Accelerating Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy: A Coupling Analysis of Agricultural Products and Resource Environment

Abstract

This study examines the low-carbon economy, agricultural products, and the resource environment as three interconnected subsystems, establishing an evaluation framework for their coordinated growth across eight regions of China. The results highlight significant regional imbalances, particularly in North China, Northwest China, and Northeast China. Principal component analysis (PCA) shows that the agricultural product system captures 99.502% of its information, while the resource-environment system accounts for 84.823%, demonstrating robust explanatory power. The national Economic–Agricultural–Resource–Environment (EARE) system progressed from sub-coordinated growth (2010–2014) to coordinated growth (2019–2020), moving from mild imbalance to high-quality growth. Initially, resource growth lagged behind economic development (2010–2015), which then shifted to economic growth lagging behind resource and environmental growth (2015–2020). This study underscores the need for targeted policies to enhance regional sustainability and balanced development.