corresponding suggestions for speeding up the pace of carbon neutrality are put forward.