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Abstract In addition to socioeconomic factors, urban morphology is increasingly being recognized for the potential role it might play in tackling climate change. Meanwhile, improving CO 2 emission efficiency has become a significant aim in reducing CO 2 emissions without sacrificing economic development. Hence, investigating the effects of urban landscape pattern on CO 2 emission efficiency is of great importance. As thus, this study is designed to quantitatively estimate the associations between urban landscape pattern and CO 2 emission efficiency, using panel data for five megacities in China in the period 1990–2013. A series of landscape metrics were first selected to quantify three dimensions of urban landscape pattern, namely urban expansion, urban shape complexity, and urban compactness. CO 2 emission efficiency was then evaluated using three quantitative indicators, namely per capita CO 2 emission, CO 2 emission intensity, and CO 2 emission performance. Finally, panel data models were performed to estimate the influences of urban landscape pattern on CO 2 emission efficiency. The results demonstrate that both urban expansion and urban shape complexity inhibited the improvement of CO 2 emission performance. In addition, urban compactness was found to be conducive to the reduction of CO 2 emission per capita and CO 2 emission intensity, as well as the improvement of CO 2 emission performance. The findings obtained through this study cast a new light on the significance of city planning and the optimization of spatial structure in improving CO 2 emission efficiency, providing decision makers and urban planners with a scientific basis from which to approach the task of reducing CO 2 emissions whilst maintaining economic development. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • The impact of urban landscape pattern on CO 2 emission efficiency was investigated. • A panel data model was employed, taking the period 1990–2013. • Urban expansion was found to negatively correlate with CO 2 emission performance. • Urban shape complexity had an inhibitory effect on the improvement of CO 2 emission performance. • Urban compactness decreased CO 2 emission per capita and CO 2 emission intensity, but increased CO 2 emission performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]