Asian economies of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) face growing pressure to sustain industrial expansion while meeting environmental goals, yet limited cross-country evidence exists on how green finance, trade diversification, and institutional quality jointly shape sustainable industrialization. This study empirically examines how green finance, trade diversification, and institutional quality act as catalysts for sustainable industrialization in selected Asian BRI economies. Using panel data for 30 Asian BRI countries over the 2004–2022 period, the analysis evaluates how these factors jointly shape sustainable industrialization under the dual pressures of industrial expansion and environmental sustainability. To address endogeneity and unobserved heterogeneity, we employ fixed effects models, the Kiviet-corrected estimator, and the two-step System Generalized Method of Moments. Our findings show that green finance and import diversification significantly promote sustainable industrialization, measured by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization’s Sustainable Industrial Development Index. Green finance supports a greener industrial transition by channeling resources toward environmentally sustainable technologies and investments, whereas import diversification facilitates access to clean technologies and strengthens supply chain resilience. Institutional quality amplifies these benefits, with stronger governance frameworks accelerating the implementation of green industrial policies. By contrast, export diversification undermines sustainable industrialization when it remains concentrated in resource-intensive, low value-added items, highlighting the risks associated with the “resource curse”. The findings underscore the need for integrated policy measures that combine green financing incentives, strategic trade reorientation, and institutional reform. Control variables such as gross domestic product, trade openness, information and communication technology, and natural resource endowments also shape industrialization trajectories. Overall, this study contributes to the sustainable development literature by providing empirical evidence on how financial, trade, and governance systems foster green industrial transitions. The policy implications emphasize targeted green funding, technology-oriented import strategies, anti-corruption measures, and value-added export diversification to align BRI-related economic growth with environmental sustainability objectives.
Based on an index system established from the dimensions of ecology,life,and production,this study mea-sures the governance efficiency of rural human settlements in the Yangtze River Economic Belt(YREB)using the super-efficient slack-based measure model.The Gini coefficient,Markov chain,and Tobit regression model are employed to analyze the YREB's regional disparities,dynamic trends,and influencing factors,providing a theoretical basis for promoting rural revitalization and regional coordination development.The results show that:(1)The overall governance efficiency exhibits a fluctuating uptrend,with a spatial pattern of"down-stream>midstream>upstream".(2)Moreover,regional differences of efficiency show a fluctuating down-trend,with inter-regional disparities as the primary sources.(3)The Markov chain indicates strong conver-gence in low-efficiency regions and low stability in high-efficiency regions.(4)Finally,governance efficiency can be significantly influenced by financial support,informatization,economic development,and education level.These results demonstrated the need for differentiated policies to narrow regional gaps and enhance syn-ergistic,sustainable improvement in rural human settlements.
China is undergoing a critical economic transition amidst the double pressures of growing environmental demands and an increasing urban–rural income gap. The forest eco-products value realization (FEPVR) mechanism helps resource-rich but economically underdeveloped regions overcome development constraints and boost revenue. This study investigates the impact of FEPVR on the urban–rural income gap by quantifying FEPVR using an evaluation index system of conversion efficiency. Using panel data from China’s pilot regions for the eco-product value realization mechanism from 2005 to 2023, a fixed effects model and panel quantile regression are used to empirically assess the impact of FEPVR on the urban–rural income gap. The main findings are as follows: (1) FEPVR effectively narrows the urban–rural income gap. (2) The relationship follows an inverted U-shaped pattern, initially widening the gap before subsequently reducing it. (3) The significant income improvement among rural residents, particularly those in low-income groups, primarily drives this reduction. (4) Heterogeneity analysis reveals that regions with larger rural populations and higher-quality forest resources derive greater benefits from FEPVR in narrowing the income gap. This effect was significant between 2012 and 2023 but less notable between 2005 and 2011. This study provides direct implications for Chinese policymakers and offers valuable insights for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in eradicating poverty (SDG 1) and reducing inequality (SDG 10).
