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• A distribution dynamics approach is employed to examine the converge of TFEE across Chinese PAA level cities. • The findings show a clear convergence in TFEE. • Convergence comes more from efficiency drops in high TFEE cities than from efficiency gains in low TFEE cities. • The environmental protection polices in key cities improved energy efficiency. • Large-sized cities show better performance in energy efficiency than small- and medium-sized cities. Improving energy efficiency is considered the most direct route to reducing carbon emissions on a massive scale. To examine the long-run trend of China's energy efficiency, this paper employs a distribution dynamics approach to analyze the convergence of total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) across 286 Chinese cities between 2002 and 2014. The result suggests the existence of convergence, which comes more from the efficiency declines in the high TFEE cities rather than the efficiency gains in the low TFEE cities. Despite the fact that a few cities have performed well in energy efficiency, the majority of cities have converged to a low-efficiency point. Further analyses show that the inefficiency was attributed to inefficient energy use in small- and medium-sized cities. Our analysis provides strong scientific support for China's ongoing energy conservation and environmental protection policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions and climate change risk have become constraints on global economic sustainable development. Environmental regulation (ER) is a key method for achieving synergy in CO 2 and pollution reduction in China. This paper is the first study to explore the effects of ER on CO 2 emissions by exploiting the National Environmental Protection 11th Five-Year Plan (NEP11-FYP). The implementation of the NEP11-FYP significantly decreases CO 2 emissions by 19.73% in key environmental cities relative to other cities. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that this negative impact is larger in western cities and cities with more pressure to reduce CO 2 emissions. Scale effects, structural effects, and technical effects might be three potential influencing channels through which ER contributes to the CO 2 reduction effect. In addition, the results of the spatial externality of the NEP11-FYP demonstrate a positive spillover effect in neighboring cities within a distance of 300 km and a negative spillover effect in cities more than 500 km away. Our empirical findings provide policy implications for implementing low-carbon transition strategies and reducing CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy ideas associated with the urban minerals industry in China have shifted focus from environmental protection to industrial development in recent years. A key factor influencing the development of this industry is whether the policy system can adapt to changing policy ideas. This paper analyzes a series of policies on urban minerals issued by the central government and related departments and ministries from 1987 to 2017. Using the content analysis method, which is a quantitative methodology, the paper proposes a framework of policy tools and objects of policy intervention to analyze the evolutionary characteristics and problems associated with the development of the urban minerals industry. The research results show that the policy system of urban minerals in China has changed from the germination stage, in which urban minerals policies were embedded in environmental protection policies; to an introduction stage, in which the urban minerals policy system initially took shape; to a development stage, in which the effects of urban minerals policies have stabilized. The changing trend of urban minerals policies can be summarized as follows. First, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) gradually became the dominant policymaker. Second, the policy tools were enriched via restructuring. Third, the objects of policy intervention were continually extended to the whole industry chain. Although the policy system of urban minerals in China has promoted industrial development, certain problems remain to be resolved, such as the conflicting policies from different departments, the unreasonable combination of policy tools and improper object of policy intervention. To this end, we have proposed corresponding countermeasures and suggestions to better improve the development of the urban minerals industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition and cooperation in the environmental governance of cities are popular around the world. However, empirical research based on the prefecture-level city level in China is rare. Since the central government of China proposed to strengthen the construction of ecological civilization, whether there are strategic interactions of "race to the bottom" or "race to the top" among local governments is an important issue of academic and public interest. This paper constructs a game-theoretic model to reveal the strategic interactions of environmental governance among local governments. And then, based on the data of 221 prefecture-level cities collected from 2007 to 2018, the spatial econometric model is used to conduct multi-dimensional testing "race to the bottom" behavior of environmental protection expenditure among local governments. Moreover, this paper further analyses the impact of performance assessment indicators on the strategic interactions of local governments, so as to provide policy reference for improving environmental public welfare. Empirical results suggest that local governments in China show strategic imitation in environmental protection spending decisions, which is manifested as "race to the bottom", and this behavior is gradually weakening with the strengthening of environmental protection assessment. Furthermore, environmental performance indicators relieve the government's strategic imitation, while economic performance indicators intensify the government's strategy imitation. Thus, reasonable performance evaluation indicators are conducive to benign strategic interaction among governments. Finally, the current environmental protection expenditure has not yet significantly affected pollution reduction, providing new evidence for the "race to the bottom" behavior of local governments. Based on the findings of our study, the central government should optimize the performance evaluation system of local officials and strengthen the implementation of the environmental supervision system and accountability mechanism. Meanwhile, the local governments should further increase environmental protection expenditure, and enhance the supervision and utilization efficiency of environmental protection funds. • Strategic interaction among 221 prefecture-level cities in China was multi-dimensionally studied. • It has been found that China's local governments have strategic imitation as "race to the bottom". