Assessing carbon emission and energy efficiency in Yangtze River economic belt cities, China

CO2 emissions will intensify the greenhouse effect and bring a series of problems. This study analyzes 78 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) from 2005 to 2020. Firstly, the SBM-DEA model is used to measure the carbon emission efficiency (CEE). Secondly, the spatial aggregation and evolution characteristics of CEE are analyzed using the Moran’s I index. Finally, the extended STIRPAT model is combined with the spatial Durbin model (SDM) to explore driving factors. The study found: (1) CEE of cities in YREB enhanced from 0.413 to 0.615; (2) CEE has a positive spatial autocorrelation, and the aggregation effect is gradually enhanced; and (3) factors like per capita GDP, environmental regulation, industrial transformation and other factors have a remarkable influence on CEE. There is spatial heterogeneity in the upstream, midstream, and downstream. This study has important significance for the green, low-carbon development of the YREB in future.