Carbon quota allocation for railway transportation enterprises in China from ESG perspective

ZHAO Rui; ZHAO Yijie; ZHOU Xiao; DENG Ligang

doi:10.13205/j.hjgc.202609024

Volume 44 Issue 9

Sep. 2026

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Article Navigation > ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING > 2026 > 44(9): 228-235

ZHAO Rui, ZHAO Yijie, ZHOU Xiao, DENG Ligang. Carbon quota allocation for railway transportation enterprises in China from ESG perspective[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 228-235. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609024

Citation:

ZHAO Rui, ZHAO Yijie, ZHOU Xiao, DENG Ligang. Carbon quota allocation for railway transportation enterprises in China from ESG perspective[J]. ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING , 2026, 44(9): 228-235. doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609024

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Carbon quota allocation for railway transportation enterprises in China from ESG perspective

doi: 10.13205/j.hjgc.202609024

1. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu 611756, China;
2. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China

Received Date: 2025-10-28
Available Online: 2026-11-05

Abstract

Abstract

Railway transportation is an essential part of the transportation sector and faces increasingly severe challenges in emission reduction. Research on carbon quota allocation serves as a prerequisite for improving the carbon quota management efficiency of railway transportation enterprises and promoting the low-carbon development of the railway industry. This study calculated the carbon emissions of 18 railway bureaus and constructed a carbon quota allocation model based on the ESG （Environmental， Social， and Governance） principles to ensure the sustainability of carbon quota distribution. The results showed that from 2016 to 2023， the carbon emissions of railway transportation enterprises increased from 57.03 million tons to 66.93 million tons， representing an increase of 17.36%. Under the ESG principles， Shanghai Railway Bureau， Beijing Railway Bureau， and Guangzhou Railway Bureau， which are characterized by higher transportation intensity and lower emission intensity， were allocated higher quotas of 6.3550 million tons， 6.1814 million tons， and 5.4883 million tons， respectively； whereas ecologically sensitive regions such as Qinghai-Tibet Railway Group and Kunming Railway Bureau obtained additional quotas of 2.3085 million tons and 2.7956 million tons， respectively， through inter-regional coordination. To promote the green transformation of the railway industry， measures such as establishing special funds for low-carbon technology research and development， creating provincial carbon trading platforms， and building dynamic evaluation mechanisms should be implemented. These initiatives will lay the foundation for extending the carbon trading market to the transportation sector.
- railway transportation enterprises,
- carbon emission accounting,
- carbon quota allocation,
- ESG principles

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References(21)

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