Analyzing land use structure efficiency with carbon emissions: A case study in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, China

Abstract

China has a large population and limited land resources. The dearth of available land poses considerable challenges for economic development and environmental protection. In order to realize maximum benefits through the optimization of land use structure, land use structure efficiency (LUSE) becomes an important planning guideline for the sustainable development of a region. This paper conducts a case study in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River (MRYR) and investigates the LUSE of the region considering the effect of carbon emissions from 1995 to 2018 by using the slack-based measure with undesirable output (SBM-Undesirable) model and Markov transition probability matrix with spatial effect. The results show that: (1) the average LUSE in the study area is 0.652 when the carbon emissions are not considered, compared with that of 0.569 when the carbon emissions are factored in. The comparative result indicates that carbon emissions have a great impact on the LUSE; (2) the LUSE has a rising trend during the study period (except for 2010) starting with a value of 0.463 in 1995 and ending with a value of 0.671 in 2018. Furthermore, the spatial pattern of the LUSE in the study area has been through a drastic change, with the high-value areas clustered at a single center in 1995 evolving to a multiple-center pattern in 2018; (3) High LUSE areas have a positive spillover effect on its neighboring areas, while low LUSE areas have negative spillover effects. The results can provide insights into the optimization of land use structure and the efficient utilization of land resources. This study also suggests that policy makers should optimize the industrial structure and propose policy initiatives oriented towards goals of energy-saving and emission reduction to facilitate regional planning and sustainable development.