Sustainable Development In China Research Articles

Breaking “resource curse” through green technological innovations: Evidence from 286 cities in China

As the largest developing country, efficiently transforming natural advantage into economic advantage is vital for China's sustainable development. By applying Chinese 286 cities data, this paper aims to explore the effect and its mechanisms of green technological innovation (GTN) on resource curse. GTN is constructed by global Malmquist index. A two-sector model with resource and non-resource sector is first constructed for theoretical analysis, and the spatial econometric models are established for empirical analysis. The results show that resource curse exists across Chinese cities, but GTN can effectively break it. Environmental regulation has a U-shaped relationship with GTN, and most cities have passed the turning point. However, environmental regulation negatively moderates the effect of GTN on resource curse. Finally, corresponding policy implications are provided at the end of the study.

The localization of SDGs in China: System construction, status assessment and development reflection

To evaluate China's sustainable development level, it is necessary to integrate the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) into the indicators reflecting the development issues with Chinese characteristics after localization. Based on China's national conditions, the SDGS are specified in the Chinese context, and integrated into the indicators reflecting the development problems with Chinese characteristics to evaluate the degree of sustainable development in China. Results show that: first, the overall trend of China's sustainable development level is positive, but mainly increased by the system development degree and system coordination degree. The system sustainability degree decline sent a danger signal to the future of China's sustainable development. Second, the development pace of China's sustainable development in different regions is quite different, and overall, there is a step-type differentiation between the east regions, central regions, and west regions. Beijing and Shenzhen are with the highest degree of China's sustainable development. Third, the line of the characteristic national conditions index is “U” shaped. As for a series of accompanying problems in the construction of socialism with characteristics, China's attention to them and its ability to solve them have changed qualitatively around 2007. Based on this, the paper puts forward different suggestions for the sustainable development of different regions.

A Study on the Development of China’s Financial Leasing Industry Based on Principal Component Analysis and ARIMA Model

The sustainable development of China’s financial leasing industry is a growing concern among scholars. This paper analyzes the development data of China’s financial leasing industry from 2008–2021, using the dimensions of scale, speed, efficiency, structure, and quality. By employing principal component analysis, we construct the development index of China’s financial leasing industry and analyze the reasons for changes in the development level of the industry from the internal structure of the index. The study finds that scale serves as a key factor in the development of China’s financial leasing industry. While the contribution value of the structure factor shows fluctuations, the contribution values of the return and risk factors remain relatively stable. Using the ARIMA (Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average) prediction model based on the principal component analysis, we establish the prediction model of the financial leasing industry change in the coming years. The study reveals that the financial leasing industry has entered a period of transformation, where the growth rate of its scale has dropped. Furthermore, this paper offers proposals to address the increasingly prominent asset-liability maturity mismatch problem, promote business structure optimization, enhance the contribution value of the structure factor and the income factor, and facilitate sustainable, higher-quality industry development.

Cross-Regional Allocation of Human Capital and Sustainable Development of China’s Regional Economy—Based on the Perspective of Population Mobility

Using the panel data of cities at the prefecture level and above in China, based on the endogenous growth theory, this study aims to explore the influence of the cross-regional allocation of human capital on regional economic sustainable development. Least squares estimation and stepwise regression methods were adopted for an empirical test, and the results showed that (1) the cross-regional allocation of human capital can significantly promote regional economic sustainable development; (2) labor productivity, industrial structure, and regional innovation capacity play mediating roles in the relationship between the cross-regional allocation of human capital and regional economic sustainable development; (3) household registration policy plays a negative moderating role in the influence of cross-regional allocation of human capital on regional economic sustainable development; (4) after considering the potential endogenous problems and conducting additional robustness analysis, including changing the independent variable and changing the dependent variable, our main results remain robust and reliable. With the development of the economy, the cross-regional allocation of human capital plays an important role in regional economic sustainable development. Thus, in order to improve regional economic sustainable development, it is imperative for governments to promote a reform of the household registration system, to guide the rational mobility of population, and to optimize the regional allocation of human capital.

