Situation and determinants of household carbon emissions in Northwest China

• Per capita household CO2 emissions vary across regions.
• Carbon intensity and per capita income are the main explanatory factors.
• Policies for reducing household CO2 emissions in Northwest China are proposed.

Household CO2 emission is one of the main sources of carbon emissions. Reducing this type of CO2 emissions plays an important role in decreasing global carbon emissions. Based on household CO2 emission survey data in Northwest China, we analysed the current situation of household CO2 emissions and produced a map of per capita household CO2 emissions for each survey location. We also analysed the relationship between per capita household CO2 emissions and explanatory factors using spatial econometric models. The results showed that 87.56% of the per capita household CO2 emissions range from 0.3912 t to 2.5895 t. Carbon intensity and per capita income are the main explanatory factors of household CO2 emission. High per capita CO2 emissions are mainly related to carbon intensity, per capita income, January average temperature and urbanization level. The results also revealed the importance of other variables, such as total household population, age structure and July average temperature. This study contributes to the understanding of the main explanatory factors of household CO2 emission in Northwest China and proposes some emission reduction measures.