Is Resilient Transportation Infrastructure Low-Carbon? Evidence from High-Speed Railway Projects in China.

Establishing resilient transport infrastructure is an effective way for cities to deal with external disturbances and uncertainties during rapid urbanization. However, human society is presently facing a series of sustainable development obstacles, where the energy shortage and environmental pollution are catching significant concerns. Hence, it is imperative to investigate the carbon emission of the growing number of resilient transportation infrastructure (RTI) projects. Through extracting the carbon emission factor (CEF), this study built the carbon emission measurement model (CEMM) to evaluate the carbon emission of 26 resilient high-speed railway construction projects in China. The results indicated that the carbon emissions of the entire high-speed railway infrastructure projects in China show regional and social environmental differences. Meanwhile, there are potential correlations and positive relationships between the resilience of the high-speed railway infrastructure projects and their carbon emission. Suggestions and recommendations for governments and construction enterprises are put forward to further improve the resilient and low-carbon development of transportation infrastructure in China.