Construction of the Pilot Free Trade Zone and Chinese Green Total Factor Energy Efficiency

In the context of China’s “double carbon” target, paying attention to regional green total factor energy efficiency (GTFEE) is crucial for ensuring a fundamental guarantee for China’s free trade zones for the promotion of sustainable development in China’s free trade zones. However, the existing literature lacks focus on the environmental effects of these zones. This study takes advantage of the pilot free trade zone (PFTZ) implemented in 2013 as a natural experiment, utilizing panel data from 2009 to 2020 for Chinese prefecture-level cities. It adopted a progressive difference-in-difference model to assess the effect of the PFTZ on GTFEE. The findings demonstrate a remarkable improvement in GTFEE due to the PFTZ, which remains robust even after conducting robustness checks, including the parallel trend test. The PFTZ achieves this improvement by facilitating industrial structure upgrading and promoting green technology innovation. The positive influence of the PFTZ on GTFEE is particularly prominent in coastal cities and non-resource-based cities. This study contributes to the understanding of the environmental effects of free trade zones, providing a direct response to the key question of whether the free trade zone policy can effectively support high-quality economic development in the new era. Moreover, it offers useful policy implications for advancing further openness, winning the battle against pollution, and boosting high-quality economic development.

Influence of Green Investment on China’s Sustainable Development

Promoting green investment and green industry development is necessary to transform from the traditional crude economic model to a high-quality and high-efficiency economic model. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2007 to 2021, this paper uses the entropy method to measure the level of sustainable development, examines the direct and spillover effects of green investment on the level of sustainable development in China through the spatial Durbin model, explores the heterogeneous characteristics of the spatial effects, and reveals the specific path of green investment to promote sustainable development in China. The level of sustainable development in China has an apparent spatial correlation: green investment can simultaneously improve the level of sustainable development in the region and nearby regions, has a prominent intermediary role in promoting the level of sustainable development in the region, has apparent heterogeneity in promoting the level of sustainable development in China, and, in the east and regions with high urbanization rates, green investment has apparent spillover effects on the level of sustainable development. There is a significant heterogeneity of green investment in promoting sustainable development in China, with green investment in eastern and highly urbanized regions having a significant spillover effect on sustainable development, i.e., green investment in eastern and highly urbanized regions can significantly promote the development of sustainable levels in neighboring regions. Recommendations: Eastern regions and regions with high urbanization rates should actively make use of their resources, location, and technological advantages to enhance the spatial spillover effect of sustainable development to lead the development of the region, gradually form a regional collaborative development trend, and drive overall sustainable development.

Does Population Aging Affect Carbon Emission Intensity by Regulating Labor Allocation?

Carbon emission is the focus of global climate change concerns. Population aging changes the level of labor structure, which directly affects the industry adjustment and will also have a long-term impact on carbon emissions. Uncovering the complex association among population aging, labor allocation, and CO2 emission is crucial for developing effective policies for low-carbon and sustainable development in China. Therefore, this study aims to analyze whether population aging contributes to reducing carbon emission intensity by regulating labor allocation. Based on provincial panel data from 2000 to 2019, the Systematic Generalized Method of Moments (Systematic GMM) model and the Bias Corrected Least Squares Estimation with Nonsymmetric Dependence Structure (Bias Corrected LSDV) model are adopted in this study. The results show that nationwide as a whole, population aging objectively inhibits human capital accumulation and, to some extent, weakens its positive carbon emission reduction effect. Meanwhile, population aging helps to mitigate the increase in carbon emissions caused by the capital-labor endowment structure. Due to the dual impact of aging and population migration, the emission reduction effect of human capital accumulation is significant in the East. The brain drain in the central and western regions further inhibits the positive effect of regional human capital accumulation. Promoting the rationalization of population mobility nationwide, reducing the brain drain in less developed regions, and directing capital into technology-intensive industrial sectors are the core keys to achieving optimal labor allocation in an aging society. This will help China meet its carbon neutrality target on schedule.

