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This study examines the dynamic interaction between outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) and home industrial upgrading in China by using a panel vector autoregressive model over the period 2004–2017. To investigate regional differences, the 30 Chinese provinces were divided into 3 regions. To investigate regional differences, 30 Chinese provinces were divided into region 1, region 2, and 3 regions, which represent economically developed regions, comparatively economically developed regions, and economically less developed regions. The empirical results show that OFDI significantly promotes industrial upgrading across the whole sample, while the reverse is not significant. Further, considering the heterogeneity of regional economic development levels, the results show that the OFDI from region 1 and industrial upgrading promote each other, while the opposite is true for region 3. In region 2, industrial upgrading has an incentive effect on OFDI, but not significantly affected by OFDI. In addition, to supplement our analysis, impulse response function and variance decomposition are used to demonstrate the interaction process between OFDI and industrial upgrading of the home country. Therefore, to achieve industrial upgrading, Chinese governments should adhere to the long‐term national policy of "going global," enhance the strength of OFDI, and formulate development strategies according to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As China's ecological environmental problem becomes severe, corporate environmental behavior (CEB) has become the focus of a range of stakeholders, policy makers and the whole society since the operating activities of companies is the main source of environmental pollution. This study used a questionnaire survey and structural equation model (SEM) to examine the relative importance of external and internal pressures (EIP) on driving CEB. Data was obtained from 702 papermaking companies in China. The mechanism of EIP effects on CEB was tested employing SEM through path analysis, using AMOS 21.0. The results showed that government pressure, economic pressure and internal pressure played significant positive roles in environmental behavior of papermaking companies in China. Economic pressure was the most important factor on environmental behaviors (including defensive, accommodative and proactive behaviors) of papermaking companies. Furthermore, the role of internal pressure on CEB (defensive and proactive) was second only to economic pressure, while the role of government pressure on CEB was much weaker than our expectation. However, the role of social pressure, which was imposed by general public and environmental Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), was not significant. Thus, policy makers should emphasize on the interactions of economic mechanism, government regulation and internal incentive mechanism to stimulate firms to adopt active environmental behavior. More concerns from the general public shall be addressed to enhance their driving effect on CEB in Chinese papermaking industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study decomposed the indicator of decoupling of carbon emissions due to fossil energy consumption from economic growth in China via the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method to explore key factors influencing decoupling status in different periods. The decoupling indicator was decomposed into energy structure, energy intensity, economic structure, and economic output effects over each period. Decoupling varied due to changes in economic growth and energy intensity during different periods. The economic output effect significantly enhanced decoupling, while the energy intensity effect greatly decreased decoupling. The energy structure and economic structure effects had slight impacts on decoupling. A comparative analysis across different sectors and industrial subsectors revealed that industrial growth determined the status of decoupling of carbon emissions from economic growth in China. In terms of industrial subsectors, the major sources of carbon emissions were electricity, steam, and water production and other energy-intensive subsectors. The energy-intensive subsectors, such as coal mining and washing, petroleum and natural gas exploitation, and chemical manufacture, had great effects on the decoupling of carbon emissions, whereas non-energy-intensive subsectors, such as instruments, meters, cultural and office machinery, and ordinary equipment manufacture, had relatively slight impacts on the decoupling. Policy implications in terms of economic growth, economic structure, and energy consumption were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In general, it is recognized that both external pressures and individual corporate characteristics drive enterprises to adopt active environmental behavior. However, few empirical studies have attempted to determine the relative importance of these different sources of external pressure and individual corporate characteristics. Using panel data for 30 provinces and municipalities in China between 2004 and 2013, we tested the relationships between these different factors and corporate environmental behavior by building panel models for the national sample and subsamples from the three regions of China. The results showed that pressures from governmental environmental regulation, consumers, and shareholders, as well as individual corporation characteristics had significant positive driving effects on corporate environmental behavior, where government environmental regulation had the most important effect. However, our results did not confirm that social pressure is a statistically significant source of change. We propose a series of policy implications based on these test results, which may encourage enterprises to implement better environmental behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method, we decomposed the factors that affect carbon emissions at a multi-regional level. Based on a comparative analysis of the regional contributions to carbon emissions in China from 1995 to 2012, we found that economic growth is a major factor that increases carbon emissions. Excluding Hainan, Guangxi, Ningxia, and Xinjiang, the energy intensity effects of other provinces and municipalities inhibited carbon emissions clearly. The energy structure effect in Beijing and Shanghai inhibited carbon emissions most obviously, whereas the energy structure effect in Xinjiang promoted carbon emissions to the greatest extent. The energy structure effect in most regions had little influence on carbon emissions. The output proportion effect enhances carbon emissions on the whole, which indicates China's regional economic development is not coordinated from the perspective of carbon emission