Carbon Emission Performance Research Articles

Green Technology Innovation and Carbon Emission Performance of the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River Urban Agglomeration: Mechanism and Spatio-Temporal Evolution

Amid the increasingly severe global climate change situation, green technology innovation has become an important means to promote carbon reduction and achieve the transition to a low-carbon economy. This study aims to systematically analyze the relationship between green technology innovation and carbon emission performance in the urban agglomeration of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, exploring the degree of coupling and coordination between different cities. Utilizing data from 2011 to 2021, we employ methods such as the Coupling Coordination Degree Model and fixed effects model to achieve our objectives. Our findings reveal that both green technology innovation and carbon emission performance in this region are on an upward trend; however, the growth rate of green technology innovation showed a slowdown in 2021. Notably, there are disparities in the coupling coordination degree among cities, with economically developed areas exhibiting a faster growth rate. Moreover, green technology innovation significantly enhances carbon emission performance, and heterogeneity tests indicate that this impact is even more pronounced in cities with weaker environmental regulations. Despite regional differences, the overall trend remains positive.

Cultural Industry Agglomeration and Carbon Emission Performance: Empirical Analysis Based on 276 Cities in China

This study investigated the influence of cultural industry agglomeration on the energy carbon emission performance (CEP). Based on panel data from 276 cities in China, we used the Super-SBM model to measure the CEP. We then used the Tobit regression model to calculate the influence coefficient of cultural industry agglomeration and eight control variables on the CEP and analyzed the complex effects of cultural industry agglomeration on the CEP. The results showed that there is the phenomenon of “diseconomies of agglomeration” in cultural industry agglomeration, which cannot improve the CEP. For each unit of cultural industry agglomeration increase, the CEP decreases by 0.055; however, this phenomenon is not linear. Further research showed that the effects of cultural industry agglomeration showed a trend from good to inferior in the order of east, central, and west and did not improve with time. Finally, we used the panel quantile regression model and found that as the CEP levels rise, the negative impact of cultural industry agglomeration improves. Our research results show that strengthening the technical level to promote the upgrading of the cultural industry is the best way to achieve sustainable development. Governments at all levels should pay attention to the emission reduction potential of cultural industry agglomeration under high CEP levels and strengthen the benign agglomeration of the cultural industry.

Urban density and spatial carbon emission performance of megacities in China

Increasing urban density promotes a greater social role for cities. The current low-carbon city development goals put forward higher requirements for carbon performance. Based on the viewpoint of minimizing natural resource input and maximizing value acquisition in ecological benefits, the influence of urban density on spatial carbon performance is analyzed by polynomial function relationship, and Beijing and Shanghai with different urban function positioning are taken as examples for comparative analysis. Combined with Point-of-Interest (POI), the classification benchmark of industrial activities was established, and the spatial kernel density of ArcGIS software was used to analyze the industrial agglomeration characteristics of the two cities. The results show that: 1) The “increase-decrease-increase-decrease” trend of urban spatial carbon performance over time fluctuates around the unary linear trend of urban density.2) Population and building density are too low or too high, which is not conducive to emission reduction. The change of economic density is influenced by the industrial structure. The change of urban density is negatively correlated with the growth rate of spatial carbon performance. In a certain development stage, the increase of urban density will inhibit the growth of spatial carbon performance to some extent. 3) Maintaining the original economic and industrial structure, the increase in economic density brought by the simple expansion of scale is not conducive to emission reduction. The increase of economic density brought by the transformation of economic or industrial structure and the reduction of the proportion of secondary industry is conducive to urban emission reduction.

The impact of a low-carbon transport system policy on total factor carbon emission performance: Evidence from 283 cities in China

Reducing carbon emissions from the transport sector is crucial to achieve “carbon neutrality” and is an important component of a low-carbon policy system. In response to the uncertainty of evaluating current low-carbon transport policies, we provide an in-depth analysis and examination of low-carbon transport system (LCTS) policies implemented in China. Using data from 283 Chinese cities between 2006 and 2020, we provide evidence on the policy effects, potential mechanisms, and heterogeneity of LCTS policies on carbon emission performance. Results showed that LCTS policies significantly improved carbon emission performance in pilot regions. The main ways to achieve this policy's objective were to reduce energy consumption in pilot cities, to promote the development of green technologies, and to implement low-carbon transformation of public transport. Moreover, there was heterogeneity in the policy's effects, with the implementation of a LCTS being more effective in eastern and central regions of China and in larger and more compact cities. By analysing the policy's mechanisms and heterogeneity of effects, this article provides a reference for the formulation and selection of low-carbon transport policies.