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has long suffered from failures in urban governance, arable land conservation, and environmental conservation because of the lack of accurate and reliable land use data. To fill these gaps, China has been conducting a once-a-decade census of national land use status. On August 26, 2021, China released the third national land survey data, which revealed several challenges that require further attention. In this paper, we first review the land resource surveys that have been and are being conducted in the world's major economically developed countries, and then we compare China's three national land surveys in terms of the data used, core survey technologies, the land use classification system, and main outcomes. Second, according to the major data results of the second national land survey and the third national land survey and other auxiliary data, using such methods as the data envelopment analysis and the land cover conversion matrix to highlight the existing land use issues such as shrinking arable land, inefficient construction land use, and low targeting efficiency of ecological restoration programs, as well as the drivers of these issues. Finally, we conclude the paper by discussing the next steps necessary to achieve the goal of sustainable land use in China, and the potential of satellite remote sensing technology and its derived land cover products to better support future national land surveys. • We review the land resource surveys that have been conducted in the world's major economically developed countries. • We compare China's three national land surveys since the 1980 s. • The land use issues were quantitatively highlighted using released land survey data, combined with other ancillary data. • The next steps necessary to achieve the goal of sustainable land use in China was discussed. • The potential of satellite remote sensing technology to better support future national land surveys was investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Performance-friendly regulation is illusion in China. • We document that investments and fees for environmental protection are mutually complementary in China. • We show that regulation in China leads to better firm performance but stimulate little for environment. Porter (1991) and follow-up scholars hypothesize that environmental regulation stimulates innovation to promote performance. As a complement to the existing literature, this paper reveals an ironic reality: performance-friendly regulation as a proxy for the "win–win" solution of environmental regulation is an illusion due to ineffective intensity for sustainability. With firm-level evidence from China, we measure the intensity of environmental regulation by a firm's investments for environmental protection (IEP) or fees for environmental protection (FEP). After identifying a positive causal effect on performance of IEP or FEP, we document that IEP and FEP are complementary and thus ineffective for sustainable development. We further document that the effects between IEP and FEP are mediated by performance insignificantly from an economic perspective, thereby revealing the incentive incompatibility of a firm in IEP and FEP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the national air pollution, China implemented the Clean Air Action policy from 2013 to 2017. The vigorous implementation of the policy has ensured that the policy targets have been achieved, and the haze problem has been effectively controlled. To evaluate the policy effect of environmental regulation on labor demand, this paper conducts policy evaluation by designing a quasi-natural experiment. Based on the variations of labor demand in the region dimension (272 cities) and sector dimension (5 major sectors) from 2008 to 2017, the results of the difference-in-difference-in-difference estimation show that: 1) The implementation of Clean Air Action has a significant negative impact on industrial employment. 2) The dynamic shocks are concentrated in the final stage of the policy. 3) Policy effects show heterogeneity in different regions. Since China is in the critical stage of economic transformation, the findings and enlightenment of this paper can be extended to other environmental and climate policies. • The Clean Air Action provides a quasi-natural experiment. • Environmental regulation has a negative impact on labor demand. • The shocks are mainly concentrated in the final stage. • The policy effect is insignificant in the central and western regions and resource-based cities. • The government should make a trade-off between economic growth and environmental protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper analyzed the interactions among China’s economic growth and its energy consumption, air emissions and air environmental protection investment during 2000–2007. Conventional energy and emergy are applied to quantify energy consumption and emissions’ impact, respectively. The five indicators based on money, energy and emergy, including ratio of nonrenewable energy to renewable energy (RNR), energy use per unit GDP (EUPG), environmental cost per unit GDP (ECPG), impact of emissions per unit energy consumption (IEPEC), and environmental benefit per unit environmental protection investment (EBPEI), are presented to depict the relationships among economic growth and energy consumption and impact of air emissions and air environmental protection investment. The results show that energy consumption rapidly rises with China’s fast economic growth; however, energy efficiency and environmental loading intensity from energy consumption are reduced simultaneously but their improvements fall far behind economic growth rate. Impact of air emissions, mainly composed of impact of emissions on human health (especially dust), is slightly decreased. The performance of air environmental protection investment is obviously