Within the prevailing consensus on sustainable development,energy efficiency exhibits pronounced spatial ex-ternalities.The intertwining of national policy resources has generated a rapidly expanding yet increasingly balanced global low-carbon collaborative governance network(GTFEN).This study examines the structural properties of the GTFEN to analyze empirical characteristics low-carbon collaborative governance using a three-tier indicator system.It employs a temporal exponential random graph model to map the spatial pattern and drivers of GTFEN.The findings reveal that economies with limited green technology innovation or low en-vironmental taxes continue to participate in low-carbon collaboration and assume distinct governance roles.The network is strongly homophilous in carbon productivity,with weak-tie bridges and preference for degree uniformity influence link formation.Heterogeneity tests reveal that higher environmental taxes most effec-tively spur cooperation among resource-rich countries,whereas gains in carbon productivity and environmen-tal tax revenue foster the integration of developed economies.The study conclusions present important impli-cations for worldwide green transformation:it is imperative to deepen transnational policy coordination and technology-sharing mechanisms to dismantle technological barriers and build an equitable global low-carbon governance network,while simultaneously strengthening the policy leadership of developed economies.
Conflicting interests among multiple stakeholders and regulatory imbalances are challenges faced by agricul-tural ecosystems in highland regions.Current governance models largely fail to reflect complex interactions among stakeholders,resulting in suboptimal outcomes.To address this problem,this study constructs a four-party asymmetric evolutionary game model that includes the government,regulatory agencies,agricultural en-terprises,and local residents to analyze stakeholder strategy choices under different benefit conditions.It inno-vatively incorporates public supervision incentives and dynamic reward-penalty mechanisms into the regula-tory system to demonstrate how the government can influence agricultural enterprises'strategic choices through mechanism design.The evolution of the system is analyzed using a dynamic equation,and numerical simulations are performed using data on the ecological baseline of the plateau region and socioeconomic pa-rameters.The findings indicate that effective long-term governance of plateau agricultural ecological security depends on the establishment of a reasonable cost-benefit distribution mechanism.Moreover,public participa-tion in supervision mechanisms can effectively guide agricultural enterprises toward eco-friendly behavior.Ad-ditionally,dynamic reward-punishment mechanisms are advantageous for achieving long-term ecological secu-rity goals.The scientific value of this study lies in proposing a collaborative regulatory mechanism for plateau agricultural ecological security from a game theory perspective,and its research paradigm provides a theoreti-cal reference for complex regulatory problems in other fields.Based on these findings,we recommend a collab-orative governance mechanism that combines dynamic rewards and punishments with public participation to improve governance efficiency and achieve the sustainable development of the plateau's economy and ecol-ogy.
China's rapid economic growth has long relied on a model of large-scale urban land acquisition and transfer,which is now increasingly constrained by central government policies.In response,local governments have implemented the"Area-Based Evaluation Mechanism"Reform to reallocate land resources to more efficient enterprises;however,the specific effects of this reform remain unclear.This study investigates the economic impact of China's"Area-Based Evaluation Mechanism"Reform using panel data on 2 530 county-level units from 2011 to 2020 and a multiperiod difference-in-differences model.The results show that the reform in-creased county-level economic growth by approximately 1.4 percentage points in the baseline case.Two mechanisms are identified:(1)a positive incentive channel,which reduces resource misallocation between ef-ficient and inefficient enterprises by 0.254 units;and(2)a reverse pressure channel,which drives enterprises to increase R&D investment by 0.207,boosts innovation output by 0.119,and thereby enhances total factor productivity by 0.283.Heterogeneity analyses reveal that the reform's effects are more pronounced in eastern and Yangtze River Delta regions,counties with higher land output values,and those with a lower proportion of industrial activity.In contrast,the impact is limited in inland regions,areas with lower land output values,and regions with higher industrial proportions.These results remain robust after a series of tests and suggest that promoting economic growth through land reform requires advancing market-oriented approaches to fully utilize the market mechanism.The study offers practical implications for designing more effective and incentive-compatible governance frameworks.
