How Does Land Urbanization Affect Carbon Emissions in China? Evidence from 209 Cities and Three Heterogeneous Regions in the East of the Hu Line of China

Hanlong Gu (), Xueting Chen, Haohang Sun, Chongyang Huan and Bingyi Wang
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Hanlong Gu: College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Xueting Chen: College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Haohang Sun: College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Chongyang Huan: College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China
Bingyi Wang: College of Land and Environment, Shenyang Agricultural University, Shenyang 110866, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-24

Abstract: Land urbanization (LU) is a defining feature of China’s urbanization process and has led to significant carbon emission challenges. To clarify the interaction mechanism between LU and carbon emissions (CEs), this study examines the temporal and spatial characteristics of LU and CEs as well as the direct and spatial spillover effects in the east of the Hu Line. Specifically, three representative regions are selected for heterogeneity analysis: the Three Northeast Provinces region (TNP), the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region (BTH), and the Southeast Coastal region (SC). The findings are as follows: (1) Both LU and CEs exhibited consistent upward trends, with average annual growth rates of 4.3% and 3.5%, respectively. (2) Empirical results demonstrate that the direct and indirect effect coefficients of LU on CEs are 0.129 and −0.224, respectively. (3) The direct effect of LU on CEs is significantly positive in both the TNP and the SC, with respective coefficients of 0.336 and 0.177. Notably, a positive spatial spillover effect is observed exclusively in the TNP, with a coefficient of 0.174. In contrast, LU exerts no significant influence on CEs in the BTH. The research findings offer valuable insights into the formulation of differentiated urbanization policies and effective carbon emission reduction policies.

Keywords: carbon emissions; land urbanization; spatial spillover effect; heterogeneity; Hu Line (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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