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Based on theoretical analysis of the connotations of and influencing factors on rural green development, this paper systematically explains its promotion mechanisms, its heterogeneity, and transmission effects of the integration of agriculture and tourism (hereinafter referred to as IAT) on rural green development; constructs and measures development indicators of IAT based on the three dimensions factors, performance, and structure; constructs comprehensive indicators of rural green development based on the three dimensions production, life, and ecology; and takes the panel data of 152 prefecture-level cities with agricultural leisure demonstration counties from 2010 to 2019 as samples for empirical testing. Results show that (1) IAT has a significant positive effect on rural green development, and endogenous tests based on instrumental variables and robustness tests show that the above conclusion is valid; (2) heterogeneity analysis shows that IAT plays a more significant role in promoting rural green development in high-human-capital areas, central and western regions, and non-major grain-producing areas; and (3) labor structure, capital input, and technological progress can play a transmitting role in promoting rural green development through IAT. At the end, this paper puts forward some countermeasures to promote rural green development by implementation of the quality projects strategy of IAT, the "tailor-made" support policy of IAT, based on the advantages of resource endowment and improvement of transmission mechanisms based on labor structure, capital input, and technological progress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of clan social capital on the willingness to pay (WTP) and WTP value for collective biogas investment. Design/methodology/approach: Using the Heckman two-stage model and a dataset of 1,265 representative observations from three provinces in Central China collected in 2019, this paper utilizes the contingent valuation method to estimate households' WTP value for collective biogas investment. The paper also explores the heterogeneity between households with different clan governance mechanisms and village governance structures. Findings: The results indicate that clan networks and trust were likely to improve farmer households' WTP, while clan trust and norms could improve their WTP values. For clans with councils and for clans that can influence the decision-making of village committees, their members were more likely to be influenced by the social capital of their clans to pay for collective biogas investment. Originality/value: This paper focuses on the WTP and WTP values of households for collective biogas investment, which is often neglected in the research. This paper suggests that clans can be used as a medium to urge households to increase their collective power to reduce carbon emissions and climate crises. The findings empirically contribute to efforts to reduce rural carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the background of the deep convergence of China's digital services and manufacturing, it is of great significance to investigate the effects of the convergence of digital services and manufacturing on economic growth and carbon emissions reduction to the application of digital technology in the whole world. This paper constructs a simultaneous equation model and uses three-stage least squares to estimate the effect and mechanism of industrial convergence on economic growth and carbon emissions. The results show that (i) industrial convergence improves the change of total factor productivity (TFP) and the change of technical efficiency, and the reduction of carbon emissions is the main factor driving the growth of TFP and technical efficiency; (ii) industrial convergence and carbon emissions show a significant U-shaped relationship; (iii) the heterogeneity analysis shows that the convergence of capital-intensive, technology-intensive and labor-intensive manufacturing with digital services will help to improve the growth of TFP, it can inhibit carbon emissions first and then promote it. Therefore, the government should take targeted measures to promote industrial convergence of digital services and manufacturing according to the economic development and industry characteristics, so as to give full play to its positive role in economic growth and emissions reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the implementation of carbon emissions trading policy (CETP) promotes carbon finance, proxied by investment and financing facilitating carbon emissions reduction (IFCER), and reduces carbon emissions. Evidence shows that first, CETP is effective in stimulating IFCER and reducing carbon emissions. Second, the effects of CETP persist over time. Third, the effects of CETP taking effect in pilot regions can spill over to non-pilot regions nearby. Fourth, the effect is more pronounced in eastern and wealthy regions. Finally, R&D and industrial upgrading have a mediating effect linking CETP to IFCER and carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Plan for Rural Development of Digital Agriculture (2019–2025), accelerated integration of digital technologies and agriculture is crucial to promoting high-quality agriculture in China. The application of DIT in agricultural activities will not only help improve the efficiency of agricultural production, but also promote the green development of agriculture and the achievement of the Dual Carbon Target (DCT). In order to further clarify the comprehensive effects of the application of DIT in agricultural systems and provide routes for government decision-makers to assist in reducing agricultural emissions by DIT, this paper adopts the logical deductive method and starts with the application status to draw out the specific paths of low-carbon transformation in DIT-driven agriculture, while further discussing the potential issues in the process and corresponding solutions. DIT is a double-edged sword. It can promote the green and low-carbon transformation of agriculture by