As key players of national climate change mitigation action,cities,especially resource-based cities,have to face many practical challenges in the course of green development and ecological civilization construction. The realization of China's CO_2 emission reduction target in middle term and long term will depend on whether our resource-based cities can achieve the successful transformation of low-carbon development. Based on China's high spatial resolution grid database ( CHRED) towards 340 prefecture-level cities,this study analyzes the carbon dioxide emission characteristics of 126 resource-based cities in China,by using DPSIR ( Driving Force- Pressure-State-Response-Response) framework,analogy studies and scenario analysis. This paper also reveals the challenges they faced in terms of urban energy consumption structure and industrial structure,and explores the future CO_2 emission trends and carbon emission reduction potential of the proposed cities. The results show that under usual peak scenario,CO_2 emission in 126 resourcebased cities will attain a peak value of 7. 265 billion tons in 2030,accounting for about 60% of total CO_2 emission in China. And in early peak scenario,CO_2 emission of all resource-based cities will peak with 5. 378 billion tons in 2025,representing about 45% of total CO_2 emission in China. Finally,the study puts forward the following countermeasures and suggestions on the transformation of lowcarbon development and achieving carbon emission peak of resource-based cities in China: First,strengthen capacity building on energy statistics work,and promote information management platform of carbon emissions performance in the resource-based cities. Second, enhance institutional capacity building in terms of green & low-carbon development. Third, improve current primary energy consumption structure with fossil fuels dominated,and increase the share of clean fuels in energy mix. Fourth,accelerate the development of green & low-carbon technology,promote the optimization and upgrading of traditional industries,and facilitate remarkable reduction of carbon emission intensity in the resource-based cities.