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Abstract By building a green economy development index to measure the level of green economy development, taking 150 renewable energy listed companies of China for example, this paper constructs a threshold effect model to investigate the non-linear relationship between renewable energy investment and the green economy development index from the perspective of green credit. Results mainly show that: firstly, the impact of renewable energy investment on the green economy development index includes dual threshold effects from green-credit, the effect is divided into three stages: promoting, restraining and promoting successively. Secondly, for large-sized companies, the impact of renewable energy investment on the green economy development index includes one threshold from green-credit, with the effect coefficients at each stage being 0.1034 and −0.0113, successively. However, for medium, small, and micro sized enterprises, the impact of renewable energy investment on the green economy development index includes dual threshold effects from green credit, with the effect coefficients at each stage being 0.1310, −0.0033, and 0.0244, successively, and the inhibition effect not being significant. Thirdly, our results also find that improving expenditure on environmental pollution control and adjusting industry structure are conducive to increasing the green economy development index. Highlights • Non-linear relationship between renewable energy investment and green economy development is explored here. • Dual threshold effects from green-credit on renewable energy investment and green economy development exists. • Medium, small, and micro sized enterprises are the dominant forces of green economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past three decades, the notion of sustainable cities has become central in planning and managing urban areas in the world and the large-scale city formation has been formed in big cities. As a result of economic growth and urban transformation, Shanghai, a major Chinese international metropolis, faces ongoing issues with resource waste and low energy utilization. Therefore, this paper aims to consider the availability of water for energy production from a consumption-based perspective and estimate the water footprint of the energy supply using a regional input-output analysis approach for Shanghai. As a result, we conclude that the water footprint of the energy supply of Shanghai is about 1.28 billion m 3 in 2007, with 46.1% of water used for electricity and heat supply. The total water withdrawal by the energy sector is about 2.35 billion m 3 and additional water withdrawal needed is about 35% of the total water withdrawals by the energy sector in Shanghai. Furthermore, an energy self-sufficiency scenario was developed, and the scenario analysis reveals that 55% more water would be required to ensure a self-sufficient energy sector. To guarantee future regional energy security, it is important to manage water resources effectively by allocating water resources among sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of renewable energy is the key to deal with climate change and low-carbon economy development in China. Here, based on a balanced panel dataset of 30 provinces in China cover the period of 1996–2013, this paper explores the effect of economic growth, CO 2 emissions, foreign trade (exports or imports) and urbanization on renewable energy consumption at the national and regional levels by using a dynamic system-GMM panel model. The empirical results show that the influence of economic growth, CO 2 emissions, foreign trade and urbanization on the renewable energy consumption is heterogeneous across regions. First, economic development has an important positive impact on renewable energy consumption in the four panels we consider and the impact is the greatest in the eastern region, follows by the national, central and western regions. Second, CO 2 emissions have a significant positive impact on renewable energy consumption in the central and national regions. However, CO 2 emissions have a weak negative impact on the consumption of renewable energy in the eastern region, and have no impact in the western region; Third, per capita exports are found to have a positive effect on the renewable energy consumption, with the greatest impact in the central region, followed by the eastern and national regions and have a weak negative impact in the western regions; Fourth, per capita imports have a negative effect on renewable energy consumption in the eastern, western and national regions and have a weak positive effect in the central region; Finally, the changes in the urbanization level significantly affect the renewable energy consumption in the four panels we consider and the impact is the greatest in the eastern region with high level of urbanization, follow by the central and western regions. On the basis of this study, we put forward the corresponding countermeasures and suggestions to achieving sustainable development in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]