Carbon Emission Heterogeneity in Developed Countries: Insights for China’s Neutrality Strategy
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThank you for allowing me to review the manuscript titled "Heterogeneity in Carbon Emissions of Developed Countries and its Implications for China's Carbon Neutrality Strategy: An Analysis Based on Per Capita Energy Consumption-Emission Intensity Classification and LMDI Decomposition Model." I found the manuscript to be quite impressive. However, before moving forward, some revisions need to be addressed. 1. The manuscript's title could be improved by making it more concise. 2. Please improve the contribution part and highlight the novelty of the study. 3. In the literature review, it's important to analyze existing research concerning China's carbon emissions and their implications. This involves tracing the discourse among previous studies and identifying their contributions. By evaluating earlier work, we can pinpoint gaps in knowledge or methodologies, leading to a clearer understanding of the research landscape and the unique contribution of our study. 4. Why are you using "quadratic and cubic regression tests"? Please highlight the advantages of this method shortly. 5. The figures require enhancement to improve resolution and clarity, as they currently appear blurry.
Comments on the Quality of English LanguageNeed to be proofread by a professional.
Author Response
Thank you for your comments sincerely, which are very important for this study, and I will respond to your suggestions one-on-one below.
Point 1: The manuscript's title could be improved by making it more concise .
Response 1: Thank you for your suggestion. We have revised the title to "Carbon Emission Heterogeneity in Developed Countries: Insights for China's Neutrality Strategy." (Lines:2-3)
Point 2: Please improve the contribution part and highlight the novelty of the study.
Response 2: Thank you for your suggestion. We have improved the contribution section accordingly. (Lines:117-127)
Point 3: In the literature review, it's important to analyze existing research concerning China's carbon emissions and their implications. This involves tracing the discourse among previous studies and identifying their contributions. By evaluating earlier work, we can pinpoint gaps in knowledge or methodologies, leading to a clearer understanding of the research landscape and the unique contribution of our study.
Response 3: Thank you for your suggestion. In fact, the literature review of this paper mainly discusses the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) of carbon emissions and regional heterogeneity, summarizing in-depth research on carbon emissions by scholars, including those in China. From the results, the fundamental causes of the EKC of carbon emissions and regional heterogeneity lie in the differences in carbon emissions between regions, which include variations in economic development patterns and industrial structures, as well as differences in factors influencing carbon emissions among regions. These aspects have been thoroughly discussed in the review section.(Lines:60-98)
Point 4: Why are you using "quadratic and cubic regression tests"? Please highlight the advantages of this method shortly.
Response 4: Thank you for your suggestion. We conducted regression analyses using both quadratic and cubic methods to avoid potential errors from relying solely on one method. This approach allows for a more in-depth analysis of the data and yields more reliable conclusions. With these additions, the paper has been adequately supplemented.(Lines:130-143)
Point 5: The figures require enhancement to improve resolution and clarity, as they currently appear blurry.
Response 5: Thank you for your suggestion. We have enhanced the clarity of some of the figures accordingly.
Reviewer 2 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsThere is no reference to broader mathematical analyses demonstrating the effectiveness of the solutions proposed by Author's.
I propose to relate the research carried out to the European Commission's ‘Green Deal’ concept - in order to compare methodologies, approaches and conventions
Author Response
Thank you for your comments sincerely, which are very important for this study, and I will respond to your suggestions one-on-one below.
Point 1: There is no reference to broader mathematical analyses demonstrating the effectiveness of the solutions proposed by Author's.
Response 1: Thank you for your suggestion. The Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory posits an inverted U-shaped relationship between environmental pollution and economic development. However, actual circumstances may be influenced by various factors, leading to differences in the shape of the curve. Compared to simple linear regression, quadratic and cubic regression can more accurately describe the curve trends in data, thereby improving the model's fit and predictive ability. Therefore, this study employs both quadratic and cubic regression methods to conduct tests, avoiding potential errors associated with a single method and enabling a more in-depth analysis of the data, resulting in more reliable conclusions. (Lines:130-143)
Point 2: I propose to relate the research carried out to the European Commission's ‘Green Deal’ concept - in order to compare methodologies, approaches and conventions.
Response 2: Thank you for your suggestion, which has provided us with insights into exploring the patterns of carbon emissions. In reality, carbon emissions represent an extremely complex system, and numerous scholars worldwide have conducted in-depth studies on this subject. However, most of these studies have focused on specific aspects, and our paper follows a similar approach. Your suggestion offers us a valuable perspective, and we will endeavor to explore the patterns of carbon emissions more comprehensively through various avenues in the future.
