Spatial analysis of carbon source and sink in China’s planting industry from 2000 to 2020

The planting industry plays a significant role as both a source of global greenhouse gas emissions and a carbon sink system. It is crucial to clarify the carbon sources and sinks of the planting industry for the development of low-carbon agriculture. This study calculates the carbon sources and sinks of the planting industry based on crop data from 2000 to 2020 and utilizes the Theil index for further analysis. The results indicate that the total carbon sources of the planting industry in China initially increased and then decreased, ranging from 75.71 million tons to 98.22 million tons, with an average annual growth rate of 2.06%. On the other hand, the carbon sinks of the planting industry increased from 563.805 million tons to 864.42 million tons, reflecting a 53.32% increase. Notably, the national net carbon sinks demonstrated a steady growth trend, rising from 488.10 million tons in 2000 to 766.21 million tons in 2020. Secondly, the differences of carbon sources and sinks have increased and the distribution differences were basically differences within regions. Thirdly, with regionally unbalanced distribution, there were obvious differences in the variation of regional net carbon sinks. Guangxi had the highest level of net carbon sinks. Consequently, the development of a low-carbon planting industry necessitates reduced reliance on agricultural inputs and the formulation of region-specific agricultural carbon reduction policies. It also involves exploring the potential for agricultural carbon reduction in each region, promoting regional cooperation, and improving the mechanism for dividing regional tasks.