In this study,we examine China's partially marketized wholesale power generation sector.A political economy approach is adopted to understand the"dual-track"system in which electricity production is coordi-nated through a combination of government planning and market transactions.By reviewing and synthesizing China's policies and institutions that govern the dispatch of power generation,we develop a competitive bar-gaining model,under which power plants compete for production quotas by bargaining with government supe-riors using both market and nonmarket leverage.First,we hypothesize that power plants that are larger,cleaner,more fuel-efficient,and more politically powerful can bargain for more production quotas.Second,we hypothesize that long-term power purchase contracts can increase eligible power plants'production and profitability.Then,we analyze data on the operational characteristics of China's coal-fired power plants,and the empirical results largely verify the two hypotheses.Overall,this study demonstrates that even though China's mixed wholesale generation market does not explicitly internalize fuel and environmental costs,it can promote energy conservation and pollution reduction when supported by the right policies.In addition,this"dual-track"approach is more politically viable than the fully marketized economic dispatch model because it more accurately aligns with China's long-standing institutions of economic transition and governance.
The integration of the ecological conservation redline and protected areas in China has positioned these zones as pivotal components of national ecological security.The Chinese government identifies ecological damage within these zones using remote sensing monitoring and subsequently implements measures to address and re-solve these problems.This constitutes a critical approach for ensuring the stability,diversity,and sustainabil-ity of ecosystems.Although the supervision of these areas involves common methodologies,challenges re-main,such as unclear regulatory boundaries,inadequate legal frameworks,and inefficient interdepartmental coordination.To address these issues,this study proposes a unified regulatory mechanism aimed at harmoniz-ing oversight,strengthening legal frameworks,standardizing processes,and fostering multidepartment collabo-ration to ensure scientific and efficient governance.This research advances the field by integrating protected areas and ecological conservation redlines into a cohesive regulatory framework,thereby enhancing supervi-sion efficiency through systematic and unified environmental governance.
Synergistic pollution reduction and carbon mitigation (SPRCM) are inherent requirements for high-quality development. This study explores the internal mechanisms through which digital-green integration (DGI) policies facilitate SPRCM from the perspective of deep integration between “digitalization” and “greenization”. It aims to provide policy recommendations for coordinating the implementation of the “Digital China” and “Beautiful China” strategies. Using panel data from 280 prefecture-level cities (2010–2022) and treating the overlap between the Big Data Comprehensive Pilot Zone policy and the Low-Carbon City Pilot policy as a quasi-natural experiment for DGI, this study applies a double machine learning model to investigate its impact mechanisms and multidimensional policy effects. The findings indicate that, first, DGI enhances pollution emission efficiency and carbon emission efficiency, generating significant synergistic effects. Second, mechanism analysis based on whole-process production control reveals that during the source prevention stage, DGI drives SPRCM by optimizing the energy structure. At the process control stage, it enhances synchronized SPRCM through improved production efficiency. At the end-of-pipe treatment stage, advancements in green end-of-pipe technologies emerge as the dominant force propelling synergistic effects. Third, heterogeneity analysis reveals that the pollution reduction and carbon mitigation effects of DGI are more pronounced in resource-based cities, innovative cities, and cities within the Yangtze River Economic Belt than in non-resource-based cities, non-innovative cities, and cities outside this strategic economic region. Consequently, a multi⁃pronged policy mix should be implemented to amplify the catalytic role of digital-green policy integration in driving pollution and carbon reduction. Whole-process production controls must be strengthened to streamline mitigation pathways, and region-specific strategies for DGI should be tailored based on local conditions with dynamic guidance.
The effect of climate policy on carbon emissions has been widely analyzed;however,the literature on climate policy uncertainty(CPU)is limited.We used panel data from 281 Chinese cities from 2006 to 2022 to con-struct a fixed effects model that examines the causal relationship between CPU and carbon emissions(CE).The results reveal that CPU significantly increases urban CE and the potential mechanisms lie in two aspects:increasing urban energy consumption on the demand side and inhibiting urban green innovation on the sup-ply side.The moderating effect indicates that the emissions trading scheme pilot policy mitigates the carbon-increasing effect.Additionally,the heterogeneity analysis reveals that CPU strongly affects CE in southeastern coastal cities,cities with lower administrative levels,large cities,and non-resource-based cities.Our findings provide novel insights for policymakers in designing flexible climate policies to address climate challenges and promote sustainable development.
