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This paper theoretically analyzes the direct impact of environmental regulation on carbon emissions and its indirect effects on carbon emissions through foreign direct investment (FDI), energy consumption, industrial structure, and technological innovation. Then, this paper constructs a spatial lag model to empirically test the dual effects of environmental regulation on carbon emissions based on the provincial panel data of 2003–2017 in China. The results show that the average Moran's I value of carbon emissions during 2003–2017 is 0.2506, passing the significance test at 1% level, and carbon emissions have spatial correlation characteristics. The direct impact of environmental regulation on carbon emissions is significant and positive. Environmental regulation could indirectly influence carbon emissions by influencing FDI, energy consumption, and technological innovation, and meanwhile, FDI, energy consumption, and technological innovation help to reduce carbon emissions under the constraint of environmental regulation, specifically. However, the impact of environmental regulation on carbon emissions through industrial structure is not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of 30 provinces (except Tibet) in China from 2012 to 2019, this paper uses the ML index method and spatial econometric model to evaluate the impact and spillover effect of innovation investment on environmental total factor productivity. The study found the following conclusions. (1) Environmental total factor productivity showed a fluctuating upward trend as a whole, and the driving force of environmental total factor productivity growth mainly came from technological progress. (2) There is global spatial correlation and positive spatial spillover effect in regional environmental total factor productivity. There is a certain spatial correlation in provincial environmental total factor productivity, and the improvement of environmental total factor productivity in this region will promote the improvement of environmental total factor productivity in surrounding areas. (3) Innovation investment, economic development, and foreign investment level play a significant role in promoting the improvement of environmental total factor productivity, and energy structure and human capital level have a negative impact on the improvement of environmental total factor productivity. (4) Innovation investment, economic development, human capital, and foreign investment have positive spillover effects on the improvement of environmental total factor productivity in the surrounding areas, while the energy structure shows negative spillover effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Promoting green urban development has become a common consensus to address environmental pollution and ecological damage, but we know little about the measurement and drivers of urban green innovation efficiency (GIE). In this article, firstly, we established a framework for assessing urban green innovation efficiency through multidimensional data, then used the spatial econometric model to reveal the spatiotemporal evolutionary characteristics of urban GIE, and, finally, analyzed the influencing factors and spatial spillover effects of urban GIE. The results show the following: (1) The overall urban GIE in China was low and had significant spatial agglomeration, mainly concentrated in the Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions with spatial locking characteristics, while the GIE of cities in undeveloped regions does not change much. (3) There was much room for improvement in the input-output system of green innovation, considering that the sources of inefficiency in most cities were insufficient investment in scientific and technological innovation personnel and innovation environment, excessive environmental pollution, and limited technological output. (4) Foreign direct investment, financial development, and manufacturing industry agglomeration had positive effects on urban GIE. These research findings and policy implications are of certain reference value for other emerging developing countries to implement urban governance and green development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]