implementing precision operation, environmental monitoring, optimizing carbon emission accounting, and supervising the carbon market. However, at the same time, it may face problems such as unbalanced rural development and excessive financialization of the carbon market. Therefore, we should be optimistic but cautious about the application of DIT in reducing agricultural emissions. We can address potential problems by strengthening government-led investment, broadening channels for capital investment, strengthening skills training for farmers, and enhancing the regulation of trading in carbon sink markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important to know how much of the increased atmospheric CO2 is derived from fossil fuel emissions. Here, we review the progress in atmospheric fossil fuel CO2 (CO2ff) tracing over recent years by measurement of Δ14C in Chinese cities. In this paper we make progress by expanding the analysis from some locations to more regional views, by combining observations with modeling, and by making a preliminary comparison of observation-derived CO2ff with inventory-derived CO2ff. We have obtained a general picture of Chinese urban CO2ff and characteristics of its spatio-temporal variations at different scale, and identified the corresponding influencing factors. Interestingly, we found that the weekend effect of CO2ff was less evident in Chinese cities. In addition, we observed simultaneous variations in CO2ff and PM2.5 in a winter haze event in Beijing and a simultaneous decrease in annual averages of CO2ff and PM2.5 in Xi'an based on multi-year (2011–2016) Δ14CO2 monitoring. We found that local coal combustion was the main source of CO2ff in Xi'an, which is located in the Guanzhong basin, by applying a WRF-Chem model and looking at δ13C signatures. Thus, reduction of coal consumption is a crucial target for carbon emissions reduction in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting the integration of the digital economy with the manufacturing-based real economy is beneficial to avoid the detachment of economic development from tangible industries. Whether the low-carbon transformation can be achieved in this integration process is also an important issue. So, taking China for instance, we theoretically analyze the impact mechanism of the integration of the digital economy with three major categories of manufacturing (labor-intensive, capital-intensive, and technology-intensive) on carbon emissions, and empirically test those effects based on 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2019. The following conclusions are drawn: (1) The development of the digital economy can reduce carbon emissions. (2) The integration of the digital economy with different categories within the manufacturing industry causes different effects on carbon emissions reduction, shown as a structural upgrading type of carbon emissions reduction, i.e., the deeper integration between digital economy and technology-intensive manufacturing contributes to a multiplier effect in carbon emissions reduction. (3) The efficiency improvements benefited from the integration with the digital economy in technology-intensive manufacturing are the main reason for the structural upgrading type of carbon emissions reduction. Therefore, policy should aim at accelerating the integration of the digital economy with advanced manufacturing to realize comprehensive low-carbon transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serving as the information backbone of an increasingly digitalized world and energy-intensive, the data center industry has to seek low-carbon developing way to properly meet the rapidly rising service demand. This paper designs 45 kinds of configuration choices for each decision units by integrating three data centers, three cooling technologies, as well as five energy supply mixes. The model is formulated as a bi objective optimization problem for the decision maker to decide newly established data location and configuration with objective of reducing data center expansion costs and well as minimizing power utilization associated with carbon emissions from a country level. The pilot study in China under the scenarios of different carbon emissions limitation and propagation delay that China can reduce at least 25% of newly established data center related emissions from 2020 to 2023. It further shows that future expansion can be focus on Inner Mongolia and Ningxia for the north, Hubei for the middle, and Yunnan and Guangxi for the south. This paper provides a fresh perspective and makes a valuable attempt at the low-carbon development of data centers. • Carbon awareness based integrated optimization model for data center in China is proposed. • Layout, scale, cooling technology and power supply mix are simultaneously considered. • 25% of newly established data center electricity related emissions in China can be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synergistic governance of emission reduction between pollutants and CO2 (hereinafter referred to as synergistic governance) reflects China's proactive response to climate change and will become a central task in China's environmental governance over the next decade and beyond. Given this, this paper aims to systematically understand why synergistic governance is possible and what China has achieved in synergistic governance. In order to achieve these aims, this paper constructs a scientific indicator system based on synergistic governance theory and applies the composite system synergy model to assess the level of synergistic governance in China. The results show that China has made great progress in synergistic governance in the past decade, achieving a leaping development from mild non-synergy to moderate synergy. The achievement mainly comes from the efforts of nearly 1/3 of Chinese provinces in advancing synergistic governance, and the improvement direction of synergistic governance in these provinces is consistent with the national level, jumping from mild non-synergy to moderate synergy. However, the level of synergistic governance in some