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Under the goal of " carbon peaking and carbon neutrality," how to create a low-carbon and green development path for cities is an urgent problem in China. One of the effective ways to solve this problem is through industrial collaborative agglomeration. In this paper, panel data of 276 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2020 was selected to investigate the relationship between the collaborative agglomeration of manufacturing and producer service and carbon emission intensity by using a fixed-effects model, intermediary model, and SDM in multiple dimensions. The study found that the collaborative agglomeration of manufacturing and producer service industries significantly influences carbon emission intensity with an inverted U-shaped curve, and the agglomeration of manufacturing and producer service industries can influence carbon emission intensity through technological progress. In addition, the inverted U-shaped impact of collaborative agglomeration of manufacturing and producer services on carbon emission intensity has a spatial spillover effect, and the spatial spillover effect generated is stronger than the impact on the local area. Moreover, from the perspective of industry heterogeneity, compared with low-end producer services, the agglomeration of manufacturing and high-end producer services can play a better role in carbon emission reduction. Regarding regional heterogeneity, compared with the central and western regions, the impact of manufacturing and production services agglomeration on carbon intensity is far more obvious in the more economically developed eastern regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How the transformation of trade patterns affects carbon emissions is an important topic in the field of trade and the environment. Based on the panel data of Chinese cities from 2000 to 2016, this paper uses fixed effect model, instrumental variable model and threshold estimation model to investigate the impact of the transformation of export trade patterns on carbon emissions and its internal mechanism. We find that during the investigation period, the transformation of export trade pattern has a significant "U"-shaped nonlinear impact on carbon emissions, and the research results still hold after a series of robustness checks and instrumental variable estimation; through the mechanism analysis of the threshold effect, it is found that in the process of the impact of trade patterns transformation on carbon emissions, there are double thresholds for energy structure transition; the nonlinear impact of export trade pattern transformation on carbon emissions has significant heterogeneity in different regions, city categories, and different periods; the mechanism analysis results show that industrial structure upgrading, industrial co-agglomeration, and green technology innovation are the main paths that the transformation of export trade patterns affects carbon emissions. Under the dual goals of fulfilling China's commitment to "carbon peak in 2030 and carbon neutrality in 2060" and implementing corporate social governance to promote green and sustainable development, this paper will provide suggestions for realizing the goal of low-carbon emission reduction from the perspective of the transformation of export trade patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the relationship between digital finance and carbon emissions and explores the ecological effects of digital finance. Based on a panel data of 256 cities in China from 2011 to 2018, this paper investigates the impact of digital finance on carbon emissions and its intrinsic mechanisms. First, digital finance significantly suppresses the intensity of regional carbon emission, and the breadth of coverage, depth of use, and degree of digital support of digital finance together curb regional carbon emissions, with the strongest suppressive effect being the breadth of coverage. In addition, the regression results remain significant after a series of robustness tests. Second, it reveals the potential mechanism of digital finance to curb urban carbon emissions. These mechanisms include the three channels: promoting industrial advancement, green technology innovation, and optimizing labor resource allocation. Third, the heterogeneity test finds that the energy saving and emission reduction effects of digital finance are significantly stronger in non-low-carbon pilot cities with low urbanization rates, confirming the emission reduction utility of digital finance development. Therefore, we should take advantage of digital finance to improve the green development of financial services and adopt diverse policy measures according to local conditions to maximize the ecological effects of digital finance on energy saving and emission reduction. In the context of the development strategy of "carbon peaking and carbon neutral," this study has some implications for management in developing a regional green development system supported by digital finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote sustainable economic development in the Belt and Road region of China, reducing carbon emissions is essential. The construction industry is a major contributor to carbon emissions in China. Therefore, studying the dynamic evolution of carbon emissions from the construction industry in this region and its driving factors is of great significance for