Resource Endowments Research Articles

Low-carbon Development Path of Ordos Based on LEAP Model

To determine the low-carbon development path of Ordos, three scenarios （baseline scenario, low carbon scenario, and enhanced low carbon scenario） were constructed based on the LEAP model to forecast the energy demand and carbon emission in Ordos from 2020 to 2050 and to analyze the contribution of various policy initiatives to reduce carbon emission. The results showed that under the enhanced low carbon scenario, the energy demand in Ordos peaked at 52 million tons of standard coal equivalent in 2025 and decreased to 40 million tons of standard coal equivalent in 2050, and carbon emissions peaked at 163 million tons in 2025 and decreased to 16 million tons in 2050, which was 88% lower than that in 2020. Regarding emission reduction contribution, comparing the baseline scenario and the enhanced low-carbon scenario, the increase in renewable energy power generation installation, the reduction in energy consumption of terminal energy use, and the increase in terminal electrification rate contributed to the emission reductions of 43%, 25%, and 24%, respectively. The Ordos should vigorously develop renewable energy and make full use of the rich endowment of wind and light resources； at the same time, it should promote economic transformation and gradually increase the proportion of high-value-added and low-energy-consuming industries in the industrial structure. For the power sector, the power generation structure should be adjusted. Traditional thermal power generation should be replaced by zero-carbon and low-carbon power generation technologies. For the industrial and transportation sectors, the terminal electrification rate should be increased, and the energy intensity should be reduced.

Heterogeneous evolution and driving forces of multiple hazardous air pollutants and GHGs emissions from China's primary aluminum industry

The booming of China's primary aluminum industry (PAI) brought substantial emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) and greenhouse gases (GHGs). By using life cycle assessment and bottom-up method, a comprehensive emission inventory for multiple typical HAPs and GHGs from China's PAI during 1990–2021 was developed and explored for the first time. Our results show that spatial-temporal emissions trends of HAPs and GHGs from PAI in China diverse significantly. The conventional atmospheric pollutants (including SO2, NOx and particulate matter (PM)), fluoride and per fluorinated compound (PFCs) had been effectively suppressed since 2007 due to the implementation of various environmental policies; while, emissions of CO, VOCs, CH4, heavy metals and CO2 had increased at different rates unexpectedly. From the spatial distribution perspective, Henan, Shanxi, Guizhou, Guangxi and Shandong dominated the emissions of PAI in China, but with consumption expansion and environmental constrains, PAI plants start to expand to northwest and southwest areas where are richer in sufficient and cheaper power resources, thus bring significant emission increasing there, particular for conventional atmospheric pollutants in northwest and CO and VOCs in southwest China. By underlying driving forces of PAI emissions, results show that end-of-pipe control measures at various stages have played different roles to reduce emissions of the concerned species at each period, but its reduction effect diminished gradually. Future reduction should seek underlying changes in production technology and energy system. Under constrains of environmental regulation and resource endowment, promoting circular economic development for PAI would be a key strategy to reduce HAPs and GHGs emissions simultaneously in PAI.

Can institutional opening-up promote green development in cities? Evidence from China's Pilot Free Trade Zones

As a testing ground for China's institutional opening-up, Pilot Free Trade Zones (PFTZs) are of great significance in shaping a new global economic governance framework, addressing pollution and carbon reduction challenges, and fostering green economic development and transition. This study empirically assesses the influence of PFTZs establishment on urban green development (GD) using panel data from 284 Chinese cities between 2007 and 2020, using the asymptotic Difference in Differences (DID) method. The results indicate that the creation of PFTZs greatly encourages cities to develop green sustainably. In comparison to cities without PFTZs, the presence of PFTZs results in a notable average increase of 9.5% in urban green total factor productivity (GTFP). The impact of PFTZs on urban GD varies significantly across different geographical areas and city resource endowment conditions. Institutional innovation has a positive moderating effect on the PFTZs' promotion of urban GD. The influence mechanisms that PFTZs support urban GD mainly include the effects of green innovation, economic agglomeration, and environmental regulation. This paper provides crucial policy insights for advancing PFTZ construction, promoting urban green growth, and ultimately achieving the coexistence of human beings and nature in harmony.

