Spatiotemporal evolution regional differences and decoupling effects of greenhouse gas emissions from animal husbandry in Henan Province

As global warming intensifies, the livestock industry has become one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, with its environmental impact increasingly drawing attention. Henan Province is a major contributor to these emissions, prompting this study to systematically investigate GHG emissions from the livestock industry in Henan Province. This study utilises panel data from 2001 to 2021 and employs the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method to estimate GHG emissions from the livestock industry, revealing their spatiotemporal changes and regional characteristics. Spatial analysis of GHG emissions from the livestock industry is conducted using the Theil index, the Tapio decoupling model, and Markov chains. The findings are as follows: (1) The total GHG emissions from the livestock industry exhibit a fluctuating downward trend, gradually forming a main GHG emission belt extending from the northwest to the southeast. (2) The Theil index shows an overall ‘declining trend,’ with inter-regional differences being the primary source of overall variation. (3) The overall decoupling state is primarily characterised by weak and strong decoupling, indicating that environmental protection and economic development in Henan Province are gradually moving toward coordination. (4) Regional GHG emission changes are constrained by their original emission types and reserves, exhibiting growth inertia and path dependence, with neighbouring types significantly influencing the transition of regional GHG emission types. Henan Province should formulate differentiated emission reduction policies and optimise the spatial layout of the livestock industry, which holds certain implications for other regions in achieving GHG emission reductions and livestock industry development.