Carbon Emission from Land Use in Yanshan-Taihang Mountain Area of Hebei Province: Study on Spatial and Temporal Differentiation of Risk

With rapid economic development and the change in land use patterns, the region faces the environmental challenge of increasing carbon emission risk. The research on analyzing and identifying carbon emission risk of land use is helpful to realize regional sustainable development. This study takes the Yanshan-Taihang Mountain area of Hebei Province as a case study. Based on the remote sensing monitoring data of land use in 2010, 2015, and 2020, the carbon emissions of land use are calculated by direct and indirect calculation methods. Then, the carbon footprint pressure index and land use carbon emission risk index are introduced to analyze the temporal and spatial differentiation characteristics of land use carbon emission risk in the study area. The findings indicate that carbon emissions associated with land use in the study area initially exhibited an increasing trend, followed by a subsequent decline over time. In space, the high-value areas of carbon emissions are mainly distributed in the south of the study area, and the low-value areas of carbon emissions are mainly concentrated in the northeast of the study area. The region experiences significant carbon-cycling pressure and environmental risk, with the proportion of counties in carbon balance areas decreasing from 27.27% in 2010 to 18.18% in 2020, and the proportion of counties in carbon imbalance areas increasing from 72.72% in 2010 to 81.82% in 2020. The carbon emission risk of land use is divided into micro-risk area, low-risk area, medium-risk area, high-risk area, and severe-risk area. From 2010 to 2020, there was an 18.18% increase in the percentage of counties classified as high-risk and severe-risk areas. Additionally, the regions identified as hotspots for land use emissions exhibited a trend in expansion. This phenomenon indicates that these areas have not successfully managed to mitigate environmental pollution or ensure the sustainable use of resources in the context of their economic development efforts. This series of dynamic changes shows that the study area is facing the challenge of increasing carbon emission risk from land use. Governments at all levels should strengthen environmental governance in high-risk areas, implement stricter land use policies, and promote green development and cleaner production to attain a mutually beneficial outcome for both economic development and ecological protection.