Greenhouse gas assurance and carbon emission performance in light of the auditor’s reputation and the country’s development level

PurposeThe objective of this study is to determine the impact of GHG assurance on firms’ carbon emissions performance (CEP) regarding curbing carbon emissions and the effect on such by the GHG assurance provider’s affiliation and reputation. It also explores whether the affiliation and reputation of GHG assurance providers imply the relationship between GHG assurance and the firm’s CEP. Further, this study examines the moderating effect of the country’s development level on the relationship.Design/methodology/approachBased on a sample of international firms from 56 countries spanning the period from 2012 to 2020, this study utilizes the ordinary least squares (OLS) regression. We also run the OLS regression at times t+1 and t+2 to verify the baseline results. To address the endogeneity concerns arising from self-selection bias and the causality effect, this study applies the generalized method of moment (GMM) and the Heckman test.FindingsThis study finds that GHG assurance leads to better CEP by firms. We also find that engaging with accounting assurance providers leads firms to a better CEP than non-accounting assurance providers. Our results show that Big Four auditors can help firms decrease carbon emissions. We also find that the positive effect of GHG assurance is prevalent in firms operating in developed countries.Research limitations/implicationsOur study only considers the influence of the assuror’s reputation and affiliation on CEP without examining other factors that may influence the quality of assurance services provided.Practical implicationsOur study provides a practical implication related to the influence of a GHG assurance provider’s affiliation and reputation globally by providing evidence that accounting and Big Four assurance providers do play a significant role in a firm’s carbon emission performance. This study offers great insights into the GHG assurance impact on CEP with the interplay between the assuror’s affiliation and reputation and the country’s development.Originality/valueThis paper enriches the limit evidence on GHG assurance and CEP by providing novel evidence on the relationship between GHG assurance and a firm’s CEP. Moreover, this study provides insights into the implication of a country’s development level on the role of GHG assurance in CEP.

A Study on the Impact of China’s Prefabricated Building Policy on the Carbon Reduction Benefits of China’s Construction Industry Based on a Difference-in-Differences Method

The construction industry is a significant contributor to carbon emissions in China. To effectively meet the “dual carbon” targets, several provincial regions within the country started to implement policies promoting prefabricated buildings. This study examines data from 18 provinces in China over the period from 2012 to 2021, treating the introduction of prefabricated building policies as a quasi-natural experiment. Utilizing the difference-in-differences methodology, this research assesses the impact of these policies on the carbon emission performance of China’s construction sector and evaluates the robustness of the findings. The results indicate that the prefabricated building policies positively influenced the carbon emission efficiency of the construction industry. Specifically, these policies enhance carbon emission efficiency by increasing labor productivity, optimizing the allocation of mechanical resources, and improving the utilization rate of building materials. Additionally, the effectiveness of these policies is positively correlated with the level of regional technological innovation, environmental protection efforts, and the advancement of energy structure optimization. The study concludes with several policy recommendations aimed at further enhancing the effectiveness of prefabricated building policies.

환경경영이 경영자보상에 미치는 영향 : 기관투자자 및 개인투자자를 중심으로

[Purpose]This study aims to analyze the impact of ESG management, particularly carbon emission reduction performance, on CEO compensation and to empirically examine the differential impact by investor type. [Methodology]The study analyzed manufacturing firms listed on the Korea Exchange from 2013 to 2022, using financial and environmental data. Multivariate regression analysis was applied to understand the relationship between carbon emission performance and executive compensation, and to assess the differential impact between institutional and individual investors. [Findings]The study found that higher carbon emission performance is associated with higher CEO compensation, with a stronger positive relationship in firms with a higher proportion of institutional investors. [Implications]Incorporating carbon emission reduction performance into CEO compensation can incentivize sustainable management, with institutional investors playing a crucial role in enhancing firms’ ESG performance and improving corporate sustainability.

