Differentiation Analysis on Carbon Emission Efficiency and Its Factors at Different Industrialization Stages: Evidence from Mainland China

Industrial production is currently the main source of global carbon emissions. There are obvious differences in regional carbon emission efficiencies (CEE) at different industrial stages. We investigate CEE and explore its factors in mainland China at different industrialization stages from 2008-2020 using the super-SBM model with an undesirable output and the STIRPAT model. There is significant spatial heterogeneity in regional CEE, with gaps gradually widening. CEE’s spatial heterogeneity in mid-industrialized provinces is narrowing, while in late-industrialized and post-industrialized provinces, it is widening. CEE’s factors also differ in provinces at different industrialization stages. At the mid-industrialization stage, the industrial structure (IS) is the dominant factor, while population urbanization (PU) is dominant at the late-industrialization stage, and both PU and IS are dominant at the post-industrialization stage. Based on CEE’s characteristics at different industrialization stages, we propose suggestions for green development.