provinces has decreased rather than increased. It is worth noting that the widening gap in the level of synergistic governance within China's regions may become a vital factor that hinders the sustainable promotion of synergistic governance. This paper clarifies the operational logic of synergistic governance and provides a comprehensive evaluation method, which is beneficial to provide some references for other countries that intend to work on synergistic governance. • Theoretical explanation on synergistic governance from resource flow and energy flow. • A composite system synergy model for the synergistic governance is developed. • Spatial-temporal evolution of synergistic governance in Chinese regions is analyzed. • Widening differences will constrain the sustainability of synergistic governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the effects of digital technology transformation on carbon dioxide (CO 2) emission cycles using the listed manufacturing firms in China from 2013 to 2022. It is found that the digital technology transformation of enterprises significantly reduces the level of CO 2 emissions. It is also observed that the impact of digital transformation on corporate CO 2 emissions varies among different property rights sample groups. The findings indicate that the effects of digital transformation on CO 2 emissions are more remarkable in state-owned enterprises. Digital finance also strengthens the impact of digital transformation on corporate CO 2 emission reduction. These results provide theoretical support and empirical evidence for promoting digital transformation to reduce CO 2 emissions in China. • The study focuses on the role of digital technology in aiding carbon reduction efforts within the manufacturing sector. • Digital technology drives energy conservation and low-carbon transformations in manufacturing. • Digital transformations significantly mitigate carbon emission risks through four main avenues. • State-owned enterprises show a pronounced benefit from digital transformations in carbon reductions. • Empirical evidence underscores the need for enhancing digital tech awareness and regulatory support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global warming affects food security and ecological security, and it threatens economic stability and sustainable agricultural development. The transformation and development of agriculture have significant implications for the achievement of the "dual-carbon" goals and the promotion of sustainable agricultural development. Based on panel data on organic dry farming in China from 2005 to 2020, this study aimed to comprehensively assess the transformation performance of organic dry farming (TRODF) in 15 provinces. It explored the impact of the transformation of organic dry farming on carbon emissions by utilizing a spatial Markov chain and spatial measurement models. Our findings are as follows: (1) The performance of the organic dryland agriculture transformation has gradually improved and is accompanied by a corresponding trend of fluctuating regional disparities, which are on the rise. Moreover, the disparities between the five major regions mainly stem from intra-regional differences. (2) TRODF agriculture presents the possibility of state transfer during different periods, featuring four convergent zones: a lagging zone, a starting zone, a crossing zone, and an advanced zone. The spatial Markov chain indicates that state transitions typically occur between adjacent levels, with fewer instances of "jump"-type transitions. Moreover, there is a clear trend of differentiation in the state transitions between non-adjacent areas. (3) The organic dry farming transformation exhibits a significant carbon reduction effect, which is characterized by heterogeneity across different stages of agricultural development, provinces, and time periods. This study emphasizes that economic and industrial transformation, along with the transformation of the ecological environment, represents a crucial direction for conserving resources and achieving a further reduction in carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, representatives from 198 countries convened for the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27) held between November 6 and 20, 2022. A consensus emerged regarding the imperative of embracing a "bottom-up" approach to tackling climate change. The phased introduction of dual-stage measures within the low-carbon city pilot policy in China affords a reputable natural experiment and establishes a treatment cohort for gauging carbon emissions within these zones. Empirical estimation of the abatement impact of China's low-carbon city pilot policy on carbon emissions is undertaken herein, leveraging a comprehensive dataset composed of information on carbon dioxide emissions and economic indicators spanning the years 2000–2017. Key findings are: (1) The low-carbon city pilot policy effectively reduces carbon emissions by 0.2808 Mt and decreases emission intensity by 11.59%. (2) China can achieve 40.28% of its emissions reduction target outlined in the 14th Five-Year Plan due to the efficacy of low-carbon cities. (3) The emissions reduction effect of the policy significantly increases with the implementation of Emissions Trading Scheme pilots. 