Characterizing pollution-intensive industry transfers in China from 2007 to 2016 using land use data

Abstract

Industrial transfers are conducive to reducing regional development disparities, but they may cause pollution transfers through pollution-intensive industries (PIIs). This study tries to characterize transfers of PIIs in China from 2007 to 2016 with newly expanded industrial land use data. The industry transfer relative intensity index is calculated to measure interregional transfers of PIIs, and hot spot analysis is used to illustrate the spatial clustering pattern of PII transfers. The results are as follows. 1) PIIs are transferred from the east to the west and from the eastern coastal region to the northwest and the middle reaches of the Yellow River economic zone. Land use by PIIs in Western China as a proportion of the national total has gradually increased, from third to first rank. 2) Over time, the significant cold spots (i.e., clusters of transfer-out regions) have spread from the eastern coastal provinces to the central provinces, and the hot spots (i.e., clusters of transfer-in regions) have become more significant in the northwestern provinces. 3) PII transfers in urban agglomerations are strongly consistent. 4) Transfers of PIIs are influenced by regional resource endowments, environmental regulations, and other policies. These findings provide vital information to aid environmental protection and policymaking.