The study of the spatial and temporal patterns of carbon emissions and the influencing factors in the western region is of great significance to the realization of the “double carbon target”. In this paper, the panel data of 11 provinces in the western region from 2000 to 2022 was used to study the spatial and temporal patterns of carbon emissions based on the nighttime lighting data, and the extended STIRPAT model was used to explore the influencing factors of carbon emissions. It is found that the total carbon emissions in the west continue to rise, with obvious regional differences. There is significant high-high and low-low agglomeration of carbon emissions in the west. Although the influencing factors of carbon emissions among the western provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions show significant differences, the energy structure is the main factor for the growth of carbon emissions, and the industrial structure plays an inhibitory effect.