China's economic growth and low-carbon development under the background of resource curse: A new perspective based on digital finance

Does digital finance (DIF) in the digital age mitigate the economic challenges stemming from the resource curse and facilitate low-carbon development? This paper extends the theoretical framework of endogenous economic growth to investigate the interactive relationship among economic growth, low-carbon development, and the resource curse. Furthermore, it explores the pivotal role of DIF within this context. Subsequently, this paper employs Chinese provincial data from 2011 to 2020 to empirically examine the theoretical assumptions through econometric methods. The findings are as follows. First, DIF has the potential to stimulate economic growth, whereas resource endowment can impede it. Second, DIF significantly reduces carbon emission intensity (CEI); however, a high degree of resource endowment does not foster low-carbon development. Third, in the mechanism by which resource endowment influences economic growth, DIF exhibits a single threshold effect. When the DIF level surpasses 361.46, the negative relationship between resource endowment and economic growth shifts to a significant positive correlation. Regarding the mechanisms by which resource endowment impacts CEI, DIF shows a double-threshold effect. When DIF surpasses the second threshold, the significant positive impact of resource endowment on CEI becomes significantly negative. Fourth, DIF and resource endowment indirectly influence CEI through economic development. Fifth, the impact of DIF on CEI and the influence of resource endowment on economic growth are marked by resource endowment heterogeneity. DIF exhibits a double-threshold effect on the influence of resource endowment on economic growth in non-resource endowment regions. In resource-rich areas, as the DIF level rises, the significant positive effect of resource endowment on CEI intensifies. Conversely, in non-resource endowment regions, as the DIF level increases, the significant positive effect of resource endowment on CEI transforms into a significant negative effect.

Do national innovation policies lead to technological specialization or diversification? The role of path dependence and spatial spillovers

Although most national innovation policy aim to promote urban innovation, their impact on technological specialization and diversification has not been thoroughly explored. This paper examines the impact of the National Innovation City Pilot Policy (NICPP) on technological specialization and diversification in Chinese cities, utilizing data from 282 cities between 2006 and 2019, and employing the difference-in-differences (DID) method. The results indicate that NICPP increases technological specialization while decreasing diversification in cities. The pathways to these outcomes include innovation path dependence, agglomeration effects, and a reduction in breakthrough innovations. Additionally, the policy's spatial spillovers contributed to technological specialization in peripheral areas. The study highlights the heterogeneity of policy effects, suggesting that cities with higher levels of initial specialization are more significantly impacted by these policies, while differences in resource endowment, geographical location, and city size lead to varying patterns of specialization. Moreover, the study verifies the synergistic effect of NICPP with other policies, where initiatives promoting high technology and environmental regulation work in conjunction with NICPP to enhance specialization in corresponding industries. This study offers a comprehensive analysis of the multifaceted impacts of NICPP, delivering theoretical insights and empirical evidence for strategic policy deployment, enhancing regional cooperation, and fostering synergies among policies.

Steering toward sustainability: Can dual circulation development mitigate CO2 emissions? —Evidence from China

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve high-quality economic development, China has proposed another development pattern called dual circulation development (CIR), along with the goals of “carbon neutrality and carbon peaking”. Based on the data of prefecture-level cities and above from 2006 to 2021, the fixed-effects model, 2SLS model, mediation model, threshold model, and spatial Durbin model are used to discuss the role of CIR in affecting CO2 emissions. Results demonstrate that (1) the overall CO2 emissions exhibit a decreasing trend from 2006 to 2021, and the CIR presents an upward trend. CIR and CO2 emissions show apparent geographical differences. (2) CIR effectively reduces CO2 emissions, and this effect exhibits clear heterogeneity of different regions, resource endowment, and pilot free trade zone. CIR mitigates CO2 emissions by enhancing technological innovation and promoting human capital mobility. Market scale and industrial structure optimization act as a “magnifying glass”, amplifying the impact of CIR on reducing CO2 emissions. (3) The negative spatial spillover effect of CIR on CO2 emissions shows a “V” shape characterized by strengthening and then weakening in the range of 0–700 km. At this point, the 700 km mark represents the decay boundary. Findings suggest that the government should enhance the domestic market environment and improve the quality of foreign trade to fulfill the role of CIR in mitigating CO2 emissions. These empirical evidence and feasible measures are provided for some countries to reduce CO2 emissions while promoting economic development.

