Abstract
Since the reform and opening-up, China’s CO2 emissions have increased dramatically, and it has become the world’s largest CO2 emission and primary energy consumption country. The manufacturing industry is one of the biggest contributors to CO2 emission, and determining the drivers of CO2 emissions are essential for effective environmental policy. China is also a vast transition economy with great regional differences. Therefore, based on the data of China’s provincial panel from 2000 to 2013 and the improved STIRPAT model, this paper studies the impact of economic growth, foreign direct investment (FDI) and energy intensity on China’s manufacturing carbon emissions through the fixed-effect panel quantile regression model. The results show that the effects of economic growth, FDI and energy intensity on carbon emissions of the manufacturing industry are different in different levels and regions, and they have apparent heterogeneity. In particular, economic growth plays a decisive role in the CO2 emissions of the manufacturing industry. Economic growth has a positive impact on the carbon emissions of the manufacturing industry; specifically, a higher impact on high carbon emission provinces. Besides, FDI has a significant positive effect on the upper emission provinces of the manufacturing industry, which proves that there is a pollution paradise hypothesis in China’s manufacturing industry, but no halo effect hypothesis. The reduction of energy intensity does not have a positive effect on the reduction of carbon emissions. The higher impact of the energy intensity of upper emission provinces on carbon emissions from their manufacturing industry, shows that there is an energy rebound effect in China’s manufacturing industry. Finally, our study confirms that China’s manufacturing industry has considerable space for emission reduction. The results also provide policy recommendations for policymakers.
Highlights
Global warming caused by carbon emissions has caused severe damage to the world’s ecological environment [1]
Ren et al [38] tested the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI), trade opening, export, import and per capita income on CO2 emissions through a GMM method based on industrial panel data, and the results proved the existence of the pollution paradise hypothesis
The results show that the impact of economic growth, foreign direct investment and energy intensity on the carbon emissions of the manufacturing industry is different under different levels of carbon emissions from the manufacturing industry and different regions, with obvious heterogeneity, and economic growth plays a decisive role in the carbon emissions of the manufacturing industry
Summary
Global warming caused by carbon emissions has caused severe damage to the world’s ecological environment [1]. China’s carbon emissions have exceeded that of the United States in 2007, and has become the world’s largest CO2 emission emitter [2]. Energies 2019, 12, 4800 consumed, resulting in a large number of carbon emissions [3]. China has made a lot of efforts to reduce carbon emissions. The Chinese government has committed that by 2030, China’s carbon emission intensity will be reduced by 60%–65% compared with 2005 [4], and the proportion of non-fossil fuels in primary energy consumption will be increased to 20% [5], striving to reach peak carbon emission by 2030 [6]. China’s carbon emission actions are increasingly concerned by the world [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
