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Strengthening the synergistic management of carbon and haze is an important means to realize China's "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals" and green development. In this paper, the entropy method is used to measure the key core technology innovation level of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2021, and the fixed-effect model is used to empirically test the impact of key core technology innovation on carbon haze synergistic governance and the internal mechanism. The study found that (1) key core technological innovation helps to promote carbon haze synergistic governance. (2) The mechanism test shows that key core technology innovation promotes the synergistic management of carbon haze by improving the clean energy structure. (3) The moderating effect shows that both market incentives and government environmental regulations will strengthen the positive relationship between key core technology innovation and carbon haze synergistic governance. The main contribution of this paper is to reveal the influence mechanism of key core technology innovation on carbon haze synergistic governance, and also to provide theoretical basis for the mechanism and law of carbon haze synergistic governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental decentralization is an important prerequisite and institutional foundation for China's carbon and haze co-control. Prior research has answered the influence of environmental decentralization on carbon mitigation or haze control. Few studies have analyzed the influence of innovation efficiency on carbon and haze co-control in the context of environmental decentralization. Research on how to achieve the optimal allocation of environmental decentralization is rare. Based on an analysis of the dynamic evolution trends in China's carbon emissions, haze pollution, environmental decentralization, and innovation efficiency from 2006 to 2018 by exploiting kernel density estimation, this study examines the environmental decentralization threshold effect of innovation efficiency on carbon and haze co-control by employing dynamic threshold model and investigates reasonable allocation of environmental decentralization. The results revealed that, first, China's provincial carbon emissions and environmental decentralization performed an increasing trend. Haze pollution and innovation efficiency demonstrated a downward trend. Second, when environmental decentralization increases, the influence of innovation efficiency on carbon emissions presents a W-shape, whereas the influence of innovation efficiency on haze pollution follows an inverted N-shape. Third, there are remarkable heterogeneous environmental decentralization threshold effects on the influence of innovation efficiency on carbon and haze co-control. Fourth, appropriate environmental decentralization can enhance carbon and haze co-control effects of innovation efficiency. The central government entails appropriate empowerment of local governments in environmental administration and supervision authority but decreases the environmental monitoring authority of local governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change has emerged as one of the most important environmental issues worldwide. As the world's biggest developing country, China is participating in combating climate change by promoting a low carbon economy within the context of global warming. This paper summarizes the pathways of China's low carbon economy including the aspects of energy, industry, low carbon cities, circular economy and low carbon technology, afforestation and carbon sink, the carbon emission trading market and carbon emission reduction targets. There are many achievements in the implementation of low carbon policies. For example, carbon emission intensity has been reduced drastically along with the optimizing of energy and industry structure and a nationwide carbon trading market for electricity industry has been established. However, some problems remain, such as the weakness of public participation, the ineffectiveness of unified policies for certain regions and the absence of long-term planning for low carbon cities development. Therefore, we propose some policy recommendations for the future low carbon economy development in China. Firstly, comprehensive and long-term planning should be involved in all the low carbon economy pathways. Secondly, to coordinate the relationship between central and local governments and narrow the gap between poor and rich regions, different strategies of carbon emission performance assessment should be applied for different regions. Thirdly, enterprises should cooperate with scientific research institutions to explored low carbon technologies. Finally, relevant institutions should be regulated to realize comprehensive low carbon transition through reasonable and feasible low carbon pathways in China. These policy recommendations will provide new perspectives for China's future low carbon economy development and guide practices for combating climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]