How do the construction of urban high-speed railways influence green total factor energy efficiency?

Abstract

As a typical measure for reducing carbon footprint, the opening of high-speed railways (HSRs) is a powerful lever for attaining the strategic purpose of carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Derived from the data of 265 prefecture-level cities in China from 2001 to 2018, this study adopts the Dynamic Network Slacks-Based Measure (DNSBM) model and introduces link variables and carry-over variables to conduct a dynamic assessment of green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE). The study finds that the opening of HSRs significantly improved the GTFEE and this conclusion is robust under multiple conditions such as PSM-DID, counterfactual test and exclusion of other policy interference. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that the construction of HSRs has a more significant positive influence on GTFEE in smart city pilot cities, non-old industrial base cities middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). Mechanism testing indicates that economy concentration effect, structural optimization effect, and innovation driven effects are the transmission channels of HSRs in promoting low-carbon transition.