effectively controlling emissions and achieving China’s carbon peak and carbon neutrality targets. This paper first employs the Slope model, Moran’s I index, and standard deviation ellipse to reveal the spatial-temporal characteristics of carbon emissions from the construction industry, and then applies the geographical detector model to identify the main driving factors of carbon emissions. The results indicate that: (1) From 2006 to 2021, the total carbon emissions showed a fluctuating growth trend, and there were significant differences in emissions among different regions. (2) Carbon emissions in most provinces exhibited a moderate growth trend, and there was significant spatial correlation and aggregation of inter-provincial emissions. Regional carbon emissions from 2006 to 2021 showed a spatial distribution pattern from northeast to southwest, with a weakening trend, and the center of gravity mainly distributed in the east of the region. (3) Labor input, urbanization rate, total output value of the construction industry, degree of opening up, and energy intensity are the main factors influencing the spatial heterogeneity of carbon emissions from the construction industry, and the majority of the interaction types between factors were bivariate enhancement. This study aims to provide theoretical support for policymakers to formulate appropriate policies for building energy conservation and emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of the green belt and road is an inevitable choice to conform to and lead the green and low-carbon cycle development and an inherent requirement for sustainable development. Therefore, we establish an evaluation system of green development oriented to carbon neutrality, and calculate the green development level (GDL) of the provinces along the belt and road in China from 2003 to 2018 by using a three-dimensional evaluation model. In addition, this paper employs the Obstacle Degree Model to identify the main obstacle factors that affect GDL, and provides targeted and differentiated countermeasures and suggestions for improving the regional GDL. Our results suggested that the overall GDL has improved, but not obvious, with a low level. The GDL and coordination degree between different regions exist certain differences, and its spatial pattern is characterized by "high in southeast and northeast, low in southwest and northwest". From a regional perspective, innovation capacity is the key factor that affects the green development of the region in southeast, northeast, northwest and southwest China. Driving economic green transformation and promoting industrial energy conservation and emission reduction through technological innovation are the internal driving forces to achieve regional green sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green residences have enormous potential for energy savings, emission reduction, and other comprehensive benefits, and their growth is crucial to achieving China's carbon neutrality and carbon peaking targets. Nevertheless, at the moment, the national green residence is impacted by complicated factors at several levels, including government agencies, green residence builders, and green residence consumers, which results in the low-quality development of domestic green residences overall. As of 2020, 94% of all labeled green residences are design-label residences that can only be achieved during the design stage, while less than 10% are operational-label residences with stronger energy and emission-saving benefits. This causes the phenomenon of "green residences on the planning" to be serious. In order to accomplish the promotion of high-quality development of green residences and to promote green residences in China, this paper analyzes the influencing factors of green residence promotion from the multi-level perspective of macro-landscape signals, meso-collective agent green residences, and micro-individual agent consumers, based on the multi-level perspective (MLP) framework of sustainability theory. The paper subsequently builds a simulation model of green residence promotion using the agent-based system dynamics modeling method. Additionally, Jiangsu Province's green residence promotion data are chosen for analogue simulation experiments, and the simulation results are also used to analyze the success conditions as well as the path to green residence promotion. This study demonstrates that (1) the agent-based simulation model of dynamics for the green residence promotion system has high reference value for the simulation of the promotion of green residences, and the model can clearly simulate the impact of micro-individual agent–consumer factors on the promotion of green residences; (2) in order to promote green residences, exterior landscape signals must be continuously improved; the stronger the landscape signals, the quicker the development of operationally labeled green residences; (3) priority is given to the development of two-star design-labeled green residences before 2035, and three-star operationally labeled residences will occupy the majority of the market after 2040. Meanwhile, the duration of landscape signals and the change in behavioral preferences of individual agents must be maintained for a long time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It will contribute to ameliorating the national carbon trading system and further benefit the realization of China's carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals through in-depth study and summarize the effectiveness of carbon trading policy implementation in pilot areas. Based on the multi-phase difference-in-differences approach and synthetic control method, this paper utilizes China's provincial panel data from 2006 to 2020 to comprehensively assess the Porter effect (including the economic and green innovation effects) and carbon mitigation effect of carbon trading policy from the overall and local perspectives. Then the robustness test and mechanism analysis are carried out. The findings show that: (1) from the overall effect, the carbon trading policy brings a noticeable carbon mitigation effect and Porter effect, and the intensity of the impact keeps changing over time; (2) there is significant heterogeneity in the local effects of this policy on the eight pilot provinces and cities, with only Chongqing obtaining both the Porter effect and the carbon mitigation effect, while the rest of the regions do not yield the triple dividend of economic, environmental, and green innovation simultaneously; (3) there are much more prominent environment and green innovation effects in the developed regions, while the underdeveloped ones have better economic development and no green innovation effect; (4) the policy can bring environmental and economic dividends through energy structure optimization. However, due to the carbon rebound effect, stimulating green innovation pathways can only boost the economy while carbon emissions increase instead. The research conclusions can provide the decision support and policy direction for policies related to China's carbon market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Carbon neutrality" refers to the total amount of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emissions directly or indirectly produced by a country, business, product, activity or individual over a period of time. Through afforestation, energy saving and emission reduction, etc., to offset the carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emissions generated by itself, to achieve positive and negative offset, to achieve relative "zero emissions", which belongs to the same term as "carbon peaking" in energy saving and emission reduction. "Carbon" means carbon dioxide, and "neutralization" means a positive and negative balance. The carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emitted is offset by afforestation, energy saving and emission reduction, which is called "carbon neutrality". Goal decomposition is the process of gradually completing the overall goal according to multiple fields to form a goal system. Target decomposition should be carried out according to the principle of integration and integration. That is, the overall goal is decomposed into sub-goals of different levels and departments, and the synthesis of each sub-goal reflects the overall goal and ensures the realization of the overall goal. This paper aims to study the decomposition of building carbon neutrality goals to sustainable energy development strategies, combining energy conservation and emission reduction with the building industry to reduce environmental pollution and energy waste. Based on the theory of sustainable development, combined with the development characteristics of China's new energy industry, this paper makes a theoretical analysis of the sustainable development of the new energy industry from the three systems of economy, society and ecology. Using the new growth theory and the dissipative structure theory, the restricting effect of the depletion of basic energy on economic development and the influence on the alternation of industrial structure are discussed. The experimental results of this paper show that the building energy consumption intensity will reach 1.43tC/10,000 yuan, 1.25tC/10,000 yuan in the ideal scenario, and 1.1tC/10,000 yuan in the low-carbon scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land intensive use is important for sustainable land use while carbon emission is a constraint to achieve carbon neutrality; they are closely related and committed to sustainable socioeconomic development. The spatial interactions and complex mechanisms between them make it difficult to clarify their relationship precisely. This paper combines the spatial Durbin model and mediating effect model to describe the effects of urban land intensive use (ULIU) on carbon emissions (CEs) for 30 provinces in China during 1995–2018. An inverse U-shaped relationship between ULIU and CEs is proved while considering the spatial interaction. All the provincial observed values of ULIU are less than the inflection point of the curve, which means that the improvement of the ULIU will cause more CEs. Meanwhile, ULIU has multi-indirect effects on CEs, with urbanization and industrial structure upgrading playing mediating roles in the mechanism. The spatial spillover effects of CEs per unit area on the neighboring provinces are negative, indicating that the interregional influence cannot be ignored. These findings have theoretical and practical significance as they reveal the multi-effects of ULIU on CEs. To realize carbon emission reduction effectively, more attention should be paid to improving the intensity of the urban land and strengthening the regional cooperation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on mainland China's provincial OFDI and carbon emissions data from 2003 to 2018, this