In the heart of China’s ambitious “dual carbon” goals—aiming for peak carbon emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060—a groundbreaking study has shed new light on how public attention to these targets is evolving. Led by Lifang Fu from the School of Arts and Sciences at Northeast Agricultural University in Harbin, the research, published in the journal *Ecological Modeling*, offers a nuanced, interdisciplinary analysis of public discourse on carbon neutrality, with significant implications for policy design and the energy sector.
The study, which analyzed 119,000 Sina Weibo posts from 2018 to 2023, reveals a dynamic and complex landscape of public engagement. “We found that public attention to carbon neutrality is not uniform across regions,” Fu explains. “Central regions show higher levels of engagement, while western regions lag behind, and there’s a clear ‘multi-polarization’ within regions.” This spatial heterogeneity, quantified using the Dagum Gini coefficient decomposition and kernel density estimation, underscores the need for tailored policy approaches that resonate with local contexts.
Beyond spatial patterns, the research delves into the emotional and thematic evolution of public discourse. Using a sophisticated CNN-BiLSTM-Attention model for sentiment classification, the study found that the emotional tone of topics like “low-carbon lifestyle” closely mirrors policy promulgation frequency. “This alignment suggests that policy communication can significantly influence public sentiment,” Fu notes. Such insights could be invaluable for policymakers and energy companies seeking to foster public support for carbon neutrality initiatives.
The study also identifies four major thematic trajectories in public discourse: individual environmental behavior, green economy, global governance, and sustainable development. These themes reflect a progression from personal actions to broader policy and industrial practices, highlighting the evolving nature of public engagement. “The shift from micro-level actions to macro-level policies indicates a maturing discourse,” Fu observes. “This evolution could shape future developments in the energy sector, as public expectations and industry practices increasingly align.”
For the energy sector, these findings offer a roadmap for engaging with the public and aligning with policy goals. Understanding regional disparities in attention can help energy companies target their outreach efforts more effectively, while the sentiment analysis provides a tool for gauging public receptiveness to new initiatives. The thematic evolution, meanwhile, suggests a growing appetite for comprehensive, systemic approaches to carbon neutrality, from individual behaviors to global governance.
As China continues its march toward carbon neutrality, this research provides a robust quantitative foundation for optimizing policies and strategies. By bridging the gap between public discourse and policy design, it offers a blueprint for more effective, inclusive, and impactful action in the energy sector. “Our hope is that this study will inform more nuanced and responsive policies,” Fu concludes, “ultimately accelerating progress toward China’s carbon neutrality goals.”