Effectiveness and challenge of environmental impact assessment in industrial park, a case study in Northeast rust belt China

The conventional rough-and-tumble pattern of industrial development in the northeast has severely affected China's sustainable development in recent years. As a result, the industrial park emerged and prospered with the advantages of clear industrial positioning, optimized functional layout and complete support facilities. Nonetheless, for the environmental management of industrial parks, environmental impact assessment (EIA) should be better applied as an upstream environmental protection means. Thus, in three aspects, this study summarizes the research on EIA in the world and analyzes the effectiveness and development of EIA in Northeast China. First, this study analyzed the status and trends of international research in EIA, based on the Web of Science database and the CiteSpace scientometric software. The number of papers continues to rise. Some countries collaborate closely and bring forth new ideas. Research focuses on environmental management, EIA methodology, and energy issues. Research hotspots are public participation and life cycle methods. Second, to specifically investigate the effectiveness of the EIA of the Northeast Industrial Park in recent years has been profitable for the improvement of the Northeast EIA system and for promoting the environmental management approach of the EIA at the micro level. It has been demonstrated that the effect of 70% EIA implementation is relatively significant with high effectiveness. Third, using a SWOT analysis approach, it aims to identify internal strengths and weaknesses, external opportunities and challenges in the development of the Northeast Industrial Park EIA, and propose a future development strategy for the Northeast Industrial Park EIA at the macro level.

Does green finance investment impact on sustainable development: Role of technological innovation and renewable energy

Sustainable development can be achieved through Green finance, which incorporates environmental governance principles into the financial sector. The panel data model is employed to examine how green financing affects sustainable development in China from 1990 to 2020. Green finance has a considerable negative influence on pollution in China and positive impact on sustainable development. Technology innovation, renewable energy increase level of sustainable development. Moreover, for every 1% growth in renewable energy investment results in 1.243% rise in private sector investment. Investment, commerce, and human capital all have a significant effect on the sustainable development. In addition, green financing can help improve the environment by encouraging technical advancement. Non-state-owned businesses have this mediating effect, but state-owned companies do not. This is because of the heterogeneity of business ownership. Environmental pollution can be reduced by using green financial instruments to encourage the development of environmentally friendly technologies.

Exploration of low-cost green transition opportunities for China's power system under dual carbon goals

To address the global challenge of climate change and achieve sustainable development, decarbonizing the electric power system in China is considered the most imperative since the power sector is highly related to the decarbonization of other sectors. Significantly, China faces the dual challenges of rapidly growing electricity demand coupling with its commitment to of emission mitigation. This study examines the low-carbon transition and sustainable development of China's power system through 2035 using a multi-stage mixed-integer linear programming generation planning model by matching future demand growth trajectories with the least-cost power supply path. The electric power installed capacity, power generation, carbon emission, power-generating cost, and abatement potentials are analyzed through various scenarios. It is found that China's electricity demand will reach 9800–13300 Terawatt-hours in 2035 due to rapid electrification. Every 1 TWh increase in electricity demand requires 0.41–0.53 GW of newly installed capacity. Reducing the proportion of coal-fired power generation and replacing it with renewable energy is inevitable. However, for every 1 GW of coal power retired, 3.7 GW of renewable energy needs to be built. Incorporating electricity demand-side management is crucial to developing an effective decarbonization pathway for China's power sector, along with inclusive policies and technologies to meet China's requirements for dependable, affordable, and sustainable electricity. The results of this paper can provide a reference for policy makers in China as well as other emerging economies.

Smart chemical industry parks in China: Current status, challenges, and pathways for future sustainable development

The chemical industry has been pivotal to the rapid economic expansion and high standards of living in China. As an important carrier of the chemical industry, China has designated as many as 723 chemical industrial parks (CIPs). Unfortunately, safety concerns have become an obstacle to the sustainability of China's CIPs. Ever since the two devastating hazardous chemical accidents, namely “Tianjin Port 8·12 Explosion” and “Jiangsu 3·21 Explosion,” which occurred in 2015 and 2019 respectively, China has prioritized the safety of CIPs. The smart chemical industrial parks (SCIPs) are considered the optimal strategies toward the goal of sustainable development in China's CIPs. However, there has been a lack of research and subsequent discussion on the role of SCIPs in the forthcoming years. The period between 2020 and 2025 is considered a crucial period for the future development of CIPs and SCIPs in China mainly because the country has released a series of important government documents and national standards (such as “Fourteenth Five-Year (2020–2025) Plan for Hazardous Chemical Safety” and “Guidelines of SCIPs construction”) to promote hazardous chemical safety. With the aim of analyzing the future sustainable development for the construction of SCIPs in China, this paper proposes a systematic methodology in order to conduct an integrated and in-depth review on the standardization construction status (framework with Chinese characteristics, key events, spatial features, and national pilots), future tasks, problems, and sustainable development pathways of China's SCIPs. The method is implemented in accordance with the current scenarios of hazardous chemical safety in China and the latest government documents, regulations, and standards. Furthermore, this study provides basic data and a basis for future studies associated with the safety and sustainability of the SCIPs construction and chemical industry, both within China and in other countries.

