Analysis of Carbon Emission Caused by Food Consumption in City and Rural Inhabitants in China

The household is the unit of society, and its development is the basis for continued development of society. Food consumption is one of the most important parts of family life. This article, which is based on official data, analyses the differences in food consumptions between city inhabitants and rural inhabitants. The results indicated that total carbon emission and direct carbon emission in rural inhabitants were more than those of urban inhabitants; the indirect carbon emission of city inhabitants was more than that of rural inhabitants. The reasons for this phenomenon were related to the differences in diet structure, especially the consumption of meat, eggs and milk. When city and rural areas were compared, urbanization helped to reduce carbon emission. However, in the city, total carbon emission increased with income, urbanization brought about the expansion of carbon release which was stimulated by food consumption.