Environmental regulation, economic development and air pollution in the cities of China: Spatial econometric analysis based on policy scoring and satellite data

Luo

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

Old industrial bases (municipal districts) play a decisive role in the process of China’s economic development. This study focuses on the upgrading of urban industrial structure. Based on the panel data of 120 old industrial bases (municipal districts) in China from 2010 to 2018, a double difference model was established to empirically analyze the impact of pilot relocation and reconstruction policies on the upgrading of urban industrial structure in old industrial districts. The results demonstrate that 1) The pilot relocation and reconstruction policies play a significant role in promoting the upgrading of urban industrial structure in old industrial districts; 2) Upgrading of urban industrial structure is significantly affected by the urban economic development level, urban population density, land marketization level, industrial enterprise agglomeration degree and infrastructure construction; 3) The impact of relocation and reconstruction policies on the upgrading of urban industrial structure in old industrial districts exhibits certain regional heterogeneity. Finally, some targeted suggestions are proposed for future formulation of effective policies for the relocation and reconstruction of old industrial areas and optimal allocation of urban industrial structure.

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of relocation and reconstruction policies on the upgrading of urban industrial structure in old industrial districts

Luo

et al. 2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

“…Specific measures include command and control, market incentives, and public participation. Among them, the command and control policy has been the primary means of environmental protection in recent years (Zhang et al, 2021), and the government's coercive force implements it, the transmission is fast, and the implementation effect can be determined. Therefore, this paper uses text analysis to collect the cumulative number of local environmental protection laws, regulations, and standards promulgated in the year from the government websites of various provinces and cities in China as a proxy variable for environmental regulation.…”

Section: Moderating Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Heterogeneity Impacts of Bilateral Foreign Direct Investment on Green Energy Efficiency in China

2022

Front. Environ. Sci.

At present, green energy transformation and climate policy are increasingly connected. The need to improve national competitiveness and implement climate and energy strategies means that an energy-consuming country like China must rapidly enhance its green energy efficiency (GEE) and energy consumption structure. The following paper contributes to the existing literature by analyzing the effects of bilateral FDI on GEE from the perspective of spatial correlation. Based on data from 30 Chinese provinces between 2003 and 2020, this paper uses multiple undesired output indicators covering eight pollutants to measure GEE and then uses the coupling function to measure the coordinated development level of bilateral FDI (CDFDI). According to the Panel Vector Autoregression model, there is a coupling relationship between bilateral FDI. Both the global Moran index and the local Moran scatter plot shows that GEE and CDFDI are characterized by spatial aggregation. This paper adopts the dynamic Spatial Dubin Model for empirical analysis. Our results reveal a significant positive impact of CDFDI on GEE in local and nearby regions. The impact of CDFDI on GEE is moderated by technological diffusion, nationalization, and environmental regulation, resulting in differential impacts on GEE in local and nearby regions. Furthermore, CDFDI with different investment motives has a boosting effect on local GEE. Among them, the mutual investment portfolio between China and developed countries has a negative impact on the local GEE. By contrast, the complementary investment motivation portfolio can boost GEE in local and adjoining regions in any period. This is the first paper to study the spatial effects of green energy efficiency and the heterogeneity of investment incentives to help Chinese international investment policymakers better understand the contribution of CDFDI to improving GEE and inform supportive policies. To improve green energy efficiency, the government must strengthen the implementation of the opening-up policy and create international capital flows suitable for local needs.

“…Van der Werf [ 25 ] agreed that some policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions may have the opposite effect. Zhang & Jia [ 26 ] used the panel data from Chinese cities as sample to explore and verify the relationship between environmental regulation and pollution emission in China, it is concluded that China still in the stage of the “green paradox.” Di Maria [ 27 ] also found that after the implementation of the Clean Air Amendment Act in 1990 in the United States, the price of coal dropped significantly, proving the existence of the green paradox effect from the side.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green Paradox or Forced Emission Reduction—The Dual Effects of Environmental Regulation on Carbon Emissions

Yin

Liu

2022

IJERPH

In response to global climate change, China made a commitment about carbon emissions at the UN General Assembly. It will strive to achieve carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060. To help China successfully meet its carbon emissions targets this study examines the impact of environmental regulation on carbon emissions from a different perspective. Using panel data from 30 provinces in China as samples, this paper discusses the direct and indirect effect of environmental regulation on carbon emissions and explains the indirect process through four transmission paths: energy consumption structure, industrial structure, technological innovation, and foreign direct investment (FDI). The empirical results show that the direct effect of environmental regulation on carbon emissions presents an inverted U-shaped curve, it means that when the intensity level of environmental regulation is low, it mainly shows the green paradox effect, and with the continuous tightening of environmental laws, it turns into a forced emission reduction on carbon emissions. In addition, we found that under the constraint of environmental regulation conditions, the coal-based energy consumption is still the leading cause of carbon emissions; environmental regulations have contributed to the upgrading of industrial structure and technological advance, which indirectly play a positive role in carbon emission reduction. However, environmental regulation restrains the spillover effect and capital accumulation effect of FDI, which brings a specific degree of hindrance to technological progress and economic development, and is not conducive to carbon emission reduction. Therefore, we have made the following recommendations: China should make reasonable use of environmental policies to regulate carbon emissions according to the situation of each region, optimize the energy structure and increase the proportion of clean energy use, and improve the technology level of related industries to reduce carbon emissions by innovation.