Urbanization and low-carbon transformation in China's agriculture: An empirical investigation

As one of the world's largest carbon emitters, China faces significant challenges in managing agricultural carbon emissions (ACE). Urbanization (UR), propelled by economic development, plays a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions by facilitating agricultural structural adjustments, enhancing production efficiency, and promoting technological advancements. This study employs nighttime light data to model UR, thus overcoming the problems in data acquisition, update and accuracy of traditional methods, comparing it with indicators such as built-up area, population and economy. The results demonstrate that both ACE and UR are spatially spread from east to west, with UR demonstrating a strong capacity to reduce ACE—a conclusion corroborated by robustness analysis. The positive impact of UR on emission reduction remains consistent across different regions and innovation levels. Furthermore, through intermediary mechanisms, UR enhances its emission reduction impact by stimulating technological innovation and high-quality economic transformation, generating positive spatial spillover effects in neighboring regions. This study provides valuable insights for government policy formulation, presents a fresh perspective on UR and agricultural carbon emissions reduction (ACER) strategies, and serves as a reference for local governments seeking to harness UR for technological innovation and economic development.