declined in the study period. Generally speaking, the conflict among economy, energy and air environment protection is slightly mitigated but still acute due to great dependence of China’s economy on fossil energy and inefficient environmental protection measures. Finally, this paper discusses the corresponding issues, and then puts forward some related suggestions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The sustainability of Chinese economy has attracted attentions from all over the world since China''s reform & opening up policy. This paper attempted to evaluate the relationships among Chinese economy, energy and its impact of emissions during 1991–2009 using several novel indicators based on emergy, energy and monetary units. The results show that NH3-N in wastewater has taken main responsibility for impact of emissions, the hidden environmental cost per unit economic output has been continuously reduced, education and R & D investment has cut pollutants generating intensity since 1997, and environmental protection investment has cut emission intensity since 1996. Generally speaking, the coordination degree of structure and scale of China''s economy has been improved to different degree from 1991 to 2009. However, the growth of education and R & D investment and environmental protection investment has not prevented impact of emissions from increase caused by economic aggregate growth, and the turning point has not appeared in this period. Finally, this paper discusses some related issues and puts forward the corresponding suggestions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The values, concepts and approaches of health impact assessment (HIA) were outlined in the Gothenburg consensus paper and some industrialized countries have implemented HIA for many years. HIA has played an important role in environmental protection in China, however, the emergence, progress and challenges of HIA in China have not been well described. In this paper, the evolution of HIA in China was analyzed and the challenges of HIA were presented based on the author''s experiences. HIA contributed to decision-making for large capital construction projects, such as the Three Gorges Dam project, in its emergence stage. Increasing attention has been given to HIA in recent years due to supportive policies underpinning development of the draft HIA guidelines in 2008. However enormous challenges lie ahead in ensuring the institutionalization of HIA into project, program and policy decision-making process due to limited scope, immature tools and insufficient professionals in HIA practice. HIA should broaden its horizons by encompassing physical, chemical, biological and socio-economic aspects and constant attempts should be made to integrate HIA into the decision-making process, not only for projects and programs but also for policies as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Strategic interaction pattern of environmental public expenditure (EPE) is studied. • The convergence of per capita environmental investment is analyzed. • A significant imitative strategic interaction in inter-provincial EPE exists. Environmental public expenditure (EPE), which is critical to ecological protection and environmental governance, has not played its due role. From the perspective of inequality, this paper utilizes the single-regime and two-regime spatial panel models to explore the strategic interaction pattern of EPE and analyze the convergence of per capita environmental investment based on the data from 30 provinces in China from 2000–2015. The main results are as the following. A significant imitative strategic interaction in inter-provincial EPE is observed, that is, one region would reduce its EPE accordingly if EPE in its competitive area was reduced first. Underdeveloped regions are more sensitive to regional strategy changes. Furthermore, the low-pollution areas are more sensitive to the decisions on EPE in the neighboring regions. The convergence of inter-provincial EPE indicates that the gap between provinces further leads to the imitation pattern of expenditure, which better explains the steadily low EPE among different regions in the long term. Based on the conclusions of this study, we recommended policies, such as narrow regional differences, weaken the unequal aversion of local governments, and improve interactive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A Food Network Model (FNM) model from Guangdong perspective is developed. • Using network analysis methods to quantify the complex food system. • The applicability of network analysis methods is first extended to food elements. • Establishing the interaction between food flows and economic flows. • In-depth analysis is conducted to investigate the influence of different food types on urban food system. Abstract Food security is performed as an important issue, which is directly related to human survival, social progress and environmental protection. The aim of this paper is to establish a holistic and new food network model that is capable of exploring the nature of food flows in response to the regulation of sectoral activities from a practical perspective. A case study for Guangdong Province, China is conducted to illustrate the influence of different food types on urban food system by combining Input Output Analysis and Ecological Network Analysis. In detail, the applicability of these methods is first extended to food element. The study on complex food system involving ecology, society, and the environment is the first time to use network analysis to quantify the urban metabolic processes. In addition, the Value intensity of flow (VIF) is first introduced to re-establish the relationship between food flows and economic flows. The results show that the indirect food flows have a huge impact on food system. Food processing (FO) and Accommodation and catering services (AC) are the most important sectors to promote and support the development of other sectors. The food type has great impacts on pulling force and the level of commercial value, while it does not affect the flows of commercial value. As a raw material in many industries, sugarcane affects the metabolic relationships between sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In 2017, China announced its first policy framework for establishing a national park system, along with ten pilot national parks. Rather than viewing the announcement from a techno-bureaucratic