Environmental Regulation, Factor Marketisation Allocation and Carbon Emissions Performance: Empirical Evidence from Resource-Based Cities in China

Resource-based cities had an irreplaceable role in the process of the economic miracle in China. Advancing such cities’ carbon emissions reduction is a crucial aspect of the country’s steady realisation of the dual carbon peak and neutrality strategy. The reasonable implementation of environmental regulation and the efficiency of factor marketisation allocation are the key links for resource-based cities to improve carbon emissions performance, break the resource curse and reduce carbon emissions. Based on this, this study centres on the driving relationship between environmental regulation, the efficiency of factor marketisation allocation and carbon emissions performance as the core research problem. This study takes the panel data of 116 resource-based cities in China from 2006 to 2020 as the research sample; the non-radial meta-frontier total factor carbon emissions performance index is selected as the measurement index of carbon emission performance of resource-based cities based on the applicability analysis of the model. This study explores the characteristics of regional heterogeneity and type heterogeneity of carbon emissions performance driven by environmental regulation under the moderating effect of the efficiency of factor marketisation allocation and further explores the threshold effect, aiming to clarify the driving relationship between the three. The findings reveal that the driving effect of environmental regulation intensity on carbon emissions performance exhibits a fluctuating upward trend, the effect transformed by compliance cost and innovation compensation. The efficiency of factor marketisation allocation has a double threshold superposition effect on carbon emissions performance fluctuation that is driven by environmental regulation, indicating that market and government effectiveness can operate together to improve the carbon emissions performance. Based on these results, this study proposes countermeasures and suggestions for improving carbon emissions performance using environmental regulation and the efficiency of factor marketisation allocation.

Oil price uncertainty and corporate carbon performance: An international investigation

Drawing on legitimacy theory and stakeholder theory, this study examines whether oil price uncertainty (OPU) affects corporate carbon performance (CCP) in the international context. Based on data extracted from CDP (previously known as the Carbon Disclosure Project), World Bank, and Thomson Reuters Eikon databases, the study's sample consists of 9074 firm-year observations over the period 2011–2018 for all non-financial multinational companies invited to take part in the CDP questionnaire. Using an ordinary least squares regression model, we identify a strong relationship between OPU and carbon emissions performance. Our findings are robust to a battery of sensitivity tests, all of which support our original results. This study contributes new knowledge regarding the influence of OPU on CCP. The results will be of interest to investors and policymakers as they provide a useful basis for understanding OPU and its impact on CCP to promote better decision-making.

Spatial network analysis and driving forces of urban carbon emission performance: Insights from Guangdong Province

As the primary contributor to carbon emissions, how cities enhance their carbon emission performance and mitigate emissions is crucial for achieving low-carbon urban environments in China. However, existing research often overlooks the spatial interconnectedness of carbon emission performance, neglecting reciprocal influences among cities. This study examines the network structure of carbon emission performance among Guangdong's cities from 1997 to 2019, using a super-efficient SBM model and social network analysis, and measures spatial impacts of network factors with the spatial Durbin model. Findings reveal that: (1) The overall network of carbon emission performance is relatively loose with minimal changes in connectivity and efficiency but shows significant local clustering. (2) Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai have high centrality, dominating carbon emission performance resources and acting as key transmission nodes, while most other regions have low centrality, indicating network polarization and potential vulnerabilities. (3) Enhancing a region's centrality, economic development, industrial structure, openness, and attraction of talent and technology can boost local carbon emission performance, but may also lead to the displacement of emissions to neighboring areas and outflow of low-carbon and innovative elements, negatively affecting surrounding regions through spatial spillover effects. This research advances regional carbon emission reduction strategies by highlighting the interplay between spatial networks and carbon emission performance, fostering synergies in reduction efforts.

Corporate culture and carbon emission performance

Using a large sample of U.S. firms from 2002 to 2020, we investigate the relationship between corporate culture and the extent of carbon emissions. We provide evidence that the quantum of carbon emissions is negatively associated with corporate cultural attributes manifested by integrity, teamwork, innovation, and respect. These results hold after controlling for potential endogeneity issues using several identification techniques. We also document that the negative culture–emissions relationship is magnified in firms with weak corporate governance and in those operating in environmentally sensitive industries. Additionally, this relationship is less salient in the presence of social capital. Finally, we demonstrate that in firms with a stronger culture, elevated carbon emissions result in a lower firm value. Our findings may be of interest to environmental regulators and management in their pursuit of firm-level carbon emission targets.

Government Environmental Expenditure, Budget Management, and Regional Carbon Emissions: Provincial Panel Data from China

To explore the impact of government fiscal intervention on regional carbon emissions, this paper employs a two-way fixed-effects model to analyze data from 30 provinces in China, spanning the period from 2008 to 2017. This study investigates the effects of local government environmental expenditure and government budget on the per capita volume, intensity, and performance of regional carbon emissions. The results show that government environmental expenditure is beneficial to reducing regional carbon emissions and improving regional carbon emission performance. Second, the smaller the deviation between the government budget and final accounts, the more conducive it is to reducing carbon emissions. Third, we found that government environmental expenditure has the strongest inhibitory effect on regional carbon emissions in the eastern region, followed by the central region, and the weakest in the western region. Finally, government financial transparency positively moderates the inhibitory effect of government budget management on regional carbon emissions, that is, when fiscal transparency is high, the amplification effect of budget deviation on regional carbon emissions is weakened.

