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eISSN: 2083-5906
ISSN: 1230-1485
ISSN: 1230-1485
ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Analysis of Spatiotemporal Evolution
Characteristics of Carbon Emission Efficiency
in the Yangtze River Delta Region Based
on Super-Efficiency Slacks-based Measure
Data Envelopment Analysis Model
1
School of Geographical Science, Nantong University, Nantong, 226019, China
2
Jiangsu Yangtze River Economic Belt Research Institute, Nantong, 226019, China
Submission date: 2025-10-05
Final revision date: 2025-11-22
Acceptance date: 2025-12-05
Online publication date: 2026-02-23
Corresponding author
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Research on carbon emission efficiency (CEE) is critical for formulating effective climate
change mitigation strategies and advancing regional sustainable development. This study provides
a comprehensive analysis of the CEE in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region, a key economic
region in China, from 2012 to 2021. Employing the super-efficiency Slacks-based Measure Data
Envelopment Analysis (SBM-DEA) model to measure the static efficiency and the Malmquist index
to track dynamic productivity changes, we examine the spatiotemporal evolution across 41 prefecturelevel
cities. The results indicate that: 1) Temporally, the regional CEE exhibited a fluctuating upward
trend with a V-shaped recovery pattern, achieving an overall growth of 5.8% over the decade.
2) Spatially, the efficiency displayed a distinct core-periphery structure, forming significant clusters of
high-value and low-value zones. 3) Regionally, a clear hierarchical gradient was observed: Shanghai
> Jiangsu > Zhejiang > Anhui, which is strongly correlated with city size and administrative tier.
4) The spatial agglomeration pattern evolved from fragmented, small-scale clusters to more
consolidated, large-scale high-high agglomerations. This transition underscores the positive impact
of industrial green transformation and regional integration policies within the YRD, offering valuable
insights for low-carbon development planning in other urban agglomerations.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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| eISSN: | 2083-5906 |
| ISSN: | 1230-1485 |
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