How digital finance and green finance can synergize to improve urban energy use efficiency? New evidence from China

Accelerating the greening and digital transformation of the energy industry to enhance energy efficiency is pivotal for constructing a new energy system. The high-quality development of the energy sector necessitates the support of emerging financial forces. This study utilizes panel data from 279 prefecture-level cities spanning from 2011 to 2021, employing mediation and moderation models to verify the synergistic impact of digital finance and green finance on energy efficiency. Findings indicate that the synergy between digital finance and green finance enhances energy efficiency. Mechanism analysis reveals that this synergy promotes energy efficiency through advancements in green and digital technology innovations. Climate policy uncertainty positively moderates the process by which digital finance and green finance synergistically improve energy efficiency, enhancing the intermediary effects of digital and green technologies. Environmental regulations similarly exert positive moderation on the joint impact of digital finance and green finance on energy efficiency, yet their effects vary heterogeneously, with market-based environmental regulatory tools demonstrating superior policy outcomes. Moreover, the impact of the synergy between digital finance and green finance on energy efficiency exhibits heterogeneity across geographic regions, development timelines, resource endowments, and policy trial effects.

Constructing a standard system of city sustainable development assessment technology based on the SDGs

Given the rapid development of China’s new urbanization, cities with different locations and varying functional positioning, resource endowments, and development stages have insufficient scientific and applicable technical tools for implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). City managers and policymakers must urgently establish SDG benchmarks to diagnose city development. Moreover, successful experiences from similar cities regarding sustainable development and self-improvement must be learned from to promote diversified, sustainable development across the country. Furthermore, emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, big data and 5G are widely used in smart cities. Therefore, there is a growing need for “knowledge-based, personalized and intelligent” technologies to support monitoring, evaluation, and decision-making processes facilitating sustainable development in cities. This paper uses standardization as the theoretical support and technical basis. This approach can help clarify the sustainable development processes in China and clarify the evaluation results of and provide data on horizontal city comparisons, which can be used to develop evaluation technology for sustainable development in cities and construct a standardized system. The results provide a standard framework for intelligent assessment and decision-making regarding cities’ sustainable development capabilities in China. Evaluating major international standardization institutions reveals that the practices of Chinese national standards should be fully absorbed and integrated to guide the evaluation of smart, resilient, and low-carbon cities. To this end, an indicator library of city sustainable development is proposed to provide standard evaluation technology methods. Finally, analyzing the response relationship of the indicator library to SDGs reveals the need for a standardized knowledge map of sustainable development assessment techniques and methods from the perspective of integrated management for sustainable development in cities.

Which coal-fired power units in China should be prioritized for decommissioning?

China's total installed coal power capacity is larger than that of all other countries combined. However, for China to attain its objectives of carbon peak in 2030 and carbon neutrality in 2060, a considerable number of these units will have to be phased out. Therefore, it is crucial to identify which coal-fired power units should be prioritized for decommissioning. This study constructs a stacking evaluation model comprising multiple sub-models, based on the power resource endowment, power generation efficiency, and social responsibility. This model is employed to assess each existing coal-fired power unit in China, with the objective of determining which units should be prioritized for retirement. Additionally, the impact on power supply and heating systems in various Chinese provinces is assessed based on these decommissioning scenarios. The results show that: ① Compared to a single model, the stacking evaluation model developed in this study exhibits higher accuracy and robustness. ② China should prioritize the phasing out of small, inefficient coal-fired power units that do not supply heat and are located in regions with a higher proportion of thermal power generation. Approximately 23.1 % (679 units) of coal-fired power units will need to be retired by 2030. ③ The retirement of outdated coal-fired power units will lead to a more efficient, modern, and healthier Chinese power system. ④ The closure of 679 outdated coal-fired units will not result in a shortage of electricity but will substantially affect urban heating. Northern provinces reliant on district heating anticipate a loss of 516.42 million GJ/year in heating capacity.