This study draws on public data openness policies of local governments and micro-level data from A-share listed enterprises across 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2022.Thus,the study examines the mechanisms through which public data openness affects the innovation quality of"specialized,refined,distinctive,and in-novative"(SRDI)enterprises.Furthermore,it analyzes the mediating effects of artificial intelligence(AI)devel-opment and enterprise research and development(R&D)costs,as well as the moderating effects of govern-ment subsidies,information infrastructure,and industrial agglomeration.The results indicate that public data openness significantly enhances the innovation quality of SRDI enterprises.However,this impact varies across regions,industries,and types of enterprises:inland cities,areas with lower education levels,and regions with underdeveloped digital infrastructure exhibit stronger effects.Non-state-owned enterprises are more respon-sive to public data openness compared to state-owned ones,and non-manufacturing enterprises benefit more than manufacturing ones.Mediation analysis indicates that public data openness enhances innovation capabil-ity,primarily by increasing local AI development and reducing R&D costs.Moreover,government subsidies and information infrastructure strengthen this positive effect,while industrial agglomeration may suppress it.
In recent years,the manufacturing industry in the Yellow River Basin has gained increasing scholarly and policy attention,driven by the urgent need for green and low-carbon development.This study investigates the impact of spatial evolution—specifically spatial agglomeration—on carbon productivity.The empirical analy-sis employs a two-way fixed effects model combined with spatial econometric techniques,including the aver-age nearest neighbor index and the global Moran's I,to assess spatial dynamics.The results indicate that the manufacturing sector in the basin is predominantly technology-intensive.Carbon productivity exhibits an ini-tial decline followed by a recovery,maintaining a"U-shaped"relationship with manufacturing scale.Regard-ing agglomeration patterns,specialization agglomeration exerts a suppressive effect on carbon productivity,whereas diversification agglomeration contributes to its enhancement.These findings underscore the impor-tance of spatial planning and targeted policy measures in supporting sustainable low-carbon development in the Yellow River Basin.
The Grassland Ecological Compensation Policy (GECP) is a large-scale project that has been investing in China since 2011. Despite the significant investment and long duration of the GECP, its impact on carbon sequestration in grasslands remains unclear. Based on panel data from prefecture-level cities in the Yellow River Basin (YRB) from 2000 to 2020, this study explored the effects of the GECP on grassland carbon sequestration in the YRB and its heterogeneity using a time-varying difference-in-differences (TV-DID) model. Subsequently, we predicted changes in carbon sequestration in grasslands under the influence of the GECP from 2021 to 2040 using a simulation. The main conclusions are as follows: First, the implementation of the GECP promoted carbon sequestration in grasslands. This conclusion was validated after conducting a series of robustness tests. Moreover, the effects of the GECP were heterogeneous across different geographical locations, highway densities, and grassland areas. Finally, the simulation results indicated that over the next 20 years, grassland carbon sequestration will generally increase but exhibit cyclical changes. The government should align the principles and objectives of the GECP with local geographic conditions, resource availability, and socio-economic development. It must formulate and implement tailored policies that maximize the ecological protection benefits of the GECP and promote carbon sequestration in the grasslands of the YRB.
The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) is one of China’s most economically dense regions with the most dynamic county-level economies. The YRD’s success in addressing air pollution at the county level directly affects the ecological security of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. This study utilizes panel data of 151 counties in the YRD from 2003 to 2022. It regards the expansion of members of the YRD Urban Economic Coordination Council as a quasi-natural experiment. This study analyzes the influence of regional integration on county-level air pollution using the difference-in-differences approach, the synthetic difference-in-differences methodology, and spatial econometrics. Our findings indicate that: (1) regional integration can significantly reduce air pollution at the county level; (2) the environmental impact of regional integration is heterogeneous, influenced by regional differences, administrative constraints, and industrial foundations; and (3) regional integration reduces air pollution through advancing industrial structure and technological innovation, along with spatial spillover impacts. Therefore, policymakers should attach importance to air quality governance in counties, deepen regional integration strategies, optimize industrial structures, enhance technological innovation, and strengthen collaborative environmental governance to continuously promote regional sustainable development.