Structure adjustment strategies and carbon emission performance of automobile supply chain facing the dual credit policy

Structure adjustment strategies and carbon emission performance of automobile supply chain facing the dual credit policy

Green fiscal policy and carbon emission: Enterprises’ level evidence from China

The Chinese government has systematically developed and implemented a wide-ranging set of policies for sustainable development. The Fiscal Policy for Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction (FPECER) is a pivotal component within this integrated policy framework. Nevertheless, there is currently an absence of literature assessing its' impact on the carbon emission performances of manufacturing enterprises and discussing the potential impact channels. To this end, by applying the difference-in-difference method to a unique micro-level panel dataset, this study empirically investigates the impact of FPECER on manufacturing enterprises' carbon emissions and proposes some explanations for the impact channels between the two. This research substantiates that the FPESER has played a pivotal role in diminishing both the levels and intensity of carbon emissions for manufacturing enterprises located in pilot cities. Moreover, this has been achieved through an augmentation of financial subsidies granted to enterprises, a vigorous promotion of research and development activities, and a significant reduction in both the level and intensity of energy consumption. Furthermore, this research also discerns that the negative impact of FPECER on carbon emission performance is more pronounced for manufacturing enterprises in regions experiencing heightened local fiscal pressure and higher economic policy uncertainty, those classified within high-emission and capital-intensive industries, as well as non-export-oriented and state-owned manufacturing entities. Finally, FPECER does not significantly impact the output and value-added of enterprises, yet it does reduce the emission levels of a range of pollutants.

Can urbanization improve carbon performance?

Cities are the core carriers and key positions to achieve the dual carbon goals. It is of great significance to explore whether promoting urbanization can improve carbon emission performance, which is of great significance to comprehensively promote the goal of carbon neutrality. Based on the panel data from 2006 to 2021, this paper analyzes the spatial autocorrelation of carbon emission performance per unit space and the impact mechanism of urbanization process on it. The fixed-effect model was further used to identify the influencing factors of spatial carbon emission performance. The results show that: 1) China’s carbon emission performance per unit space is declining year by year. 2) There is a strong positive spatial correlation and stable path dependence on the performance of carbon emissions per unit space in each region. 3) To a certain extent, increasing the level of urbanization will reduce the carbon emission performance per unit space. 4) The urbanization process has a spatial spillover effect on the carbon emission performance per unit space of surrounding provinces, and the spatial spillover effect of industrial structure and energy consumption structure is more obvious than that of economic level, population density and urbanization rate. Based on the conclusions, this paper puts forward specific policy suggestions to reduce the carbon emission performance per unit space to help the low-carbon development of cities.

Low-carbon development path based on carbon emission accounting and carbon emission performance evaluation: a case study of Chinese coal production enterprises.

Carbon emission accounting is the basic premise of effective carbon emission reduction and management. This study aimed to establish the carbon emission model and performance evaluation framework of coal mine production enterprises and clarify the low-carbon development path of enterprises. In this study, we took a typical coal production enterprise (K enterprise) in the Shanxi province of China as the research object. We also estimated the carbon emissions of the enterprise mainly according to the Chinese Carbon Emission Accounting Standard (GB/T 32151.11-2018). The triangular model was used to construct the carbon performance evaluation framework. On this basis, we suggested the enterprise's low-carbon development path. The results showed that (1) the carbon emission of K enterprise in 2021 was 36,875.38 tCO2eq; the carbon emission intensity of each ton of coal produced was 0.089 tCO2eq. The critical carbon emissions were electricity consumption and methane fugitive emissions during production. (2) The evaluation indicators for carbon emission performance revealed an imbalance in K enterprise's economic, energy, and environmental development in 2021. The work on energy saving and consumption reduction was relatively weak. (3) Countermeasures for low-carbon development, including a carbon emission ledger, were proposed based on carbon emission accounting and performance evaluation results. This study can help typical underground coal production enterprises in Shanxi province obtain more accurate carbon emission data, providing practical guidance and reference for the same underground coal production enterprises to improve the carbon emission control effect.

