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Border pollution is usually a difficult problem in environmental governance. Based on the data at the county level in China from 2005 to 2019, this study takes the 12th Five-Year Plan (FYP) for atmospheric pollution as a policy shock, and uses the difference-in-differences (DID) method to explore the impact of regional joint prevention and control (JPC) of atmospheric pollution policy on air pollution of the border regions. Empirical results show that: (1) After implementing the JPC of atmospheric pollution policy, the PM 2.5 concentration in the border regions is reduced by 3.5%. (2) The mechanism analysis shows that there is a spillover effect in the governing behaviors of local governments. In the border areas under low economic growth pressure and high environmental protection pressure, the reduction effect of the JPC of atmospheric pollution policy is more significant on the PM 2.5 concentration of the border regions. The research conclusions have new insights into the role and effect of macro-regional environmental JPC policy and border pollution control, and provide practical guidance for social green governance. • JPC of atmospheric pollution policy can reduce air pollution in border regions. • After implementing the JPC, PM 2.5 is reduced by 3.5% in border regions. • Under low economic growth pressure, PM 2.5 can be better reduced in border regions. • Under high environmental pressure, PM 2.5 can be better reduced in border regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 30 years, China's economy has boomed. This trend has lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese out of poverty but it has also sharply increased local, regional, and global pollution levels. We look at the rise in air pollution over recent decades, and the perhaps surprising finding that in many of China's urban areas, levels of particulates (of less than 10 microns) have been decreasing during the last 10 to 15 years. We then turn to the costs and tradeoffs of air pollution, including costs to human health, reductions in worker productivity, and how people are seeking to reduce their exposure to pollution as shown by compensating differentials in real estate prices and purchases of masks and air filters. We discuss how rising incomes tend to raise the demand for environmental amenities and thus increase political pressure for environmental protection, and then we turn to the policy tools that China has used to reduce pollution. We conclude by arguing that as China's government is preparing for an additional 300 million people to move to urban areas over the next 30 years, it will have a number of opportunities for China to reduce pollution through a shift from manufacturing to services, along with various steps to improve energy efficiency and resource conservation. Overall, it seems that China is on track to improve its environmental performance in the years ahead. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Air pollution problems in China are related to imperfect legislation and potential integration problems among legislation, plans, and policies from the perspective of legislation, planning, and policy-making. Recent English-language articles focus on revision of the Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law of China. The purpose of this study is to make the overall system for prevention and control of air pollution in China understood by a broader audience by providing an overview of the pertinent legislation, plans, and policies, since such a review has not been presented so far. At the beginning of this article, we clarify the key definitions of legislation, plan, and policy and establish a preliminary analytical framework for evaluating the integration of legislation, plans, and policies. Then we present a variety of pieces of legislation at national, local, and international levels, including the Constitution, national laws, national administrative regulations and departmental rules, and local regulations and rules that were selected because of their direct and close relation to the prevention and control of air pollution, especially particulate matter. We divide the history of legislation since 1956 into four phases: preceding (1956–1978), beginning (1979–1999), development (2000–2013), and improvement (since 2014), putting emphases on changes in legislation in each phase. We also describe the 12th Five-Year Plan for National Economic and Social Development, the 12th Five-Year Plan on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution in Key Regions, the Action Plan on Prevention and Control of Air Pollution, and a series of policies on energy conservation, emission reduction, and energy use. We then comment on challenges of defects within the legislation framework and integration problems among legislation, plans, and policies. Finally, we put forward some improvement measures to address the challenges: (1) stipulating special provisions for prevention and control of motor vehicle pollution, (2) empowering local environmental protection bureaus to enforce the air-pollutant-emission permit system, (3) improving the feasibility of the air-pollutant-emission trading system, (4) clarifying government responsibility and intensifying penalties, and (5) integrating relations among legislation, plans, and policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the national air pollution, China implemented the Clean Air Action policy from 2013 to 2017. The vigorous implementation of the policy has ensured that the policy targets have been achieved, and the haze problem has been effectively controlled. To evaluate the policy effect of environmental regulation on labor demand, this paper conducts policy evaluation by designing a quasi-natural experiment. Based on the variations of labor demand in the region dimension (272 cities) and sector dimension (5 major sectors) from 2008 to 2017, the results of the difference-in-difference-in-difference estimation show that: 1) The implementation of Clean Air Action has a significant negative impact on industrial employment. 2) The dynamic shocks are concentrated in the final stage of the policy. 3) Policy effects show heterogeneity in different regions. Since China is in the critical stage of economic transformation, the findings and enlightenment of this paper can be extended to other environmental and climate policies. • The Clean Air Action provides a quasi-natural experiment. • Environmental regulation has a negative impact on labor demand. • The shocks are mainly concentrated in the final stage. • The policy effect is insignificant in the central and western regions and resource-based cities. • The government should make a trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promotion of modern industrialization has caused heavy environmental pollution. Environmental protection is a basic national policy of China. In 2011, China began to implement the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan for National Environmental Protection" (12th FYP_NEP). Using the survey data of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Shandong Province of China, this paper empirically explores the impact of 12th FYP_NEP on the energy utilization and operating efficiencies of SMEs. It is found that the environmental policy "12th FYP_NEP" has a significant incentive effect on both efficiency performance of Chinese SMEs, and has a greater positive impact on operating efficiency. Our heterogeneity analysis showed the following results. The incentive effect is different in different industries and enterprises of different sizes. The policy "12th FYP_NEP" has a greater positive impact on the energy utilization efficiency of SMEs in China's first and second tier cities, but it has no significant impact on their operation efficiency. This shows that SMEs in first and second tier cities are more effective in coping with the national environmental policy reform strategy. It can be seen that the promulgation of China's environmental policies can significantly improve the energy utilization awareness of these SMEs. The incentive effect of the policy on the two efficiency performances of SMEs in cities with "heavy air pollution" is greater, indicating that the implementation effect of "12th FYP_NEP" on SMEs in such cities is better. The enlightenments are as follows: the current situation of Chinese SMEs is that the energy utilization efficiency is low, while the operating efficiency is high. Most enterprises attach great importance to their own operating profits and economic development, and the awareness of energy utilization needs to be greatly strengthened. "12th FYP_NEP" has obvious positive effect on the energy utilization and operating efficiencies of SMEs, but there are slight differences among different types of enterprises. It is suggested that governments can refine their own environmental regulation standards and implement different environmental regulations for different types of enterprises, so as to enhance the performance of domestic enterprises most effectively. • This paper used the China survey data on SMEs over the period 2010–2013. • It is found that the Chinese "12th FYP_NEP" has a significant incentive effect on efficiency performance of Chinese SMEs. • The incentive effect is different in different industries and enterprises of different sizes. • The policy makes for improving the energy efficiency of SMEs in first and second-tier cities and heavy-polluted cities. • Chinese SMEs should attach great importance to energy utilization rather than operating profits only. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]