reductions. Overall, Shandong, Inner Mongolia, and Hebei made the biggest contributions to national carbon emissions. Policy implications in terms of our study results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes carbon emissions due to energy consumption based on different stages and sectors in China, and by applying the logarithmic mean Divisia index decomposition method, carbon emissions were decomposed into energy structure, energy intensity, economic structure, and economic output effects. The study period was divided into “high efficiency and high output”, “low efficiency and low output”, “high efficiency and low output” and “low efficiency and high output” considering different carbon emission characteristics and economic development. Carbon emissions exhibit different characteristics at different stages. The degree of increase in carbon emissions at these stages depends on the combined effect of the energy efficiency and the economic output. The main factor driving carbon emissions was the economic output effect in each stage and the main factor inhibiting carbon emissions was the energy intensity effect. The economic and energy structures had only a modest effect on carbon emissions at each stage. The industry sector was the top contributor to carbon emissions, followed by the transport sector. The policy implications in terms of economic growth, the economic structure, and energy consumption are discussed in relation to the different stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed the impact of urbanization and the level of economic development on CO emissions using the STIRPAT model and provincial panel data for China. This study classified the 29 provinces of China into three groups (eastern, central, and western regions) and examined regional differences in the environmental impacts of urbanization and economic development levels. The results demonstrated that there was an inverted U-shaped relationship between urbanization and CO emissions in the central and western regions of China. However, we did not confirm the environmental Kuznets curve relationship between urbanization and CO emissions in eastern China, where CO emissions increase monotonically with urbanization. This study showed that the impacts of urbanization differ considerably. There was a U-shaped relationship between economic growth and CO emissions. However, the point of inflexion was very low, which indicates that economic growth will promote CO emissions in China. The share of the industry output value had a marginal incremental effect on CO emissions. There was a decreasing effect of population scale on CO emissions. Energy efficiency is the main factor that restrains CO emissions, and the effect was higher in regions with low energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] We developed a model to decompose carbon emissions into five factors. [•] We estimated the directions and magnitudes of the influences of five factors. [•] We find the sources of carbon emissions from sectors and regions. [•] We discussed some strategies for China’s emissions abatement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study extends the STIRPAT model and uses China's provincial panel data to investigate regional differences in nonlinear effects of economic growth, export and FDI on air pollutants (SO 2 , NOx, and PM 2.5) in China, which reveals that the nonlinear effect of economic growth on air pollutants mainly presented an "inverse-U″ or "inverse-N″ shape in eastern China, an "inverse-U″ or "increasing linear" shape in central China, and a "U" or "inverse-N″ shape in western China; the economic growth can decrease air pollutants in eastern China, whereas increase air pollutants in other regions. The result is not significantly consistent with EKC hypotheses. The effect of export on air pollutant emissions presented an "inverse-U″ or "increasing linear" shape in eastern China, an "increasing linear" or "inverse-N″ shape in central China, and an "inverse-U″ shape in western China; the export had a promoting effect on air pollutants, which indicates air pollutants transferred into China. The effect of FDI on air pollutants presented an "inverse-U″ shape in eastern China, and a "decreasing linear" shape in western China; the effect of FDI for central China was a "decreasing linear" shape on SO 2 , an "inverse-N″ shape on NOx, and an "inverse-U″ shape on PM 2.5. The FDI reduced air pollutants in all regions, which contradicts to the "pollution haven" hypothesis. On the whole, the industrialization level and population size increased air pollutants, whereas the R&D reduced pollutants; the effects of population urbanization on air pollutants differed among regions. Some policy implications are put forth related to these empirical results. • Nonlinear impacts of economic growth, export and FDI on air pollutants differed among regions. • Export had a promoting effect on air pollutants, indicating air pollutants transferred into China. • FDI reduced air pollutants in all regions, which contradicts to "pollution haven" hypothesis. • Industrialization and population size increased air pollutants, and R&D reduced pollutants. • Effects of population urbanization on air pollutants differed among regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method, we decomposed factors affecting the national carbon intensity (NCI) in China at a multi-regional level. A comparative analysis of regional contributions in different Five-Year Plan (5YP) periods revealed that the energy structure had inhibitory effects on NCI during the 9th and 10th 5YP periods, but had promoting effects during the 11th and start of the 12th 5YP periods. The energy structure had a strong inhibitory impact in eastern, north-eastern, and northern regions of China, but only a slight impact in central, northern, south-western, and north-western regions. Energy intensity is a major factor and had a strong inhibitory effect on NCI except during the 10th 5YP period. Energy intensity had a strong inhibitory effect in eastern and northern regions, but only a slight impact in north-western and southern regions, especially in Hainan, Ningxia, Xinjiang, and Qinghai provinces. Overall, proportional output in China had a promoting effect on NCI, which indicates regional economic development was not coordinated. The combined effects of regional carbon intensity (RCI) and proportional output determined changes in NCI, and RCI had a strong effect on NCI. Regions with high proportional output and large carbon emissions had a great impact on NCI. The total effect in developed areas such as eastern, northern, and north-eastern regions was strongly inhibitory, while the impact was slight in relatively less developed areas such as northwestern and southern regions. Some policy implications arising from our study results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]