Evaluating Chinese consumers' purchase intentions for daily chemical products without plastic microbeads using an extended theory of planned behavior model

Latterly, the pollution problem of microplastics, known as “PM2.5” in the ocean, has become a novel global problem. Plastic microbeads in daily chemical products have received attention from various countries and scholars because of their tiny size, large quantity, and continuous destructive cycle. China has also actively adopted policies to ban plastic microbeads. It is important whether the Chinese population will support the new products. This study initially describes the current situations and characteristics of China's daily chemical industry. It then focuses on summarizing the development of China’s marine regulatory policy. We conclude that regulatory policies in China’s daily chemical industry have evolved in a bid to echo marine policies. This study investigates the factors influencing Chinese residents’ purchase intentions towards daily chemical products without plastic microbeads through the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). We extend the TPB model by adding environmental concern and moral norm. The results indicate that attitude, subjective norm, environmental concern, and moral norm positively influence purchase intention; however, there is no correlation between perceived behavioural control and purchase intention. This study seeks to suggest recommendations, including improving the ethical educational system, promoting environmental knowledge, etc. This will assist Chinese companies to promote environmentally friendly daily chemical products without plastic microbeads and achieve the environmental products transformation of China’s daily chemical industry quickly. It will also provide a reference for further improvement of relevant regulatory policies, striving for the harmonious and sustainable development of China’s daily chemical industry and the marine environment at large.

Passive house: a practice of low carbon and sustainable development in china

The construction field plays an essential role in addressing global environmental issues regarding contaminants, natural resources, and energy efficiency. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the building industry produce a huge amount of global carbon emission with a percentage of 38 and this figure is growing each year. Previous studies have analyzed many factors that have a significant influence on the sustainable performance of building. Passive house is a promising type of construction project with superior energy efficiency and less emissions. The main objective of this study is to analyze the environmental sustainability of passive house compared with conventional buildings and present the development of passive house in China. This paper analyzes the characteristics of passive house in different regions according to the climate zoning of China. Results show that the passive house, as a sustainable building, has a promising trend. The outcome also indicates that China needs more mature technology and professional personnel to further promote the development of passive house.

Challenges and Paths for Sustainable Development in China

With China announcing its dual carbon goals in 2020 and its promotion of sustainability policies in the 14th Five-Year Plan, sustainable development has become an increasingly important issue. In the context of sustainable development, China’s society has some defects in science and technology, policy governance, environmental governance and economic development, and the technology is not perfect. There are scientific and technological challenges such as renewable energy development and utilization; governance challenges such as international cooperation over climate issues and domestic regulations. In terms of the environment, China’s air, water resources, soil and physical pollution are still not optimistic. The economic problems in the context of sustainable development have different defects. Corresponding improvement measures to address such challenges have been suggested. For science and technology, developing and utilizing new energy through increasing the number of research and development (R&D) personnel and patents is important. Furthermore, completing the innovation of clean technology through updating technology and policy support is also a big issue. For political governance challenges, some analysts pointed that a shared knowledge platform helps with international cooperation, and non-state actors such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and businesses could contribute to domestic regulations. For environmental governance, air pollution is controlled through the development of carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) technology, the control of soil pollution is achieved through ex-situ remediation and in-situ repair technology, the control of water pollution is achieved by developing microorganisms and other methods. For economic development, innovation, policy support, and financial framework are vital.