paper applied a panel fixed-effects model and spatial econometric model to empirically test whether China's OFDI can be a powerful tool to achieve the "carbon neutrality" target. The empirical results indicate that China's OFDI significantly increases carbon emissions, but this effect has temporal and spatial differences. After incorporating spatial factors into the analysis, the impact of OFDI on carbon emissions differs when modelled by different spatial weight matrices. The green effect of OFDI has the problem of poor channels. It is impossible to achieve energy savings and emission reduction by promoting green technology innovation, improving the rationalization of the industrial structure or reducing energy consumption. The test results of the moderating effect indicate that the development of green finance can weaken the positive effect of OFDI on emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of global low-carbon emission reduction, how to achieve green and high-quality development has become a major issue for the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government recently. Based on the data of China's listed companies from 2013 to 2020, this paper uses Python to implement text analysis of annual reports, and explores the relationship between political acuity and carbon-efficiency synergies (CES) from the perspective of enterprise initiative. We found that (1) political acuity positively affects carbon-efficiency synergies. (2) Increased political acuity can reduce carbon emissions, but the effect on economic efficiency is not obvious. That is, low carbon takes the lead in raising the level of carbon-efficiency synergies. (3) Environmental regulations can positively regulate the relationship between political acuity and carbon-efficiency synergies. (4) Political acuity in southern China, carbon neutral and non-state-owned enterprises (NSOEs) will have a more pronounced effect on carbon-efficiency synergies. From the perspective of the root causes of political linkages, we find the synergies between formal and informal institutions, and the key factors for policy implementation. This paper is helpful for enterprises to improve the synergies of emission reduction and efficiency promotion, and has practical implications for the government to promote green and high-quality development. • Assess the value of the low-carbon economy from its political roots. • We build a carbon-efficiency synergy evaluation system. • Political acuity and formal institutions are synergistic. • The influence of political acuity on CES can be replicated. • This paper expands the technical approach to low-carbon research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is currently the biggest environmental challenge facing sustainable development in human society, and it is an inherent requirement for achieving sustainable development by actively addressing climate change. Under the increasingly strict constraints of climate governance, developed countries such as the United States, European Union countries, and Japan have responded and actively formulated low-carbon development goals and policy measures that are in line with their national conditions. These policies mainly involve various fields such as low-carbon technology, energy conservation and emission reduction, and circular development, with clear policy guidance. In this paper, the evolution of policies on marine carbon sink and carbon trading in China is summarized, providing support for better understanding the background of formulating relevant international and domestic policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the goal of "carbon peaking" and "carbon neutrality" in China, it is significant to explore whether emission reduction commitments contribute to carbon risk premium. Therefore, based on a sample of Chinese listed companies that publicly disclosed questionnaires in the CDP from 2009 to 2021, this paper empirically examines the relationship between emission reduction commitments and carbon risk premium and their formation mechanism. The results show that emission reduction commitments can effectively hedge the carbon risk premium, which pass several robustness tests. Specifically, the more comprehensive and ambitious the commitment is, the greater the suppression of the carbon risk premium. The mechanism test shows that disclosing emission reduction commitment information can reduce carbon risk by improving investor confidence and attracting political resources. Differences in enterprise emission levels, regional environmental regulation intensity and green financial development result in different risk-hedging effects of emission reduction commitments. Moreover, the greater the substantial pressure from stakeholders, the greater the tendency for firms to set up emission reduction commitments. Finally, the heterogeneity analysis reveals that confidence level of commitments has a significant impact on risk premium. Specifically, enterprises with SBTi validation, higher CDP ratings and higher target completion are more helpful in curbing carbon risk premium. Our findings contribute to corporate commitment to climate change and complement the carbon risk premium hypothesis. [Display omitted] The possible highlights of this study are as follows. • With the help of forward-looking information on emission reduction commitments, we re-examine the conclusion of the carbon risk premium and find that emission