<p>Under global climate change and China’s “dual-carbon” strategy, carbon emission accounting and reduction in the tobacco industry are critical. Based on a full life cycle perspective, this study systematically reviews the research progress in carbon accounting methods and carbon-reduction technologies within the tobacco industry. Results show that China’s tobacco industry has large total emissions, significant regional differences, complex processes and great emission reduction potential: the total energy consumption reached 1.92 million tons of standard coal in 2022, with a reduction potential of 68.1%. Each of the mainstream accounting methods has its own characteristics, among which life cycle assessment (LCA) is the most widely applied, but it faces challenges such as high data demand and complex evaluation processes. Existing methods are unable to accurately adapt to the industry’s complex production scenarios, limiting accounting accuracy. In terms of carbon-reduction technologies, precision agriculture, green logistics, and new energy have shown remarkable effects. In particular, biomass bulk curing barns cut emissions by over 50% in the energy-heavy curing stage. Nevertheless, their promotion is hindered by high costs and inadequate policy mechanisms. Future efforts should integrate technologies such as carbon satellites, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) to establish a low-cost and high-precision carbon emission accounting system. Additionally, the promotion of intelligent energy monitoring systems, hydrogen energy, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technologies will help form a carbon reduction pathway combining “prevention” and “governance.” This will support the green and low-carbon transformation of the tobacco industry.</p>