Spatio-temporal pattern and influencing factor of urban land use carbon emission efficiency in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Exploring regional differences and mitigation pathways of Land Use Carbon Emission Efficiency (LCEE) is of great significance for formulating locally-adapted land management policies and achieving China’s “dual carbon” targets. In this study, a Super-SBM model with undesirable outputs is employed to comprehensively measure the LCEE of 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt over an extended time period, with a systematic analysis of its spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and key driving factors. The results reveal that overall LCEE in the Yangtze River Economic Belt has exhibited a fluctuating upward trajectory, characterized by significant regional disparities and a clear polarization trend. Notably, the downstream regions have consistently outperformed the middle and upper reaches in terms of efficiency, although the gap between regions has shown signs of narrowing over time. Regression analysis indicates that economic development, green technology innovation, and a higher degree of openness significantly promote improvements in LCEE, whereas urbanization rate and industrial structure exert a restraining effect. Further, the study uncovers pronounced spatial dependence and dynamic transfer characteristics of LCEE, underlining importance of fully considering regional heterogeneity in policy formulation. The findings suggest that enhancing cross-regional technological collaboration and optimizing resource allocation are essential for narrowing regional gaps and achieving differentiated, effective carbon reduction strategies, thereby providing a robust theoretical foundation for more targeted and diversified emission reduction policies in the future.