reduction commitments can effectively hedge the risk premium, enriching and developing the carbon risk premium hypothesis • This paper brings commitment levels and carbon emission levels into a unified analytical framework to study the correspondence between emission reduction commitments made under pressure to reduce emissions and the carbon risk premium, providing micro evidence for solving the mystery of the carbon risk premium. • Measure emission reduction commitment indicators from various angles, making the data on emission reduction commitments more objective and scientific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the continued advancement of the green economy transition, the proactive pursuit of carbon emissions reduction and the early attainment of carbon neutrality goals have emerged as essential components in promoting high-quality economic development. Not only does it contribute to the creation of a community of human destiny, but it is also vital to the realization of sustainable development for human civilization. A dynamic evolutionary game model, which encompasses the interactions among government, enterprises, and the public, was constructed to examine the inherent impact mechanisms of the behavior of three players on the development of a green economy under the context of energy saving and emission reduction subsidies. The results showed that the incentive and punishment mechanisms served as effective tools for harmonizing the interests of system members. Within the mechanisms, the public demonstrated a higher sensitivity to rewards, while enterprises exhibited greater responsiveness to fines. Consequently, the government could influence the behavior of enterprises by incentivizing the public to serve as a third-party inquiry and oversight body. Simultaneously, the government could encourage enterprises to expedite green technology innovation by employing a combination of incentive and punishment mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the impact of political uncertainty on sustainable urban development by examining carbon emission trading systems (ETS) in four major markets in China (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, and Hubei) from 2014 to 2022. As an alternative to carbon taxes, carbon ETS markets have become increasingly popular due to their success in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, their effectiveness is often hindered by political instability and uncertainty. Utilising logistic regression and AR(1)-GARCH estimations, we identify a negative relationship between political uncertainty and carbon trading volume. Our study also reveals significant variations in the responses of these markets to political uncertainty. The paper contributes to the understanding of how ETS markets operate in a complex and constantly changing political environment. We suggest that policymakers need to consider the impact of political uncertainty on carbon trading when designing and implementing urban policies that promote sustainable development. Additionally, our research contributes to the development of urban policies that can be effectively implemented in both developed and developing regions. • Local government official turnovers are used as the measurement of political uncertainty. • Daily transaction data from four carbon ETS markets (Beijing, Shanghai, Hubei and Guangdong) in China • Considered the probability and proportion of zero transaction day • Logistic regression and AR(1)-GARCH estimations • A negative relationship between political uncertainty and carbon transaction volume [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technology is an effective way to realize the carbon neutrality target in China. Therefore, based on panel data at the city level in China from 2006 to 2016, we take the e-commerce pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment, using the staggered difference-in-differences (DID) method to explore the effect of digital technology development on carbon emissions and its transmission mechanism. The conclusion of this paper shows that (ⅰ) the e-commerce pilot policy has significantly reduced carbon emissions. After a series of robustness tests, this empirical conclusion is still valid. (ⅱ) The inhibitory effect of different waves of e-commerce pilot cities on carbon emissions sequentially decreases. The e-commerce pilot policy has a greater effect on reducing carbon emissions in non-old industrial based cities and non-resource-based cities. (ⅲ) Implementing the e-commerce pilot city policy mainly reduces urban carbon emissions by optimizing resource allocation, reducing energy consumption and upgrading the industrial structure. (ⅳ) In addition, implementing the e-commerce pilot city policy has a significant positive carbon-reducing linkage effect with the carbon trading pilot policy and the low-carbon city pilot policy. The findings of this paper provide empirical evidence for carbon emission reduction, which has implications for upgrading urban construction patterns and promoting green urban development. • The construction of national e-commerce pilot cities has significantly reduced the carbon emission of cities. • The inhibitory effect of different batches of e-commerce pilot cities on carbon emissions sequentially decreases. • Playing more significant effect in non-old industrial based cities and non-resource-based cities. • Reducing urban carbon emissions by optimizing resource