Impact of the intensive use of urban construction land on carbon emission efficiency: evidence from the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River

Urban construction land, as the main carrier of socioeconomic activities, is also a land type that is associated with large carbon emissions. This study uses statistical data of the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (UAMRYR) from 2006 to 2020 to examine the mechanism of the intensive use of urban construction land (IUUCL) on carbon emission efficiency (CEE) from the perspective of urban land resource utilization. The study shows that the capital-intensive and technology-intensive use of urban construction land can significantly increase CEE, while increased labor and energy intensification inhibits CEE. In addition, there is regional heterogeneity in the effect of the IUUCL on CEE. The external control factor industrial structure has the most obvious inhibiting effect on the CEE of the Wuhan urban circle, the intensive use of energy has become the crucial constraint on the carbon emission reduction of the city cluster around Poyang Lake, and the intensive use of science and technology is the key factor in realizing the green and low-carbon development of the Chang-Zhu-Tan city cluster. This study innovatively constructs a theoretical framework of IUUCL versus CEE and conducts a heterogeneous study on the CEE of intensive use of construction land from the perspective of urban agglomerations. By providing a better understanding of the intrinsic influence mechanism of both these processes, this study provides a new perspective for reducing carbon emissions.