Exploration of technical paths for collaborative pollution and carbon reduction under ecological environment zoning control: a case study of Zouping City

Conducting research on collaborative pollution and carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction through ecological environment zoning control is crucial for strengthening the coordination of ecological and environmental protection policies and promoting green and low-carbon development in the context of China's "dual-carbon" goals. Taking Zouping City as an example, we assessed the current status of CO₂ emissions from key industrial sectors within the research area, identified double high-value areas of air pollutants and CO₂ emissions using a gridded inventory approach, and constructed an integrated carbon and pollution inventory. We employed satellite remote sensing, lidar, and other methods to conduct carbon sequestration space research, and identified key areas and species for carbon sequestration. We developed a database of collaborative pollution and CO₂ reduction measures for key industries, analyzed the synergistic effect of collaborative pollution and CO₂ reduction using a graded index method, and proposed suggestions for optimizing the ecological environment access list. The results indicated that in 2020, industrial enterprises above the designated size in Zouping City emitted approximately 58.67 million tons of CO₂, with cogeneration, coking, and aluminum smelting and processing being the key industries. There were four grids with high emissions of pollutants and CO₂ in key areas, such as Handian Town, Weiqiao Town, Changshan Town, and Gaoxin Street. Most emissions originated from key enterprises such as electrolytic aluminum and coking. In 2020, the average vegetation carbon sequestration intensity in Zouping City was 364 t/(km²·a), with an annual vegetation carbon sequestration volume of 450 000 t. Carbon sequestration was concentrated in Jiuhu Town, Matou Town, Weiqiao Town, and Linchi Town. Cultivated land and forest land were currently the primary carbon sequestration systems. In each control unit, measures such as industrial optimization and upgrading, process retrofitting, and improving the quality and efficiency of forest land carbon sequestration should be optimized and improved, based on the regional industry characteristics and the vegetation carbon sequestration types. The technical pathway proposed in this study for integrating pollution and CO₂ emission reduction into the ecological environment zoning control can support collaborative pollution and CO₂ emission reduction in combination with optimizing the ecological environment access list.