SPATIAL DIFFERENTIATION AND DRIVING FACTORS OF THE TOTAL-FACTOR CARBON EMISSION EFFICIENCY OF THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY IN UNDERDEVELOPED REGIONS: A CASE STUDY IN WESTERN CHINA

ABSTRACT To improve the total-factor carbon emission efficiency of the construction industry (TFCEECI) and achieve the “double carbon goal,” the driving factors of the spatial heterogeneity of TFCEECI in underdeveloped areas must be investigated. This study estimated the TFCEECI in western China from 2008 to 2020 by constructing a super-epsilon-based measure (EBM)-undesirable model. Dagum Gini coefficient and kernel density estimation methods were used to analyze the spatial evolution characteristics of underdeveloped regions. The key drivers were identified from both internal and external perspectives using geodetector. The results showed that the TFCEECI in the western China was low and showed a downward trend, with the intensification of the spatial distribution of “high south and low north.” Within-region differences were the main source of spatial differences in the west. Mechanization and energy structure were the core internal and external driving factors for the spatial differentiation of the TFCEECI. The interaction between these factors greatly enhanced the driving force for the spatial differentiation of the TFCEECI in western China.