Carbon emission measurement and regional decomposition analysis of China’s beef cattle farming industry

IntroductionWarming caused by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has become a global environmental issue of widespread concern, and China, as a responsible power, has the pressing task of reducing carbon emissions. China is one of the world’s major beef producers and consumers, and at the same time, beef cattle, as a large livestock, is the largest source of GHG emissions in the livestock industry.MethodsThis study considered the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2008 to 2022. The kernel density estimation and Dagum Gini coefficient were used to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamic evolution patterns and influencing factors of carbon emissions from China’s beef cattle farming industry.Results(1) The carbon emission trajectory of beef cattle production follows a distinctive “ascend-descend-ascend” three-phase pattern. By 2022, the sector’s cumulative carbon emissions had burgeoned by 37.62% relative to 2008, reflecting an average annual escalation of 2.31%. Despite the overall upward trend in carbon emissions, significant regional differences were observed. The Central Plains region has witnessed a consistent decline, in stark contrast to the Southwest and Northeast regions, which have emerged as hotspots for heightened carbon emissions and intensified emission densities within China’s beef cattle production landscape, underscoring the intensifying significance of carbon mitigation measures. (2) The kernel density curve shows an overall rightward shift with a specific gradient effect on carbon emissions. In addition, the range of the right drag of the curve in 2022 was significantly reduced, which laterally reflects the narrowing of the difference between the provinces with the highest and lowest carbon emissions from beef cattle farming. The principal source of variance in the overall carbon emissions from beef cattle production is the disparities between regions, which accounts for an average annual contribution rate of 52.52%. Conversely, the within-region contribution rates have remained relatively stable, while those for the intensity of transvariation have witnessed a substantial rise, with annual averages of 18.31 and 28.96%, respectively. (3) Regarding the factors influencing carbon emissions reduction, environmental regulations and production efficiency significantly drive carbon emissions reduction in beef cattle farming.DiscussionRelevant government departments should actively guide farmers toward green production, establish perfect policies and regulations for low-carbon beef cattle farming, and promote low-carbon beef cattle farming models based on local conditions.