Measurement and Influencing Factors Analysis of Carbon Emission Efficiency in Coal Resource-Exhausted Cities in China

The economic and social development of coal resource-exhausted cities (CRECs) depends heavily on coal resources. Measures to improve the carbon emission efficiency (CEE) of CRECs are urgently needed because this development path, characterized by high resource dependence, inevitably generates substantial carbon emissions. However, there has not been much focus on the spatial spillover effects and regional heterogeneity of CEE in these cities. To address this gap, this study selects 37 Chinese CRECs as research subjects. It comprehensively evaluates the static characteristics and dynamic changes in these cities’ CEE from 2011 to 2023 using the SBM-DDF model and the GML index. It then employs the spatial Durbin model to identify key influencing factors of CEE. According to the empirical results, the average CEE of the sample cities did not reach the production frontier, generally remaining at a moderate level and fluctuating. The main factor driving CEE growth for CRECs in all regions is technological progress. CRECs in the western region had the greatest growth in CEE (0.71%), followed by the northeastern (0.36%) and central (0.05%) regions, while the growth in CEE remained unchanged in the eastern region. The local CEE grew by 0.286 units for every unit increase in CEE in neighboring cities, demonstrating the spillover effects essential for regional sustainability. There is significant regional heterogeneity in the influencing factors of CEE in China’s CRECs, necessitating tailored sustainable development strategies.