The dark side of climate policy uncertainty: Hindering energy transition by shaping environmental taxes effectiveness

Climate policy uncertainty (CPU) may have an adverse impact on the environment by interfering with the effectiveness of environmental policies, but there is currently little evidence to support this indirect effect. By incorporating CPU into the transition function, this paper utilizes the panel smooth transition regression (PSTR) to dynamically analyze how CPU affects the relationship between environmental taxes (ETR) and energy transition. When CPU exceeds the threshold, the promoting effect of ETR on energy transition weakens or reverses. The robustness of the main conclusions is demonstrated by establishing a PSTR estimator with the instrumental variable. This paper also constructs a counterfactual scenario, showing that CPU reduces the positive impact of ETR on renewable energy consumption and generation by 7.6% and 3.5%, respectively. Further analysis indicates that this negative effect arises because CPU likely increases investment risk, particularly for long-term green projects, thereby inhibiting the clean energy market and energy-related green technological innovation. Heterogeneity analysis find that the weakening effect of CPU on the effectiveness of ETR is stronger in countries with low energy resource endowment, high energy intensity, and lower economic development levels, underscoring the need for tailored policy approaches. This research emphasizes that for countries with ambitious energy transition goals, climate policy stability is crucial for ensuring the healthy development of environmental taxes policy and renewable energy markets.

Low-emission hydrogen production from gasification of Australian coals – Process simulation and technoeconomic assessment

Although renewable energy-based technologies such as water electrolysis and biomass gasification for hydrogen production are cleaner than fossil energy-based routes, there are still prevailing challenges associated with the high cost and operational challenges in the scale-up of those technologies in the short term. Considering the abundance of coal as a current primary source of energy in Australia, the use of coal to produce hydrogen is not only in line with Australia's resource endowment but is also expected to become a supplement to the other hydrogen production pathways during the global energy transition period. This paper presents a comprehensive techno-economic assessment of low-emission hydrogen production from Australian coal gasification integrated with carbon capture and storage (CCS). The study explores four cases of hydrogen production, comparing Australian brown coal (Victorian brown coal) and black coal (Queensland black coal) gasification. Variations in gasifiers, gasification agents, and associated operating conditions contribute to differences in energy efficiency, costs, and CO2 emissions among the cases. The findings reveal a levelized cost of hydrogen from coal gasification ranging between A$4.12–4.90 per kg of hydrogen. Notably, entrained flow gasification of Victorian brown coal in a mixture of oxygen and steam environment demonstrates advantages under the current market conditions. However, less mature technologies like dual fluidized bed gasifiers could emerge as viable alternatives if deployed on a commercial scale. The study also addresses direct carbon emissions from the process, indicating a CO2 emission intensity range of 16.3–20.9 kg CO2/kg H2 without CCS and 0.1–1.1 kg CO2/kg H2 with CCS for the four cases. These insights contribute valuable information for decision-making in the pursuit of sustainable and economically feasible hydrogen production methods during the ongoing energy transition.

Climate change and tourism demand: Risks for extreme heat?

Extremely high temperatures have become a major hurdle to tourists' experiences in various destinations. In this study, we present the first nationwide estimation of the temperature-tourism response function using a fine-grained panel dataset constructed by matching tourism data and daily meteorological datasets for 280 cities from 2005 to 2019 in China. Results show a non-linear relationship between temperature and tourism employing the temperature bins method, which is not sensitive to response equations. In addition, we conduct a rich heterogeneity analysis in the article to further analyse the effects of other external conditions on the temperature-tourism relationship, including the destination's level of tourism economic development, population, infrastructure development, and tourism resource endowment. We also observed that increasing summer temperatures result in decreased tourism arrivals and revenue, while rising autumn temperatures lead to increased tourism arrivals and revenue. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the complex relationship between temperature dynamics and tourism patterns, offering insights into destination management and adaptation strategies.

The impact of changes in Russian log export tariffs on China's log imports

Russia is a major log supplier to China, and in order to control log exports, Russia has adjusted its log export tariffs. This paper analyzes the impact of changes in Russian log export tariffs on China's log imports using a gravity model based on China-Russia log trade data from 2003 to 2022. The conclusions show that the difference in forest resource endowment between the two countries promotes China's log imports, while the distance between China and Russia and Russia's log export tariffs harm China's log imports, and the effect of export tariffs is significant. The further research shows that the suppression effect of the changes in Russian log tariffs on China's log imports is very significant in the short term, but relatively weak in the long term. Based on the above conclusions, this paper recommends some policies from both short-term and long-term perspectives.

