Abstract
In view of rapid development of high-speed rail, the relationship between high-speed rail and air pollution needs to be tested and determined. Most research studies focused on the impact of high-speed rail on environmental pollution and just viewed high-speed rail as a control variable, which lacked a direct study on this relationship. Also, these rarely involved regional research, which is short of pertinence and insufficient understanding of regional issues. Therefore, based on the difference-in-differences (DID) model which is a natural experiment evaluation method, this study examined the impact of high-speed rail opening on air pollution by using the panel data of Jiangsu province, China, from the year of 2000 to 2017. The empirical results showed that the opening of Jiangsu high-speed rail, which increases cities’ good day significantly by 21.5%, has inhibitory effect on air pollution. Among control variables, there is no inverted “U” relationship between the economic development level and air pollution. Personal income and urbanization significantly improve air pollution, whereas foreign direct investment exacerbates it. And the results are still valid after robustness tests, including trend test and counterfactual test. Moreover, this study explores the relationship between the degree of reducing pollution caused by high-speed rail and the location of cities, which found that the opening of high-speed rail can greatly improve air pollution of areas in central city circle. Finally, it is found that when high-speed rail and other possible pollution items coexist, the improved effect of high-speed rail on air pollution is still obvious. Therefore, in order to exert the mitigating effect of high-speed rail on air pollution, it is necessary to rationally plan high-speed railway lines and develop the high-speed railways in cities closer to Shanghai.
Highlights
Since the 20th century, with the advancement of science and technology, high-speed railways have been an inevitable trend of economic and social development, and all countries in the world are accelerating the construction of high-speed railways
There exists a close relationship between high-speed railways and environmental pollution, which mainly comprises air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, vibration and lowfrequency sound, and various kinds of pollution that occur during construction of the railway. e high-speed railway noise sources can be roughly divided into the following categories: the wheel-rail noise generated by the high-speed trains, the collector system noise generated by the train pantograph and the contact network wire friction, the aerodynamic noise of the high-speed running train, the secondary radiation noise generated by the vibration of the building foundation, and the mechanical noise from the power sources and on-board equipment [1]. e sewage
Erefore, this study draws on this approach and uses the DID method to evaluate the impact of the high-speed railways on air pollution in Jiangsu province. e DID method evaluates the policy effect by emulating the contrast method in the natural science experiment. erefore, this study selects six cities that opened high-speed rail between 2000 and 2017 as the treatment group and seven cities without high-speed rail as the control group
Summary
Since the 20th century, with the advancement of science and technology, high-speed railways have been an inevitable trend of economic and social development, and all countries in the world are accelerating the construction of high-speed railways. E opening of high-speed rail has changed the spatial and temporal distribution pattern between cities, which had a growth effect and structural effect on the economic development of these cities It reduces the industrial transfer costs, the commuting time, and income gap while promoting industrial agglomeration, urban development, economic equalization, and integrated development [4, 5]. It was found that the Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway has a significant effect on industrial transformation, the gathering of scientific and technological talents in the cities along the rail line, and the division of industrial labor, but it has not been a big driving force towards closing the regional economic gap [7]. Erefore, this study takes 13 cities in Jiangsu province as the research object, uses the DID model to carry out various forms of robustness tests, and comprehensively explores the impact of high-speed rail opening on the air pollution in Jiangsu province Multiple robustness tests can better explain the experimental results. erefore, this study takes 13 cities in Jiangsu province as the research object, uses the DID model to carry out various forms of robustness tests, and comprehensively explores the impact of high-speed rail opening on the air pollution in Jiangsu province
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