Spatiotemporal interactions and influencing factors for carbon emission efficiency of cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China

Exploring the spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of carbon emission efficiency (CEE) is crucial for achieving the goal of urban carbon neutrality. However, most of the existing studies ignore the temporal dependence of the spatial pattern evolution of CEE and the scale variability of the factors influencing CEE. With the help of an exploratory spatiotemporal data analysis framework, this paper examined the spatiotemporal interactions of CEE across 110 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). In addition, a multiscale geographically weighted regression model was employed to reveal the scale effects of influencing factors on CEE. The main conclusions are as follows: first, the CEE of cities in the YREB shows a fluctuating upward trend, but the overall level is still low, and a certain polarization phenomenon exists. Second, the spatial pattern of the CEE of cities in the YREB is generally relatively stable, with strong spatial integration and path dependence. Finally, the factors influencing CEE exhibit obvious scale variability and spatial heterogeneity. Our findings can provide a basis for localized and differentiated carbon emission reduction decision-making at the city level, as well as new insights for the formulation of sustainable urban spatial planning and low-carbon development strategies.