Evaluation of the Provincial Carbon Neutrality Capacity of the Middle and Lower Yellow River Basin based on the Entropy Weight Matter-Element Model

In the process of promoting economic development, carbon peaks and carbon neutrality have gradually received more attention. The question of how to steadily and rapidly improve the carbon neutrality capacity of each province and excavate the key factors hindering the carbon neutrality capacity has become particularly important. In this study, the DPSIR (driving, pressure, state, influence, response) framework was used to construct an index system of the provincial carbon neutrality capacity of the middle and lower Yellow River Basin, which included 37 indices. Based on the entropy weight matter-element model, the time evolution, regional differences, and restriction indicators of the carbon neutrality capacity of four provinces in the middle and lower Yellow River Basin from 2008 to 2021 were analyzed. The results showed that the carbon neutrality capacity of the four provinces in the middle and lower Yellow River Basin has significantly improved over time and has gradually reached a grade of “good”. Differences in carbon neutrality capacity among the provinces still exist but are gradually shrinking. the per capita car ownership, urban population density, and other factors have hindered the improvement of the carbon neutrality capacity in each province, but with the reduction in restriction indicators and increase in positive indicators such as urbanization rate, forest grass coverage, and others, the overall development direction tended to be promising.