Carbon emissions index decomposition and carbon emissions prediction in Xinjiang from the perspective of population-related factors, based on the combination of STIRPAT model and neural network

In the present study, the STIRPAT model was adopted to examine the impacts of several factors on dioxide emissions using the time series data from 2000 to 2019 in Xinjiang. The said factors included population aging, urbanization, household size, per capita GDP, number of vehicles, per capita mutton consumption, education level, and household direct energy consumption structure. Findings were made that the positive effects of urbanization, per capita GDP, per capita mutton consumption and education on carbon emissions were obvious; the number of vehicles had the biggest positive impact on carbon dioxide emissions; and household size and household direct energy consumption structure had a significantly negative impact on carbon emissions. Based on the aforementioned findings, the GA-BP neural network was introduced to predict the carbon emission trend of Xinjiang in 2020–2050. The results reveal that the peak time of the low-carbon scenario was the earliest, between 2029 and 2033. The peak time of the middle scenario was later than low-carbon scenario, between 2032 and 2037, while the peak time of the high-carbon scenario was the latest and was unlikely to reach the peak before 2050.