<p>In order to investigate the effects of CO₂-load coupling on energy dissipation and micro-damage evolution in coal, a self-developed gas–solid coupling test apparatus was utilized in combination with CT scanning and an MTS 816 rock mechanics loading system. Uniaxial compression tests were conducted on raw coal samples under varying CO₂ pressures to analyze the influence of CO₂ pressure on energy dissipation, crack propagation, and micro-damage. Based on the principles of energy dissipation and damage mechanics, a segmented damage constitutive model for coal under CO₂-load coupling was developed. The results indicate that: (1) The total energy and elastic energy at the peak point of coal decrease exponentially and quadratically with increasing CO₂ pressure, while dissipated energy increases quadratically; (2) Fracture propagation in coal occurs in four stages: fracture adsorption and expansion, fracture compaction and closure, initiation and growth of new fractures, and rapid fracture propagation and coalescence. The 3D fracture network complexity increases due to the CO₂ wedge effect, shifting failure modes from simple tensile failure to a composite of tensile and shear failure; (3) The surface strain region of the loaded coal undergoes four stages: adsorption growth, compaction reduction, elastoplastic growth, and peak penetration, with the maximum principal strain increasing 10.10 times, from 0.0021 to 0.0212, and regional analysis reveals a distinct outward-to-inward damage gradient; (4) A CO₂-load damage constitutive model incorporating the compaction stage was established based on adsorption and load damage factors. The theoretical model closely aligns with laboratory test results, demonstrating its validity and accurately quantifying the damage evolution process of coal under CO₂-load coupling conditions.</p>