Research on Regional Differences and Spatiotemporal Convergence of Low-Carbon Economic Development Level

The development of a low-carbon economy has significant practical implications for promoting the transformation and upgrading of China's economy and building a beautiful China. Based on the connotation of the low-carbon economy, this study constructed an evaluation index system and employed the entropy method to assess the development level of the low-carbon economy in different regions of China from 2006 to 2020, and explored the spatiotemporal convergence of the entire country and the four major regions. The research results indicate: First, the development level of the low-carbon economy in various regions of China has improved, with the eastern region taking the lead. Second, although there are differences in the development level of the low-carbon economy among regions, the imbalance across the country has alleviated to some extent. Third, the whole country, the eastern, western and central regions show σ convergence in the development level of the low-carbon economy, while the northeastern region does not exhibit σ convergence; all regions have absolute β convergence and conditional β convergence, and show a strong spatial autocorrelation. It is suggested to improve low-carbon policies and optimize the industrial structure; promote the concept of low carbon and encourage public participation in low-carbon actions; strengthen inter-regional coordination and promote exchanges and cooperation in the development of the low-carbon economy.