It is of profound significance to study the variation of land cover change carbon emissions (LCCCE) and its relationship with economic development for the optimization of regional land cover structure and the development of the green economy. Using carbon emissions estimation methods, Tapio decoupling model, and Sen’s nonparametric method, this study analyzed the characteristics of land cover area and its carbon emissions in Henan Province, and discussed the relationship between LCCCE and economic development based on multi-source data. The results showed that: (1) From 1990 to 2020, different land cover types showed great differences in their area changes, among which the cropland and construction land continued to change at rates of -4260.13 km²/10a and 3677.61 km²/10a, respectively, while the forest land had a trend of “decreasing first and then increasing” with a turning point of 2000. (2) The net carbon emissions (NCE) of land cover in Henan Province showed a trend of slow rise (1990–1999)–rapid rise (1999–2011)–rapid decline (2011–2020) at rates of 2441.94×10⁴t/10a, 16575.21×10⁴t/10a, and -7493.35×10⁴t/10a, respectively. Carbon emissions from construction land accounted for 94.747% of NCE in Henan Province. (3) The relationship between LCCCE and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Henan Province presented multiple stages of weak decoupling (1991–1999), expansive coupling (2000–2006), weak decoupling (2007–2011), and strong decoupling (2012–2020).