Coupling and Coordination Relationship between Urbanization Quality and Ecosystem Services in the Upper Yellow River: A Case Study of the Lanzhou–Xining Urban Agglomeration, China

The study of the man–land relationship in the urbanization process is the current frontier and focus of international research. How to balance urban development and ecosystem conservation in the Upper Yellow River is a key issue for sustainable development in China. In this study, we evaluated the Lanzhou–Xining urban agglomeration (LXUA) by constructing a multi-dimensional assessment system for urbanization quality and ecosystem services. The efficacy function model, entropy weight method, and Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Tradeoffs (InVEST) model were used to quantitatively assess the subsystems’ state of development. Then, the coupling model (CD) and the coordination degree (CCD) model were used to explore the coupling coordination relationship and spatial-temporal change characteristics of the composite system. The findings indicate that: (1) In 2020, the quality of urbanization in the LXUA showed the pattern of “double core”. The development of urban centers in each city is insufficient, and the proportion of counties with a low level is too high. (2) Integrated ecosystem services showed an increasing distribution pattern from the northeast to the southwest. Water provision services, soil conservation services and carbon fixation services all showed growth trends. (3) Each county’s composite system was in the run-in stage or highly coupled stage. The subsystems were closely related to each other. (4) The CCD was decreased by 6% between two decades. The number of counties on the verge of disorder was the highest. About 80% of the counties were relatively lagging behind in ecosystem services.

A Modified Methodology for Regional Material Flow Analysis and its Application to Four Municipalities in China

The rapid economic development is inevitably accompanied with resource depletion and environment degradation. To understand the status of material metabolism and identify effective solutions for environmental protection in China, this study develops a novel and standardized methodology for accounting regional material flows. Compared with previous studies, the proposed methodology takes renewable energy into consideration and provides a more accurate estimation method for non-metallic minerals used for construction. Then, the proposed approach is used to assess the material metabolism of four municipalities in China during 1997-2017. The results show that the domestic extraction and domestic processed output experience an increasing trend and then appear to decrease at the end of study period. Furthermore, Chongqing consumes the largest amount of material with lowest resource utilization efficiency, while Shanghai is predicted to enjoy a generally decline in domestic material consumption per capita. Finally, some policy implications are achieved for sustainable development in China.

Retrospect and prospect: Public participation in environmental impact assessment in China

With an attempt to improve transparency and public participation, EIA in China has undergone years of institutional construction and practical application. It provides an essential and significant approach for the public to be involved in the process of concretely shaping the meaning of sustainable development in China and making specific development decisions. This article therefore provides an overview of the legal regime of public participation in environmental impact assessment (EIA) in China, evaluates relevant practical experiences, identifies the pros and cons, and sheds light on the prospects for future reforms. Legal doctrinal methodologies are mainly applied in this research. It is observed that the recent EIA legislative reforms in China reflect a tendency towards enhanced public participation for projects that could have a significant environmental impact and a reduction of the unnecessary burden on developers to seek public opinion for projects that only could have a mild or little environmental impact. Regarding the development of statutory laws, the screening of projects is crucial to attaining a balance between scientific and social rationality and integrating environmental protection with economic and social development needs. It is generally commendable for projects that are less controversial to pass the EIA procedure more efficiently, while further participation opportunities are also provided to the public in cases of controversial projects. By highlighting the right to participate of the public that may be affected, the chances of NGOs to participate could be reduced. A detailed discussion is then made from a judicial perspective to provide a practical understanding on how the statutory laws are applied in concrete actual cases in China. The following key questions are answered: the extent of procedural flaws in public participation that could lead to a withdrawal of the EIA decision; the application of administrative licence rules on public participation in EIA; the prospect of public interest litigation on public participation in EIA. Notably, the public interest and minor breaches of the law have been used as reasons to refrain from withdrawing an EIA decision with procedural flaws. Nonetheless, the exceptions should be applied with caution. The strictest and most powerful provision regarding public participation at the approval stage of EIA is the administrative licence rules on the right to a hearing. However, the application of public hearings on projects with a mild environmental impact is excessive. Compared to public interest litigation, traditional judicial review based on individual procedural rights is more reliable and prudent in promoting progressive changes. The finds of this article could greatly contribute to academic discussion on public participation in EIA in China and provide valuable Chinese experiences and lessons for comparative studies.

