Spatiotemporal Differentiation and Trend Analysis of Carbon Emission Efficiency in Chinese Ports Along the Belt and Road Initiative

With the rapid expansion of global trade, port operations’ environmental impact becomes more evident, making it crucial to evaluate the coastal port carbon emission efficiency (PCEE). This study explores the spatiotemporal characteristics of PCEE and its development trends from multiple perspectives. The results reveal that China lacks active ports that possess high carbon emission efficiency and high growth potential. The average contribution rate of the inter-group difference amounts to 60.90%. The center of gravity of PCEE shifts northward slightly, staying within the southern zone. The core factors governing the spatiotemporal differentiation of PCEE encompass technology inputs, educational inputs, openness to the outside world, and government support. Forecasting results indicate that PCEE is ascending year by year, but the growth is sluggish, with an average growth rate of merely 1.490%. This study provides a theoretical foundation for the low-carbon transformation of China’s coastal ports.