Environmental information disclosure and green energy efficiency: A spatial econometric analysis of 113 prefecture-level cities in China

Abstract

As one of the means of informal environmental regulation, environmental information disclosure has an essential impact on improving green energy efficiency. This paper selects the panel data of 113 environmental information disclosure cities in China from 2008 to 2018 and uses the Super-efficiency SBM model with undesirable outputs to measure green energy efficiency. Based on the measurement results, this paper empirically studies the impact of environmental information disclosure on green energy efficiency and its spatial spillover effect using the spatial Durbin model. The main conclusions are as follows: 1) From 2008 to 2018, the average green energy efficiency of 113 environmental information disclosure cities in China was 0.6676, and the regional distribution showed the characteristics of “high in the East and low in the west.” 2) Both environmental information disclosure and green energy efficiency have significant spatial correlation and show the characteristics of “high-high” and “low-low” agglomeration in spatial distribution. 3) Environmental information disclosure can significantly improve green energy efficiency in the region and surrounding areas. After the robustness test and endogenous test, the conclusion is still robust. 4) The impact of environmental information disclosure on green energy efficiency in the eastern region is significantly more significant than in the central and western regions. This paper provides a theoretical reference for the government to formulate corresponding environmental policies to promote green energy efficiency and promote green and sustainable economic development.