Spatiotemporal evolution of carbon budget and zonal management strategies in the Huainan Mining Area under the influence of mining activities

Land use changes driven by mining activities have profound impacts on the "carbon source-sink balance" in mining areas.Investigating their evolution patterns is critical for advancing regional green development.Taking the Huainan Mining Area as an example, this study extracted land use data from Landsat satellite images from 2000 to 2024.By integrating energy consumption and nighttime light data, the InVEST model and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) carbon emission coefficient method were employed to conduct a quantitative assessment of carbon storage, carbon budget, and the carbon reduction benefits of floating photovoltaic systems in mining areas.The results reveal significant changes in Huainan Mining Area land use structure, characterized by expansion of mining and construction land along with reduction of arable land, leading to a continuous decline in carbon storage.The carbon budget exhibited distinct spatiotemporal heterogeneity, as coal mining activities not only increased carbon emissions but also enhanced carbon sink capacity due to the formation of subsidence water areas.The photovoltaic power plants achieved an average annual CO₂ emission reduction of approximately 670 000 tons, with the cumulative reduction over their lifecycle equivalent to four years of total carbon emissions in the region.Based on on the research findings, differentiated zoning-based governance strategies were proposed to support the low-carbon transition of resource-based regions.