Promoting green development through collateral-based monetary policy

This paper explores the causal effects of collateral-based monetary policy on green development. The results reveal that the collateral-based monetary policy can significantly promote green development. Mechanism tests indicate that the policy boosts green development by alleviating firms’ financing constraints, increasing their risk-taking, and allocating more resources to R&D. Additionally, the positive effect is more pronounced for firms with good corporate governance and those located in regions with strict environmental regulations. Further analysis finds that the policy also stimulates firm carbon emission performance and overall productivity, supporting its positive effects on green development.

The Impact of Family Firms and Supervisory Boards on Corporate Environmental Quality

This paper examines the impact of family ownership and supervisory board characteristics on carbon emission disclosure. It uses balanced panel data and a matched-pair design of 124 non-financial firms listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange from 2017 to 2019. This study finds that family firms and larger boards improve, while female board members harm carbon emission performance. Further analyses reveal non-linear relationships between family ownership and carbon performance. When control rights are limited, family firms prioritize controlling managers and improving carbon quality. Conversely, they prioritize personal objectives over environmental concerns when there are high control rights, resulting in decreased carbon emission performance. Additionally, family board members generate more carbon information, indicating the family owners effectively utilize their position on the supervisory boards to influence the company’s carbon emission performance. Finally, the study reports that more faculty member boards seem to hurt carbon emission reduction efforts. This result suggests that the diversity of their professional experiences does not affect the environmental effectiveness of supervisory boards. Our findings highlight the importance of understanding SEW principles and their connection to families in comprehending Indonesian corporate carbon emissions disclosures. The findings of this study enrich the worldwide literature by exploring the potential benefits of family business environmental performance. This study also adds to the literature on corporate governance, especially the role played by supervisory boards. Our findings align with the resource dependence theory, emphasizing the central function of supervisory boards as a monitoring tool. This study is constrained by its reliance on carbon emission data extracted from the annual reports of public firms, with a particular emphasis on pre-COVID-19 data. Future research should focus on sustainability reports and explore the time frame encompassing COVID-19 (2020–2022 datasets) to determine any differences in the findings.

The impact of energy-saving R&D on urban carbon emission performance: evidence from 218 prefecture-level cities in China

Different from the previous studies that mainly focus on the environmental and economic benefits of the total R&D, we specifically focus on the R&D activities in the energy field, namely, energy-saving R&D in this study, and explored the spatial impacts of energy-saving R&D on urban carbon emission performance and its internal transmission mechanisms for the first time. The heterogeneity analysis from the perspectives of different-types of R&D and different urban groups were also conducted. Results indicate that: Energy-saving R&D has obvious promoting effect on the improvement of urban carbon emission performance, among which the utility-type energy-saving R&D plays a more important role than the invention-type R&D. Energy-saving R&D promotes urban carbon performance mainly through the transmission mechanism of technical effects, while structural effect and urbanization effect negatively affects carbon emission performance due to the existence of energy rebound. Furthermore, there exists significant spatial spillover effects of energy-saving R&D on urban carbon emission performance, and economic factors play a more important role in this spatial effect. In addition, the impact of energy-saving R&D on carbon emission performance has obvious urban group heterogeneity. Finally, we proposed several policy suggestions based on the main conclusions of this study.

Carbon performance analysis of upgraded wastewater treatment plants in key control areas of the Ziya River Basin in China

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and they are also one of the largest energy consumption industries in urban systems. With the progression of upgrading and standard-rising, WWTPs both directly and indirectly increase carbon emissions from the increased investments in facilities and usages in electricity as well as chemical agents. Here, we collected operational data from 15 WWTPs in the key control areas of the Ziya River Basin in North China and accounted for the changes in carbon performance at different technical upgrade methods. Results showed that the average carbon emission performance increased by 0.487 kg CO2/m3 after the upgrade. Carbon emissions from electricity consumption, chemical usage, biochemical process and sludge treatment accounted for 42%, 17%, 24%, and 17% of the total improvement in carbon emission performance, respectively. Reducing energy consumption, regulating chemical use and sludge comprehensive utilization are the key to carbon emission reduction. It further proposes that the development of wastewater treatment discharge standards should fully consider the comprehensive utilization of water quality classification. Regions with favorable natural conditions should make full use of their advantages by adopting economically feasible, low-energy-consuming technologies such as constructed wetlands, which offer carbon sequestration and landscaping benefits. This study provides guidance on the selection of technological pathways for pollution reduction and carbon mitigation in the wastewater treatment industry and on achieving sustainable water resource utilization.