Spatiotemporal patterns and driving factors of urban-rural water use from the production and domestic perspectives: A case study of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, China

Water scarcity is becoming serious with economic growth, causing water competition across various sectors. Previous studies have mostly explored water use in specific sectors, yet little is known about the water reallocation between urban and rural areas. Here, we investigate urban-rural water use from the production (agriculture and industry) and domestic (urban and rural household) perspectives during 2000–2022 in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, and identify their potential drivers. We find that urban water use changes little due to the offset of industrial and urban domestic use, while rural water use decreases significantly with the trend of 0.387 ± 0.026 billion m3/yr. Water use changes derive from the joint effects of accelerated human activities and decelerated water use intensity. Urbanization explains more variability in water use changes than water resource endowment. Population urbanization, accompanied with rural-to-urban water reallocation, is a primary cause for enlarged urban-rural gap in water use. Urban-rural gap in water use intensity is narrowing, mainly due to the greater decline in agriculture. This study concludes that urban system often withdraws the neighbor agricultural water when the local water availability cannot meet its growing demand, and our findings offer references for regional water resource management and urban-rural environmental justice.

Harnessing corporate digitalization for green tech advancements: The mediating influence of mineral resource endowments

This study investigates the potential of corporate digitalization to drive advancements in green technology, emphasizing the mediating role of mineral resource endowments. The research addresses the urgent need for sustainable development amid growing environmental challenges and highlights the critical role of corporate digitalization in fostering green technology innovations. The objectives are to analyze the impact of digitalization on green technology advancements among 2341 Chinese A-listed firms from 2010 to 2022 and to explore how mineral resource endowments influence this relationship. Our findings reveal that firms with higher levels of digitalization significantly improve their adoption and innovation of green technology. Additionally, mineral resource endowments amplify the positive effects of digitalization on green tech advancements, serving as a vital mediating factor. The results indicate that firms in regions with abundant mineral resources are better positioned to utilize digital technologies for green innovations. Furthermore, our analysis shows that digitalization promotes greater collaboration and knowledge sharing, accelerating green technology development. The policy implications suggest that encouraging corporate digitalization and optimizing the use of mineral resources can significantly advance sustainable development goals. This underscores the need for integrated policies that support both digital and green transformations.

Regional Differences, Dynamic Evolution, and Convergence of Global Agricultural Energy Efficiency

Understanding the regional disparities, dynamic evolution, and convergence–divergence characteristics of global agricultural energy efficiency is crucial for enhancing agricultural energy efficiency, ensuring food security, and responding to global green development trends. This paper utilizes 2002–2021 panel data from 144 countries globally, employing the epsilon-based measure–global Malmquist–Luenberger (EBM-GML) model to estimate agricultural energy efficiency, considering unexpected output. The Dagum Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, spatial Markov matrix, and spatial convergence model are employed to explain the spatial patterns and evolving trends of global and regional agricultural energy efficiency at three levels: regional disparities, dynamic evolution, and convergence. The results indicate significant spatial heterogeneity in global agricultural energy efficiency, with Europe exhibiting the highest efficiency, followed by Asia and the Americas, while Oceania and Africa demonstrate the lowest efficiency. Agricultural energy efficiency globally and in each region continues to improve, with increasing regional disparities, and difficulties in grade transitions in agricultural energy efficiency across regions. Each region exhibits β-convergence characteristics, but the convergence rates vary, and various factors influence growth rates of agricultural energy efficiency differently across regions. Therefore, countries should tailor their strategies based on local conditions, considering their own resource endowments and developmental stages, and strengthen international exchanges and cooperation.

