Analysis of urban carbon emission efficiency and influencing factors in the Yellow River Basin

The Yellow River Basin is an energy-rich area. The low-carbon development of the Yellow River Basin is one of the ways to achieve ecological protection and high-quality development. Based on panel data from 2007 to 2019, the dynamic and static carbon emission efficiencies of 98 cities in the Yellow River Basin were calculated using the Undesirable Super Slacks-based model and the Global Malmquist-Luengerber index method, respectively, and the spatial effects of influencing factors were analyzed using the spatial Dubin model. Main conclusions are as follows: (1) The carbon emission efficiency of cities in the Yellow River Basin is different, and only a small numbers of cities have reached the effective state. (2) The main factor for the increase in the overall carbon emission efficiency of the whole Basin is technological progress, and the main factors for the improvement of carbon emission efficiency of different cities are various. (3) The direct effects of economic development level and industrial structure upgrading are significantly positive, the direct effects of technological development level, energy intensity, and opening up are significantly negative, and the indirect effects of population density are positive. The conclusions are of great significance for promoting low-carbon development, ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin.

Automated summary

This study calculates the carbon emission efficiency of 98 cities in the Yellow River Basin and analyzes the spatial effects of influencing factors, drawing several important conclusions. The carbon emission efficiency of cities in the Yellow River Basin varies, with only a small number of cities reaching an effective state. Technological progress is the main factor driving the overall improvement of carbon emission efficiency in the basin, while the factors affecting carbon emission efficiency in different cities vary. Economic development level and industrial structure upgrading have significant positive effects on carbon emission efficiency, while technological development level, energy intensity, and opening up have significant negative effects, and population density has a positive indirect effect on carbon emission efficiency.