Effects of land-use change on carbon emission and its driving factors in Shaanxi Province from 2000 to 2020

Exploring the process of carbon emissions under the “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals” can contribute to sustainable economic development. This research takes Shaanxi Province as an example. We elaborated on the spatial and temporal characteristics of land-use change from 2000 to 2020 and adopted the carbon emission model method to calculate land-use carbon emissions, also used urban morphological indicators to reveal the main factors of carbon emission changes. The results show that from 2000 to 2020, the land-use change in Shaanxi Province is mainly reflected in the increase in construction land area and the decrease in agricultural land area. Among them, the construction land area increased by 2192 km2, and the agricultural land area decreased by 5006 km2. Land-use carbon emissions increased by 1.28 × 1011 kg during this period. Construction land is a major contributor to carbon emissions. The forestland is the main carbon sink. Carbon emissions showed a spatial pattern of “high in the north, low in the south, and concentrated in the middle.” Urban form change is the driving factor affecting land-use carbon emissions in Shaanxi Province. The results of the research contribute to the understanding of regional carbon emission mechanisms and provide a scientific basis for reducing carbon emissions.