Regional Integrity and Corporate Green-Technology Innovation: Evidence from Deadbeat Borrowers in China

ABSTRACT Corporate green-technology innovation (GTI), an inevitable choice for sustainable development in China and the world, has attracted widespread attention in academic circles. However, prior studies have ignored the critical impact of informal institutions on GTI. The present study introduces the concept of regional integrity, as an important informal institution. It analyzes whether, how, and the extent to which levels of regional integrity can influence GTI in firms. Based on data derived from people known to have defaulted on orders issued by the Supreme People’s Court and green patent-licensing data from listed companies between 2013 and 2020, we show that a decline in regional integrity levels can significantly inhibit GTI. We use instrumental-variable method to overcome a potential endogeneity problem; after a series of robustness tests, the conclusions remain valid. Further analysis shows that lower levels of regional integrity can hinder corporate GTI by reducing the willingness of firms to disclose environmental information and diminishing the impact of environmental regulations. We also find that, for firms whose directors and general managers do not hold concurrent posts, state-owned firms, and utility patents, lower levels of regional integrity have a more significant inhibitory effect on GTI.

Transition towards sustainable energy: The role of economic complexity, financial liberalization and natural resources management in China

China's sustainable development heavily depends on the nation's capacity to shift from fossil fuel to renewable energy, which can aid in meeting the country's target of attaining carbon neutrality by 2060. Currently, China is a global leader in renewable energy capacity; there is a need to understand the role of some major determinants of renewable energy usage. In this research, we consider it essential to investigate how financial globalization, economic complexity, and natural resources impact China's renewable energy usage, while considering crucial factors such as economic growth and environmental degradation. Annual dataset spanning from 1980 to 2019 and the dynamic autoregressive distributed lag approach for empirical investigation. The empirical outcome suggests that renewable energy is positively influenced by economic complexity, natural resources and economic growth. Furthermore, these results highlight the neutral impact of financial globalization and economic growth on renewable energy in the long run. However, financial globalization negatively impacts renewable energy in the short run. The frequency domain approach was used for the causal interaction test, which established the evidence of causality interaction between renewable energy and its determinants at various time horizons. As a result, policymakers should prioritize product specialization and diversification while pursuing more sophisticated exports.

Exploring the sustainable development path of green financial system in the context of carbon neutrality and carbon peaking based on quality function deployment and G1-entropy methods: Evidence from China

In the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly, the Chinese government first proposed the goal of carbon neutrality and carbon peaking. Since then, China’s economy and society have undergone a comprehensive green and sustainable development upgrade and transformation. The development of green finance can provide financial support for achieving dual carbon goals and mitigate the impact of climate change. More importantly, it can contribute to the national economy’s and society’s sustainable development. We innovatively draw on the quality function deployment theory in marketing to logically formulate the research idea of this paper. On this basis, we also apply the G1-entropy method from fuzzy mathematical theory for quantitative research. We innovatively address the actual national conditions in China and fully integrate green elements in constructing the index system from green finance and sustainability perspectives. Finally, we calculate index weights through G1-entropy quantification to assess the development quality of China’s green financial system and qualitatively propose countermeasures for the quality of China’s green financial development with respect to key index factors. Specifically, we sort out this paper in the following three aspects: (1) we innovatively combined the quality function deployment theory and built the quantitative analysis process architecture in this paper, which enhanced the readability of this paper (2) we realized the use of quantitative research for qualitative analysis and proposed the G1-entropy value method, which made up for the defects of the subjective and objective methods in the traditional assessment methods (3) we realized the organic combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis and proposed relevant countermeasure suggestions based on the quantitative index calculation results, which provided relevant countermeasure suggestions for promoting the sustainable and high-quality development of green finance in China. Our study will provide a set of perfect assessment methods for the quality improvement path and sustainable development strategy formulation after the construction of China’s future green financial system. It can also provide a reference assessment idea for the high-quality and sustainable development of China’s green finance, which will further help China’s economic transition to green and low-carbon and the achievement of the double carbon goal.