Against the backdrop of accelerated development of new forms of trade, the question of whether rapid expansion of cross-border e-commerce (CBEC) can help to reduce carbon emissions among Chinese enterprises is of great significance for seizing new opportunities in foreign trade, and advancing firms’ green and low-carbon transformation. This study treats the creation of CBEC pilot zones as a quasi-natural experiment, employing panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies matched with city-level information from 2006 to 2021. We construct a multi-period difference-in-differences model to identify the impact of CBEC pilot zone policy on corporate carbon emissions. Our findings indicate the construction of these pilot zones significantly reduces firms’ carbon emissions intensity, and the results are robust across multiple tests. We show the pilot zone initiative contributes to emission reductions by enhancing the adoption of digital infrastructure, promoting green technological innovation, and increasing environmental awareness among enterprises. Quantile regressions reveal pilot zones exert a more pronounced carbon-reduction effect on firms characterized by high carbon emissions intensity and advanced levels of digital transformation. Moreover, the policy effect is especially significant in heavily polluting industries, and regions with weaker governmental environmental regulations or lower public environmental concerns. This study makes an innovative contribution to the literature by empirically verifying the environmental governance effect of establishing CBEC pilot zones, and offers practical guidance for governments in formulating cross-border e-commerce policies and for enterprises pursuing low-carbon development.
Investigating urban spatial structures (USSs) and their influencing factors at different spatial scales is crucial for promoting sustainable urban transformation. Based on nighttime light datasets and the Herfindahl - Hirschman index (HHI), this study analyzes USS characteristics in China from 2007 to 2023 on two spatial scales-prefecture-level cities and urban agglomerations. It also explores structural influencing factors, includ- ing the economy, infrastructure, society, and government intervention. We find that: (1) HHI values for both cities and urban agglomerations exhibit a decreasing trend, indicating a USS for both that is evolving toward polycentricity; (2) economic development promotes a polycentric structure at both spatial scales, whereas gov- ernment intervention drives a monocentric structure; and (3) postal and communication infrastructure have conflicting effects on USSs, encouraging a monocentric structure at the city scale but fostering polycentricity at the urban agglomeration scale.
Energy consumption (EC) is a core factor in maintaining sustainable development; little is known about the drivers of temporal-spatial EC changes and the corresponding inequality from the perspective of government, thereby weakening the policy implications for energy conservation and emission reduction. To fill this gap, this study uses spatial-temporal logarithmic mean Divisia index models and extended Theil index inequality models to investigate the drivers of EC changes and inequality, considering the scale and structure of governmental environmental expenditure (EG) across 30 Chinese provinces from 2007 to 2021. The findings reveal that: First, EG acts as a positive driver of total EC, while industrial investment efficiency and fiscal expenditure pressure exert negative effects. Second, disparities in EG functions act as a negative driver, accounting for a 4.56% decrease in average interprovincial EC gaps. Third, China’s EC inequality demonstrated an overall upward trajectory from 0.074 to 0.093 over the period, mainly driven by positive contributions from inequalities in EG and the fiscal expenditure structure. This study highlights the importance of optimizing the government expenditure structure and scale in formulating policies for sustainable EC.
