Temporal and Spatial Differences in CO2 Equivalent Emissions and Carbon Compensation Caused by Land Use Changes and Industrial Development in Hunan Province

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The differences in CO2 equivalent emissions and carbon compensation due to land use changes can provide a basis for formulating low-carbon development policies in various regions according to net CO2 emissions. Based on the land use and energy consumption data of Hunan Province from 2000 to 2020, the calculation model is constructed to calculate the CO2 equivalent emissions and carbon compensation values for different cities in different periods. The results showed that: (1) From 2000 to 2020, there was a significant growth trend in the area of built-up land in Hunan Province, mainly from the forest and cropland, while the area of forest is relatively stable. (2) The net CO2 equivalent emissions from land use changes in Hunan Province shows a trend of increasing first and then decreasing with an initially fast and then slowed growth rate. Built-up land is the main carbon source, and its CO2 equivalent emissions increased by 26.78 million tons, while the forest is the main carbon sink, and its carbon absorption decreased by 4.11 × 104 tons. (3) The carbon sink areas are mainly located in Zhangjiajie and Xiangxi in western Hunan, and the CO2 equivalent emission intensity of other carbon source areas is gradually increasing from eastern Hunan to southern Hunan. (4) The carbon compensation value is very similar to the spatial distribution of CO2 equivalent emissions in different cities. The high carbon compensation areas are mainly Yueyang, Loudi, and Xiangtan due to their backward energy structure, un-upgraded industrial structure, and large net CO2 equivalent emissions, while the high carbon compensation areas are mainly Changsha, due to its high economic development level, great technological progress, and small net CO2 equivalent emissions. To achieve regional coordination and low-carbon development, it is necessary to continually improve the carbon compensation mechanism and to build on carbon compensation to promote regional low-carbon coordinated development from a low-carbon level. Meanwhile, the government should rank and direct the transformation and development of different types of cities, to build a low-carbon land development model and achieve the goal of developing carbon neutrality.