<p>Vigorously promoting the reasonable distribution of carbon quota among provinces is an important measure for carbon emission reduction. However, the inherent tension between fairness and efficiency imperatives, coupled with their complex coordination, has fundamentally impeded the development of rational allocation mechanisms. To reconcile these critical challenges, this paper proposes the novel allocation framework comprising three distinct models: the fairness-based, the efficiency-based, and the combination of fairness-efficiency. The key findings reveal that: (1) Under the fairness-based principle, an interesting allocation pattern emerges, that is provinces with lower carbon emissions and carbon transfers receive higher quota, and vice versa. (2) The efficiency-based principle enhances efficiency in a variety of provinces, thus contributing to the minimization of the national economic cost of emission reduction. (3) The combination of fairness-efficiency principle demonstrate that this hybrid approach effectively mitigates the limitations of above principles. These findings offer scientific insights for policymakers, providing a foundation for the effective planning of strategies to reduce carbon emissions.</p>