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsCongratulations to the authors for their work! However, before the article is published, it requires the following corrections:
1. References (in the text) to all references contained therein do not meet the journal's requirements. This requires significant improvement across the board. Please provide the number in square brackets - without the year of publication.
2. The material should be expanded to include a more detailed discussion of the Kuzniets curve, preferably based on the latest achievements in this area, including publications in the most important databases: Scopus, WoS or Research Gate. It should be emphasized that curves are universal in various fields. They were originally created for completely different purposes, but only later they began to be used for environmental analyses. The theory created by Simon Kuznets stated that as a country progresses, social inequality first increases and then decreases (the so-called bell curve).
3. Lines 20-21, 64-66 and 121-122 contain (repeated) the same information. Please correct it.
4. Please provide a clear, short and concise description of the content of Figure 1 (lines 217-230). Label the drawing on the left as a and the one on the right as b, and comment on what they show. The description presented by the authors is complicated and incomprehensible to the reader.
5. The section on conclusions indicates the method's limitations but does not indicate directions for further action. Please fill.
Author Response
Thank you for your comments sincerely, which are very important for this study, and I will respond to your suggestions one-on-one below.
Point 1: References (in the text) to all references contained therein do not meet the journal's requirements. This requires significant improvement across the board. Please provide the number in square brackets - without the year of publication.
Response 1: Thank you for your reminder. I have revised the citations of our paper according to the articles previously published in the Sustainability journal.. (Lines:588-650)
Point 2: The material should be expanded to include a more detailed discussion of the Kuzniets curve, preferably based on the latest achievements in this area, including publications in the most important databases: Scopus, WoS or Research Gate. It should be emphasized that curves are universal in various fields. They were originally created for completely different purposes, but only later they began to be used for environmental analyses. The theory created by Simon Kuznets stated that as a country progresses, social inequality first increases and then decreases (the so-called bell curve).
Response 2: Thank you for your suggestion. In fact, the literature review of this paper mainly discusses the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) of carbon emissions and regional heterogeneity, summarizing in-depth research on carbon emissions by scholars, including those in China. From the results, the fundamental causes of the EKC of carbon emissions and regional heterogeneity lie in the differences in carbon emissions between regions, which include variations in economic development patterns and industrial structures, as well as differences in factors influencing carbon emissions among regions. These aspects have been thoroughly discussed in the review section.(Lines:60-98)
Point 3: Lines 20-21, 64-66 and 121-122 contain (repeated) the same information. Please correct it.
Response 3: Thank you for your suggestion. Firstly, we have revised the content of lines 121-122. It is important to clarify that in our literature review (lines 64-66), we mainly summarize all forms of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) in current research, while in the abstract (lines 20-21), we summarize the forms of the EKC specifically based on the study conducted in this paper. These two aspects are related in terms of commonalities and specificities. (Lines:133-143)
Point 4: Please provide a clear, short and concise description of the content of Figure 1 (lines 217-230). Label the drawing on the left as a and the one on the right as b, and comment on what they show. The description presented by the authors is complicated and incomprehensible to the reader.
Response 4: Thank you for the reminder. We have annotated Figure 1, labeling the left side as A and the right side as B. Additionally, regarding the caption below the figure, I believe it provides helpful insights into understanding the classification logic of different patterns in the figure. We have considered various ways of expressing this, and the current version is relatively concise. However, if readers have any questions about this, they are welcome to communicate with us via email at any time..(Lines:237-249)
Point 5: The section on conclusions indicates the method's limitations but does not indicate directions for further action. Please fill.
Response 5: Thank you for your suggestion. We have further enhanced the outlook section of the conclusion.. (Lines:575-581)
Author Response File: 
Author Response.pdf
Round 2
Reviewer 1 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsFigures 2, 3, 5 and 6 still need improvement. Their blurred and unclear expressions may make them difficult to understand.
Comments on the Quality of English Languageno
Author Response
Point 1: Figures 2, 3, 5 and 6 still need improvement. Their blurred and unclear expressions may make them difficult to understand.
Response 1: Thank you for your suggestion. There are indeed some blurry areas in these figures. We will readjust Figures 2, 3, and 5, and replace Figure 6 with a table of data. Wishing you a pleasant workday.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
Reviewer 3 Report
Comments and Suggestions for AuthorsNo comments
Author Response
Point 1: No comments.
Response 1: Thank you for your suggestion. Wishing you a pleasant workday.
Author Response File: Author Response.pdf