Under the influence of human activities, landscape fragmentation in the Wei River Basin (WRB) has become increasingly severe. Upstream development has intensified soil erosion, and industrial and agricultural pollu- tion in the middle reaches has degraded water quality. Rapid urbanization has further caused habitat fragmen- tation and biodiversity loss. Collectively, these challenges threaten human well-being and hinder sustainable development, making the construction and optimization of an ecological security pattern (ESP) urgently neces- sary. However, existing studies often fail to systematically integrate future landscape ecological risk (LER) as- sessment with ESP optimization. This study evaluated regional LER using the "ecological patches-ecological resistance surface (ERS)-ecological corridor" framework, combined with land-use predictions under three de- velopment scenarios, and optimized the ESP by adjusting the ERS and extracting ecological corridors. The re- sults indicate that the LER in the WRB follows an "inverted N" distribution, with low-risk areas concentrated in forested mountain regions and high-risk areas mainly in cultivated land subject to intensive human activity. Across future scenarios, ESPs showed fewer ecological breakpoints and improved landscape connectivity than the 2020 baseline. Scenario-based differences emerged in the spatial configuration of ERS adjustments, with the ecological protection scenario yielding the lowest LER and most favorable ESP. This study demonstrates the deep integration of multi-scenario simulation with LER assessment, providing a new framework for ESP op- timization. The findings have guiding significance for ecological protection and coordinated development in the WRB and offer a novel paradigm for sustainable development in ecologically fragile basins worldwide.
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from China’s food system are a major environmental concern; however, studies quantifying their drivers and future projections remain limited. This study uses structural decomposition analysis and growth curve models to assess food-related GHG trends from 1961 to 2020, identify key drivers and their contributions, and project emissions for 2050 under six economic and population scenarios. It also proposes reduction pathways to help China achieve its 2060 carbon neutrality goal. Animal and plant foods are categorized into 14 groups based on the similarity of their emission coefficients. China’s total food-related GHG emissions rose tenfold, from 351.7 to 3 719.8 million tons CO2-equivalent (CO2e)/year, between 1961 and 2020. Per-capita emissions increased from 532.1 to 2 584.4 kg CO2e/year. Emissions from plant-based foods grew from 435.0 to 824.6 kg CO2e/year, while animal-based emissions surged from 97.1 to 1 759.8 kg CO2e/year, with animal products contributing more owing to their higher emission coefficients. Key drivers include rising food intake, increasing demand for animal-based foods (especially red meat), and population growth. Scenario analyses predict that emissions will peak at 3 826.2 million tons CO2e/year in 2031 (low economy-low population) and 3 971.0 million tons CO2e/year in 2039 (high economy-medium population). Compared with Australian, Indian, and Japanese diets, Chinese diets exhibit lower per-capita emissions than Australia and India but have higher emissions than in Japan. Adhering to China’s national dietary guidelines could reduce Chinese per-capita food-related GHGs by 31.5%, and optimized diets could lower them by 45.3%. This study provides valuable insights for Chinese policymakers to reduce food-related GHG emissions, refine national dietary guidelines, and raise public awareness regarding the food system’s environmental impact, thus encouraging people to follow sustainable diets.
Agglomeration supports the high-quality development of the manufacturing industry,and its associated re-source and environmental effects play a crucial role in driving green economic development.Based on data from prefecture-level cities in China from 2005 to 2019,this study employs the inverse distance weighting method,the bivariate local indicator of spatial association model,the spatial Durbin model,and other techniques to explore the relationship between manufacturing agglomeration and PM2.5 concentra-tions,and to assess the impact of its manufacturing agglomeration.Four correlation patterns are observed:high-high,low-low,high-low,and low-high.Among these,high-high and low-low patterns dominate in terms of number of cities.These correlation patterns demonstrate strong temporal stability,with a clear"Matthew effect".The effect of manufacturing agglomeration on PM2.5 levels is significantly negative and helps reduce concentrations regionally,indicating the need to further enhance agglomeration levels region-ally.However,it can increase PM2.5 levels in neighboring areas due to a siphon effect,and the impact of varies across regions.Compared with levels in 2005-2013,the significance of the relationship between manufacturing agglomeration and PM2.5 weakened in the 2013-2019 period.Accordingly,this study pro-poses countermeasures and policy recommendations aimed at strengthening regional collaborative gover-nance and inspiring differentiated agglomeration strategies to support sustainable economic development in China.