4) The primary-stage initiatives of the low-carbon city pilot policy drive its emissions reduction effect, while the secondary-stage policy has limited impact due to rational public expectations. This research presents a model for low-carbon city development, proposing strategies that align with a "bottom-up" approach to tackle climate change. These insights may encourage member parties to strengthen commitments and adopt net-zero goals at COP meetings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since decoration is an essential part of buildings, the carbon emissions generated by decoration work should not be ignored. In recent years, prefabricated decoration has attracted much attention as efforts are made to pursue green, low-carbon, and waste-reducing buildings. However, research on carbon emissions assessment of prefabricated buildings has focused mainly on the structural aspect of prefabricated buildings, with few studies having considered prefabricated decoration. This study therefore focuses on assessing the carbon emissions of prefabricated decoration from the life cycle perspective of a case study residential building and explores the potential for reducing carbon emissions by decorating buildings with prefabricated components. The results show that using prefabricated decoration in the case study building reduced carbon emissions by 29.08% at the building material production stage compared to traditional decoration, and using an optimized design of prefabricated decoration, the building's energy consumption over its design life could reduce carbon emissions by 1046 kgCO2/m2. These findings demonstrate the benefits of prefabrication decoration for reducing carbon emissions. This study provides decoration companies with robust data and insights to guide future decisions and practices, helping to transform and achieve the carbon neutrality goal for the building decoration industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has a high agricultural output and is a significant carbon emitter; thus, reducing carbon emissions in the agricultural sector is crucial for achieving carbon neutrality. To address this, China implemented the National Agricultural Sustainable Development Experimental Demonstration Zone policy in 2018, in which reducing agricultural carbon emissions (ACE) is a subject of concern. We explore the impact of the policy on agricultural carbon emissions reduction (ACER) using the propensity score matching and differences-in-differences (PSM-DID) methods with a series of robustness tests based on the panel data of prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2020. The results indicate that: (1) the policy significantly reduces carbon emissions and impacts carbon emission sources, with the results passing the robustness tests. (2) According to the mechanism test, agricultural financial support mediates carbon emissions reduction, and the policy reduces these emissions by decreasing the intensity of fiscal support. (3) The heterogeneity analysis illustrates that the carbon emissions reduction effect is more evident in cities with a small urban-rural income gap and a high proportion of agricultural output value. Finally, we provide suggestions to reduce carbon emissions from the perspective of national and local governments. This paper is particularly relevant for achieving sustainable agriculture development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Constructing a new welfare function considering economy, equity and ecology. • Optimizing carbon emission pathways from multiple perspectives. • Focusing on the emission pathways in China achieving the ambitious targets. With the increasing climate warming, reducing carbon emissions has gradually become a consensus around the world. However, the process of carbon emission reduction will inevitably lead to the transformation of economic structure, industrial structure and energy structure, which will bring huge changes in economic output, employment and other aspects, thus affecting the overall social welfare and equity. Therefore, it is particularly important for each country to determine a scientific and effective carbon emission pathway which take into account both social development and climate targets. As the largest carbon emitter, China has put forward the targets of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. In this regard, the corresponding carbon emission reduction scenarios are designed according to the new situation of China's emission reduction in this paper, firstly. Furthermore, under the premise of maximizing social welfare, an optimization model which integrating economic growth-equity-environment is developed to determine China's emission pathways under different scenarios from 2020 to 2050. Besides quantitatively showing the future total amount and peak value of carbon emissions under different scenarios, the results can also identify its evolution pathway over time. Therein, the peak under most scenarios will concentrate in 2025–2030, which is about 10.7 to 11.8 billion tons. With the increasingly stringent constraints on carbon emission reduction, the cost of emission reduction will increase correspondingly, but the overall social welfare will increase slightly. Finally, our findings provide practical guidance on achieving carbon emission reduction and enlightenments on policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To estimate the comprehensive impact of China's carbon trading policy launched in 2013 on carbon emissions, this paper conducts a quasi-natural experiment with the combination of difference-in-differences method (DID) and spatial DURBIN model (SDM), further analyzes the mechanism from the perspective of energy use, energy structure and energy efficiency. The empirical results show that, (1) The CET has reduced the carbon emissions in pilots since 2013 significantly. Carbon emissions in neighbouring regions of pilots are also reduced, which proves the existence of spatial spillover effects from CET. Compared with the direct part, the spatial spillover effect accounts for smaller proportion. Both the results of robustness and endogenous analysis support above conclusion. (2) The effect of CET on carbon emissions continues to increase over the long term, while the spatial spillover effect gradually decreases as distance increases. (3) The CET also contributes to the decline of carbon intensity. (4) The decline of fossil energy use is the main path to reduce carbon emissions, while the transformation of energy structure seriously hinders the CET to achieve carbon emission reduction in the long term. • The CET has spatial spillover effect on carbon emissions. • The spatial spillover effect of CET decays with distance. • The decline of fossil energy use driven by CET reduces carbon emissions. • The energy structure driven by CET hinders the carbon emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]