perspective, this paper considers the politics of the proposed national park system. Basing my argument upon a case study and employing discourse analysis, I argue that the top-down approach is prioritised in the planning and management of the national park system, and that the involvement of civil society groups in the making of China's national parks does not guarantee an inclusive and bottom-up approach. From the 1970s onwards, worldwide the conservation paradigm gradually shifted to recognise the importance of a participatory and inclusive approach to protected area management. China's moving away from such understanding and practice may eventually undermine the rights of local communities and threaten to hamper the conservation goals that the national parks aim to achieve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Utilizing the Comprehensive Environmental Administrative Enforcement Reform (CEAER) in China as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper has adopted 179 prefecture-level cities from July 2018 to December 2020 as research sample to assess whether the limited decentralization of environmental enforcement power can improve air quality through a time-varying difference-in-difference (DID) approach. Results show that CEAER can achieve better air quality improving effects, which can not only contribute to the decrease of daily mean values of Air Quality Index (AQI), but also contribute to the decrease of daily mean values of PM 2.5 , PM 10 , SO 2 , and CO. And this promotion is mainly achieved through the micro mechanism of raising environmental penalties strength. Further examination of the heterogeneity in terms of economic factors, city rank, pollution abatement pressure, and political constraints reveals that CEAER's policy effects are mostly insignificant in cities with higher levels of economic development and administrative rank, and positively significant in poor historical air quality cities and key environmental protection cities. These results underscore the positive effects of the limited decentralization of environmental enforcement power and provide ideas for other regions to draw on for environmental management system reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of existing studies argue that rich people and the residents in high-income countries and regions have stronger willingness to pay (WTP) for environmental protection. Does such a rule hold true for China at the present stage? Previous studies pay little attention to this issue due to the lack of related data. Merging the micro data from the Chinese General Social Survey in 2010 (CGSS2010) with the macro data at the corresponding urban level of China, as well as two types of satellite monitoring data, this paper investigates the effect of income on residents’ WTP for environmental protection at both macro and micro perspectives based on the ordered Logit model. The results show that the rich do have stronger WTP for environmental protection. However, with the increase in residents’ income, the marginal WTP for environmental protection will decline, and a reversal occurs at the top income level. Therefore, the WTP does not always rise with the increase in income, and the middle-income class has the strongest WTP for environmental protection. Moreover, after controlling individual characteristics, residents’ WTP for environmental protection more depends on environmental pollution degree rather than urban average income level measured by both GDP per capita and the nighttime lights data from satellite monitoring. The residents in more polluted cities have stronger WTP for environmental protection. Therefore, it is not reasonable to improve people’s environmental preferences purely through economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correlation between urbanization and environmental pollution is a major focus of study in geography, environmental science, and economics. Particulate matter is the primary pollutant of air pollution and made up of heavy metal, organic carbon and aromatic hydrocarbon and complicated chemicals. PM 2.5 are fine particulate matter with diameters that are less than 2.5 μm. The aim of this study on the relationship between urbanization and PM 2.5 concentration is to achieve a win-win situation of both economic development and environmental protection, which is of great significance to sustainable development in China. This paper uses PM 2.5 remote sensing data and statistical yearbook data from 2000 to 2011 to build four panel data models within the urbanization-PM 2.5 concentration Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework. The goal is to find out the correlations between PM 2.5 concentration and economic urbanization, population urbanization, and space urbanization. Furthermore, scenario simulations are set to predict when China will reach inflection point and achieve its target concentration. Results show that the relationship between economic urbanization and PM 2.5 concentration is an inverted N-shaped or inverted U-shaped curve. Most cities in East China have reached the second inflection point of inverted-N curve to step into the win-win stage while many cities in Middle China still need 10–15 years to arrive at the inflection point of the inverted-U curve. Therefore, China is under great pressure to prevent PM 2.5 pollution and pursue more targeted PM 2.5 -reduction policies for air quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How human activities impact on coastal ecosystem during rapid urbanization is one of the hot spots in the coastal management study. In this paper, we comparatively evaluate changes in the positive and the negative ecological elements of Shenzhen's coastal zone in the rapid urbanization process to understand impacts of human activities. The positive and the negative ecological elements divided by built of classification based on extracted land uses from multi-source remote sensing images and land-use degree index. Then landscape indexes such as AWMSI, ED, PSSD, PSCOV at the class level and CONNECT, SHEI at both class level and landscape level were used to reveal spatial and temporal differentiation of impacts of human activities on ecological elements. Results revealed that impacts of human activities on coastal ecosystem were stronger in west coast than that in east coast, and environmental protection awareness of government began to enhance from 2000, whereas the ecosystem