A study on liability for environmental pollution in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region

Abstract

The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei metropolitan cluster has inevitably brought many problems along with its vigorous economic development, one of which is environmental pollution. Based on our previous research, we clarified the mechanisms and characteristics of environmental pollution transfer in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and surrounding regions, and this paper refered to the further correct delineation of the responsibility for environmental pollution control in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and the surrounding provinces. This study measureed the full cost of environmental pollution control and economic benefits in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and surrounding provinces in terms of the economic costs required for governance, and constructed an inequity index (CG index) to characterise the inequity in the share of costs borne and benefits by the aforementioned provinces. The results of the study showed that there is significant environmental inequity and inequality of responsibility in the process of regional trade among the provinces in and around Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and the surrounding region. The developed provinces (Beijing and Tianjin) benefited more and bore less responsibility for pollution control due to their optimised industrial structure, producing more capital-intensive and high value-added industries, while provinces with heavy chemical, high pollution and labour-intensive industries, such as Hebei and Shanxi, developed their economies more in the primary and secondary sectors due to their irrational industrial structure, and therefore benefited less and bore more when trading goods with the developed provinces (Beijing and Tianjin) benefited less and took more responsibility for pollution control. Based on the above findings, policy recommendations are then put forward to provide suggestions and references for the collaborative management of environmental pollution in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei.