Prediction of direct carbon emissions of Chinese provinces using artificial neural networks

Closely connected to human carbon emissions, global climate change is affecting regional economic and social development, natural ecological environment, food security, water supply, and many other social aspects. In a word, climate change has become a vital issue of general concern in the current society. In this study, the carbon emission data of Chinese provinces in 1999–2019 are collected and analyzed, so as to identify the carbon emission of direct consumption per 10,000 residents in each province (including each municipal city and autonomous region) and the entire nation based on population data. The Arc Geographic Information Science Engine (ArcGIS Engine) and C#.NET platform are employed to call the MATLAB neural network toolbox. A model is selected and embedded in the prediction system to develop the entire system. This study demonstrates that the carbon emissions per resident in Northern China are significantly higher than those in Southern China, with the rate of carbon emissions continuing to increase over time. Compared with other models, the Elman neural network has a higher carbon emission prediction accuracy, but with more minor errors. For instance, its accuracy and prediction performance are improved by 55.93% and 19.48%, respectively, compared with the Backpropagation Neural Network (BPNN). The prediction results show that China is expected to reach its peak carbon emission in around 2025–2030. The above results are acquired based on the concept of carbon emissions and neural network model theories, supported by GIS component technology and intelligent methods. The feasibility of BPNN, Radial Basis Function (RBF) and Elman neural network models for predicting residential carbon emissions is analyzed. This study also designs a comprehensive, integrated and extensible visual intelligent platform, which is easy to implement and stable in operation. The trend and characteristics of carbon emission changes from 2027 to 2032 are explored and predicted based on the data about direct carbon emissions of Chinese provincial residents from 1999 to 2019, purposed to provide a scientific basis for the control and planning of carbon emissions.