Measuring green development index and coupling coordination of mining industry: An empirical analysis based on panel data in China

Due to the quick adaptation of the mining industry and demand for the mining industry is growing due to the need for minerals and metals, green mining industry has earned much support. China has taken specific actions and made the advancement of green mining a crucial part of establishing an eco-society. Growth tactics utilized by traditional mining economies had negative repercussions, including resource depletion and deteriorating environmental conditions. For China, when formulating reasonable and scientific policies, a fair evaluation of the mining industry's level of green development has significant practical relevance. This study employed 16 common indicators divided into four categories: economical and intensive utilization, ecological environmental protection, scientific and technological innovation, safety and harmony, etc. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) method and the entropy weight method (EWM) were used to reflect the relationship between indicators at different levels. In addition to the coupling of subsystems coordination model, which reveals the relationship between subsystems, scores of subindexes and weighted indicators are also derived. The empirical findings demonstrate that (1) despite non-cyclical fluctuations in the development of China's green mining industry, the overall index exhibits an upward trend from year to year; (2) the coordination of China's green mining industry subsystems is basically inconsistent, stage-wise balanced, and lacks precise coordination; and (3) the develop-ment of China's green mining industry is challenging, especially in the management and resto areas. Further-more, the framework for green mining growth described in this study can be applied to other regions or sectors.