Can science and technology resources co-evolve with high-tech industries? Empirical evidence from China

Based on the theories of synergetic and evolutionary economics, we build a theoretical model of the co-evolutionary mechanisms of the composite systems of science and technology resources and high-tech industries in China. According to the established index system of the composite systems, we calculated the steady-state solution of the co-evolve and drew the potential function curve of science and technology resources and high-tech industries in China during 2010–2022 using the Haken model. Our empirical results show that high-tech industries are the order parameter of co-evolve. During the sample period, there is a synergistic growth effect of two-way promotion between science and technology resources and high-tech industries in China. However, within the system, the positive feedback mechanism of science and technology resources to high-tech industries in China is not perfect, and the allocation of science and technology resources needs to be further optimized, with a low degree of system order and large room for improvement. In addition, the endowment of science and technology resources and the development degree of high-tech industries in China are different in the eight comprehensive economic zones, and their co-evolvement is different. Therefore, by combining the advantages and allocating the elements of regional science and technology resources, we can better leverage the comparative advantages of high-tech industries in China and improve the degree of co-evolve in the system.

How Can Ecological Product Value Realization Sustainably Enhance the Well-Being of Farmers? A Case Study of Xingyuan Village in China

Although recent years have witnessed a considerable increase in studies on the economic value of ecological products, the extant literature has overlooked the multidimensional enhancement of ecological product value from the perspective of farmers’ well-being. This research aims to examine how the Realization of Ecological Product Value (EPVR) serves as a crucial pathway to promoting the overall well-being of farmers in developing countries. Through a case study of a village in southeastern China, this research reveals that EPVR can enhance farmers’ well-being via various mechanisms as follows: (1) Economic solution to enrich farmers’ livelihood diversity, achieved by leveraging rural resource endowments and comparative advantages; (2) Fair social protection program enabling farmers to enjoy ecological benefits and further achieving urban-rural integration; (3) Environmental protection plan that balances production, living, and ecology; and (4) Grassroots governance tool promoting the governance ability to form collaborative governance model in a community of shared interests. This study offers theoretical support for enhancing human well-being through the realization of ecological product value in rural areas.

The carbon emission reduction effect of China’s national high-tech industrial development zones

The double carbon goal is a wide and profound economic and social systematic change. It is also crucial to China's sustainable development. How to promote emission reduction, the National High-Tech Industrial Development Zones(NHTDZs) policy is the key to addressing this problem. Based on urban data from 2003 to 2019 from China, this paper uses the multi-time point asymptotic difference method to explore the impact of the NHTDZs establishment on carbon emissions. The establishment of NHTDZs reduces CO2 emissions, which remains valid through robustness tests. The mechanism analysis demonstrated that the construction of NHTDZs reduces CO2 emissions by increasing innovation levels, increasing research expenditures and emphasizing human capital. Further analysis shown that geographic location, initial resource endowment, population size, and level of green finance development are difference in different cities. This provides guidance promoting the development of NHTDZs and future layout.

Participation in land rental and labor markets and agricultural economic performance of banana farmers in China

The emerging marketization of agricultural factors allows farmers to expand agricultural production by renting in farmland from land rental market or purchasing services through labor market. Farmers’ transactions in the two markets can stimulate the agricultural transformation in developing countries, but may increase their financial burden in agriculture. Based on the primary data collected from banana farmers in China, this study attempts to clarify farmers categories based on their different choices regarding participation in land rental and labor markets for agricultural production, analyze the determinants of farmers’ simultaneous participation in the two markets, and explore heterogenous effects of farmers’ market participation on agricultural economic performances using the multinomial endogenous switching treatment regression model. The results show that farmer’s tie to retailers is highlighted as an important driving force behind farmers’ simultaneous participation in the two markets, while their participation choices are also varying due to different household head characteristics and family resource endowments. Farmers who participated in the two markets significantly reduce the cost of material input in agricultural production, but the total production cost of participants is higher than that of non-participants due to the high rent of land resource and cost of hired labor for production services. Interestingly, farmers’ participation in land rental market increases the yield of their farms, while participation in labor market has a negative impact on the yield. Farmers’ participation in both land rental and labor markets can significantly increase farm net income by nearly 67 %. In contrast, participation in labor market decreased farm net income by 22 %, whilst participation in land rental market increased farm net income by 186 %, though without statistical significance. The findings underscore the important role of land rental markets in boosting farm economic performance. Policymakers can facilitate land transfer among smallholder farmers in the land rental market and promote agricultural technologies to substitute labor force so as to reduce the adverse effect of labor market, thereby improving agricultural economic performances in developing regions.