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Green energy efficiency (GEE) is pivotal for sustainable economic growth, particularly in the context of China's ambitious environmental goals. This study assesses the impact of Green Financial Reform and Innovation Pilot Zones on GEE from 2005 to 2020, using the SBM-GML method and a Double Difference Model (DID). Findings indicate a significant improvement in GEE within these zones, driven by advancements in green innovation and environmental regulation. At the micro level, firms in pilot zones show enhanced Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) performance and experience fewer financial constraints. The effectiveness of green finance policies is more pronounced in resource-rich and financially efficient regions, suggesting that these initiatives can significantly contribute to sustainable development. Based on empirical evidence, we recommend expanding pilot zones, promoting green technological innovation, and developing tailored green finance policies to address regional ecological sensitivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in facilitating the transition toward low carbon societies in Latin America from 1990 to 2022, in order to investigate the effects of FDI among the green transition process and contribute to the design of new ad hoc green FDI policies. Additionally, we introduce the Low Carbon Transition Curve hypothesis as a framework for understanding the relationship between income and the transition to green economies in the selected countries. Through the application of cointegration regression analysis, preceded by the examination of unit roots and cointegration, we uncover notable findings. Our results indicate that the impact of FDI on the consumption of renewable energy exhibits heterogeneity across Latin American countries, as evidenced by the lack of statistical significance in the renewable/fossil fuel mix consumption of energy. However, it is important to note that FDI has a positive and significant effect on the promotion of renewable energy consumption. Furthermore, our analysis confirms the statistical significance of the income-low carbon transition hypothesis across all regression models, suggesting that income per capita plays a pivotal role as a driving factor in countries' transition to green economies. In light of these findings, it is recommended that countries utilize FDI to reduce their dependency on fossil fuels by offering incentives for green FDI, which can contribute significantly to the transition process. These practical implications can guide decision-making processes and support the implementation of measures that contribute to a more sustainable and environmentally conscious energy sector in Latin America. • This paper explores the role of foreign direct investment (FDI) in promoting the transition to low carbon societies. • We introduce the Low Carbon Transition Curve hypothesis to conceptualize the relationship between income and the green transition. • We employed fully modified ordinary least squares and canonical cointegration relationship estimation. • Estimates produced evidence that the FDI contributes to a more intensive use of renewable energy. • The analysis supports the significance of the income-low carbon transition hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper chooses 98 mining cities in China from 2007 to 2021 as research samples. It investigates the policy practice of green development in mining cities according to the point of view of policy combination. We establish a super-efficiency model considering undesirable output to measure the green development level of mining cities and further construct a dynamic panel model based on the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to test the transmission mechanism and heterogeneous effect of different types of environmental regulation to promote the green development of mining cities. The findings demonstrate that environmental regulations about command control, market incentives, and public participation can all help mining cities develop more sustainably. Additionally, there is a nonlinear relationship of an inverted "U" shape between the degree of green development in mining cities and environmental regulations related to command control. Combining policies can encourage the green development of mining cities, but there are crowding-out and substitution effects when environmental regulations are combined with market forces. Environmental regulation promotes urban green development by improving the energy consumption structure of mining cities. In this process, the level of digital development positively regulates the impact of environmental regulation on urban green development. Therefore, the government should choose environmental regulation tools and combinations according to local needs to achieve a multi-pronged effect of energy structure improvement and urban green development and use digital technology to support the green development of mining cities. • Command-controlled, market-motivated, and public-participating environmental regulations can significantly promote urban green development by promoting the improvement of energy structure. • There is an inverted' U' -shaped nonlinear relationship between the intensity of command and control environmental regulation and the green level of mining cities. • The level of digitization can positively regulate the relationship between environmental regulation and urban green development. • The combination of environmental regulations have a significant positive impact on urban green development. • The combination of environmental regulations has heterogeneity in urban green development due to factors such as regional resource endowment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]