Search

Rapid developments in environmental infrastructure have contributed to significant improvements in green total factor productivity, but further investigation is required to provide a detailed assessment to understand the policy mechanisms involved. This paper analyzes environmental progress in China through MMQR, CCEMG, and AMG as empirical strategies for 30 provinces in China. Our empirical results reveal that energy optimization through renewable energy is the most effective channel to improve green total factor productivity, though it is not the only available option. Since environmental regulations, infrastructure development, and green technology innovation also directly impact energy efficiency, adopting these within policy channels will positively impact environmental sustainability. Our empirical approach helps suggest novel environmental policy suggestions. In particular, policymakers must introduce structural changes within energy developments to foster renewable energy. Furthermore, China must increase environmental spending to upgrade its energy infrastructure further and solve ecological issues. These insights offer valuable policy guidance for decision-makers in China and globally, aiming to foster economic and environmental sustainability and achieve zero-carbon transition goals. • The current study analyses the role of green factor productivity in zero carbon transition. • We use 30 chinese provincial datasets from 2005 to 2020. • Energy transition is the most effective channel to improve green total factor productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green technology innovation (GTI) is an effective way to promote the green development of economy, and government environmental regulations are an important means to encourage enterprises to carry out GTI. Taking Chinese A-share listed enterprises from 2010 to 2019 as samples, this paper divides environmental regulations into three categories: command-based environmental regulation (ER 1), market-based environmental regulation (ER 2) and voluntary environmental regulation (ER 3), studies their impact on enterprise GTI, and discusses the joint effect of enterprise research and development (R&D) investment and government support from the perspective of internal and external linkage of enterprises. In addition, this paper also analyzes the compound effect and time effect of environmental regulation. The research conclusions are as follows: (1) From the perspective of policy types, both ER 1 and ER 2 could stimulate enterprises to carry out GTI, and the promotion effect of green utility model patents is slightly higher than that of green invention patents. ER 3 inhibits enterprise GTI. In addition, this paper finds that the effect of three environmental regulations acting at the same time is greater than that of one of them. (2) The mechanism analysis shows that the R&D investment of enterprise positively could moderate the relationship between ER 2 and green invention at the significance level of 5%, positively moderate the relationship between ER 2 and green utility model patent at the significance level of 1%, and negatively moderate the relationship between ER 3 and green utility model patent at the significance level of 5%. The government support could moderate the relationship between environmental regulation and green utility model patents at the significance level of 5% and 10%. (3) The effect analysis shows that the transformation rate of GTI in China needs to be improved. The three environmental regulations could have an effect on enterprise GTI in a short period, and ER 1 has the fastest effect. (4) Considering the differences in the level of economic development and resource endowments in various regions of China, this paper classifies the sample enterprises and finds that the impact of environmental regulation on enterprise GTI is heterogeneous in terms of location, ownership nature, factor density and industry type. The research results provide the important reference for the formulation and implementation of environmental regulation policies according to local conditions. • ER 1 and ER 2 could stimulate enterprise GTI. • The union effect of ER 1 , ER 2 , and ER 3 is better than one of them. • R&D positively moderates the relationship between ER 2 and GTI. • ER 1 has the fastest effect on GTI in three kinds of environmental regulations. • The effect of ER on GTI shows heterogeneity for different enterprise features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the unique perspective of local environmental regulations promulgated in Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2000 to 2018, this paper examines the impact of urban environmental legislation on green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE). The results show that implementing environmental legislation significantly improves local GTFEE , with comprehensive protection regulations contributing to local energy efficiency improvements, while the impact of pollution prevention regulations is insignificant. This conclusion remains robust to multiple scenarios. Potential mechanisms through which environmental legislation can guide urban green transition include the industrial upgrading effect represented by "clean industry development" and "polluting industry exit", as well as the technical innovation effect achieved through "new technology generation" and "old technology upgrading". Furthermore, environmental legislation with a higher degree of regulatory effectiveness has a greater potential for energy saving. Environmental legislation has a more significant impact on improving GTFEE in cities in non-old industrial bases, with less frequent turnover of officials, and in central and western regions in China. This study evaluates the positive impact of urban environmental legislation on GTFEE , aiming to advancing the rule of law in local environmental pollution governance and thereby promote urban green transition. • Use a Difference-in-Differences model to explore the effect of urban environmental legislation. • Environmental legislation guides urban green transition development. • The impact of heterogeneous urban environmental regulations on green transition development. • Industrial upgrading and Technical innovation have positive mediating roles. • Environmental legislation policy has city attributes, official turnover and location heterogeneity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main factor behind green economic development is green technology innovation (GTI). Environmental regulation and green finance (GF), as important ways to promote ecological civilization construction, run through the entire procedure of GTI. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of heterogeneous environmental regulation on GTI and the moderating effect of GF on GTI from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, to provide useful ideas for China's economic reform path selection and environmental governance system optimization. This paper uses information from 30 provinces between 2002 and 2019, and a bidirectional fixed model was constructed. The results show that: First, regulatory environmental regulation (ER 1), legal environmental regulation (ER 2), and economic environmental regulation (ER 3) all have greatly boosted the degree of GTI in each province. Second, GF acts as a highly effective moderator between heterogeneous environmental regulation and GTI. Finally, this article investigates how GF can act as a moderator in various circumstances. The beneficial moderating effect of it is found to be more pronounced in inland areas, areas with weak spending on research and development, and areas with high energy consumption. These research results provide valuable references for accelerating the green development process in China. • Constructs environmental regulation indexes from regulatory, legal, and economic. • Heterogeneous environmental regulation promotes green technology innovation. • Green finance plays a positive moderating role. • The moderating effect of green finance varies greatly in different regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]