allocation and reducing energy consumption. • Having a significant positive carbon-reducing linkage effect with carbon emissions mitigation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the goal of "carbon peaking" and "carbon neutrality" in China, it is significant to explore whether green finance contributes to carbon emission reduction. Therefore, based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2020, this paper empirically examines the impact of green finance on carbon emissions and its mechanism using the FE model, GMM model, DID, and the mediating effect model. Results find that green finance can significantly promote carbon emissions reduction, and this promotion remains still after robustness tests. The heterogeneity analysis shows that green finance's carbon emission reduction effect is more significant in developed and western regions. Moreover, the results of policy intervention effects confirm that green finance reform and innovation pilot zones (GFRIs) for carbon emission reduction are more pronounced than in other regions. Finally, the mediating effects reveal that industrial structure and green innovation are the core transmission channels through which green finance influences carbon emission reduction. These findings offer meaningful implications for formulating reasonable carbon emission reduction plans and determining the future development direction of green finance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against achieving carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 context in China, the new energy demonstration city policy (NEDCP) has a crucial function to perform in promoting resource utilization efficiency, building the green development policy system, and facilitating carbon emission reduction. However, existing research has rarely investigated the contribution of NEDCP on carbon reduction. To investigate the policy effect of NEDCP, the differences-in-differences (DID) model is introduced to quantify the influence of NEDCP on carbon reduction, taking a statistical sample of 285 Chinese cities over the period 2005–2017 on the basis of exploring the intrinsic mechanism of NEDCP on carbon emissions. The statistical results reveal that NEDCP significantly inhibits carbon emissions. NEDCP's dampening impact on carbon reduction is more pronounced in the eastern area but not in other areas. City size and resource endowment heterogeneity results suggest that NEDCP significantly inhibits the output of carbon emissions in non-resource-based and large cities but insignificantly in resource-based and small- and medium-sized cities. Finally, we conclude that policy-makers should not only broaden the scope of NEDCP implementation continuously but also design relevant policy combination tools following the basic characteristics of each city to provide institutional guarantees for achieving carbon emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of bio‐ethylene is a promising way to replace fossil‐based ethylene production, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and working towards China's carbon neutrality goals. This study elaborates on five bio‐ethylene technological pathways: first‐ and second‐generation bioethanol dehydration, direct and indirect thermochemical synthesis, and methanol‐to‐olefins (MTO). It retrieves information about them from commercial patents and the scientific literature, and comprehensively assesses their potential for application in large‐scale ethylene production in China. The techno‐economic feasibility of these five technological pathways is discussed in terms of feedstock availability, investment level, technological development level, and political issues such as the carbon neutrality goal to which China's government is committed. Overall, two pathways (indirect thermochemical synthesis and MTO) exhibited competitive minimum ethylene selling prices at 5243 yuan/t (822 USD t–1) and 6767 yuan/t (1061 USD t–1), respectively, of which both are lower than the average ethylene market price of 7000 yuan/t (1098 USD t–1). In comparison with the conventional fossil‐derived ethylene, bio‐ethylene could decrease carbon emission by 3.2%–15.1% under a scenario of 20% bio‐ethylene substitution in 2019, showing promising potential for decarbonizing the ethylene industry and contributing to the achievement of China's carbon neutrality goals. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The successively proposed carbon peaking and carbon neutrality have not only set new goals for the green and low-carbon development of China’s economy, but also demonstrated China’s further determination and sense of responsibility for a greater contribution to address global climate change. Considering the importance of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in the course of achieving the Second Centenary Goal (1949-2049), it is necessary for China to make scientific planning for the roadmap of carbon emission reduction, carbon peaking and carbon neutrality to ensure building a great modern socialist country under carbon constraints. More specifically, the optimization and realignment of energy structure, industrial structure, production and consumption structure, the rational planning of afforestation, and the vigorous development of global carbon emissions trading will be the core strategies for boosting green and low-carbon development of China’s economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]