Research on coupling degree and coupling path between China's carbon emission efficiency and industrial structure upgrading

To coordinate economic development and carbon emission reduction targets, China needs to improve carbon emission efficiency and upgrade the industrial structure. Therefore, it is important to study the coupling degree and coupling path between these two factors in various provinces in China, and thereby promote the development of China's low-carbon economy. We first calculate carbon emission efficiency using the Super-SBM model, then analyze an extended coupling model between carbon emission efficiency and industrial structure upgrading, and finally design the coupling paths using the framework of distribution dynamics. There are three main findings. First, the coupling degree of nearly half the provinces is at the level of mild-to-moderate imbalance recession. And in terms of specific coupling characteristics, nearly half the provinces belong to the type "low-level coordination," with a low development degree and high coordination degree. Second, there is an obvious dynamic imbalance between China's carbon emission efficiency and industrial structure upgrading, and the "low-level trap" of regional carbon emission efficiency is more serious than that of regional industrial structure upgrading. Finally, if the government prioritizes provinces with low carbon emission efficiency, carbon emission efficiency and the coupling efficiency with industrial structure can be improved, which would not only improve the coupling degree within each region but also alleviate the disharmony between regions.