health didn't become better. Future urbanization plans about coastal zones need to consider the ecological benefit of the landscape pattern from both a local and global point of view. This method can contribute to the sustainable management of other coastal zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agri-environmental schemes have become an effective policy measure to prompt farmers to protect rural farmland and landscapes. In recent years, 17 provincial governments including Sichuan, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Guangxi and Guangdong have shown increasing interest in promoting local experimentation with agri-environmental schemes. Based on two waves of farmer survey data in Eastern, Middle and Western China conducted in 2012 and 2015, this paper conducts a comparative study of three agricultural environmental policy models: the farmland protection fund model in Chengdu city (the Chengdu model), the farmland eco-compensation model in Suzhou city (the Suzhou model), and the conventional farmland protection model in Wuhan (the Wuhan model). Our quantitative analyses show that: agri-environmental schemes in China have significantly enhanced farmer enthusiasm toward farmland protection and lifted their policy satisfaction. Yet, the improvement in farmer knowledge of farmland ecological functions is limited; different agri-environmental models have diverse policy effects. Overall, the Chengdu model characterized by a combination of pension insurance and agricultural insurance benefits works better than the Suzhou model. Farmer participation in rural farmland and landscape protection is affected by multiple factors, among which education is the most significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regardless of the implementation of central environmental protection inspection, a campaign style enforcement, across China to address the upsurging environmental issues in recent years, very few studies have revealed the effect of central environmental protection inspection on corporate environmental actions in China. This paper focuses on China's central environmental protection inspection to evaluate the effectiveness of campaign-style enforcement in promoting corporate environmental actions. Using a regression discontinuity design and one of the most comprehensive datasets of environmental statistics on firm-level pollution from 2011 to 2018 in one province in south China. Based on 15,154 enterprise observations, we find that the central environmental protection inspection is associated with substantial changes in corporate environmental actions. We also find that the number of polluting firms shrank by 48% (and by even more among small and micro firms) after the implementation of the central environmental protection inspection. Furthermore, the central environmental protection inspection significantly reduces industrial chemical oxygen demand (COD) emissions by at least 46.5% without affecting the production output of surviving firms. These findings are robust to alternative specifications and different sampling strategies. This paper opens up a new viewpoint to focus on the effect of the central environmental protection inspection on corporate environmental actions. The available evidence leads us to cautiously conclude that environmental campaign-style enforcement promotes firms meeting emissions reduction goals in the short term through end-of-pipe abatement. A long-term inspection mechanism and incentives for firms to carry out green transformations are thus recommended for future practice. Image 1 • The Central Environmental Protection Inspection has caused a large number of polluting firms to be closed. • The surviving polluting firms reduce pollutant by carrying out end-of-pipe emission reduction. • Campaign-style enforcement can improve the corporate environmental performance in the short term. • In the long run, effective supporting policies should be employed to guide firms to achieve green transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the concept of remanufacturing is gaining popularity in practice, its effect on environmental protection and energy saving is significant, which has attracted widespread concerns, especially in the automotive components field. Automotive components remanufacturing (ACR), as a prominent part in automotive life-cycle development, can dramatically reduce resources-waste and mitigate energy-crisis, which has become a prominent direction to promote sustainable development of Chinese economy. Thus, influence factors analysis and enterprise operation patterns assessment which primarily contribute to ACR industry development are of paramount importance. This paper elaborates the criteria influencing the ACR industry operation and analyzes the main operation patterns for ACR in China. To overcome the uncertainty of the evaluation process, a new hybrid multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM) model that combines fuzzy AHP (analytical hierarchy process) and fuzzy G-TOPSIS (combining gray relation analysis and technique for order performance by similarity to ideal solution) is proposed to determine weights of influence criteria and evaluate ACR production operation patterns. In addition, sensitivity analysis is applied to monitor the robustness of the method. The study refers to the experience of Chinese end-of-life vehicle (ELV) laws and implementation requirements of extended producer responsibility (EPR). The obtained results provide the new guideline to revise the regulations of Chinese ACR industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The total area of wetlands in China is 53.42 × 10 6 ha, accounting for 10% of global wetlands and 5.58% of China's territorial area. Wetlands in China are constantly under serious threat from multiple influencing factors. A large number of wetlands have been destroyed and degraded since the 1950s. During past decades, China has already recognized the importance of wetland ecosystems and made many efforts in wetland conservation. More than 550 National Wetland Nature Reserves and 100 National Wetland Parks have been established. However, in the context of so much effort being done, the annual wetland disappearance rate is still close to 1%. In this paper, the current status of wetland resources was reviewed, and the impact factors of wetland degradation were discussed. We further discussed the weaknesses of the current management system. Furthermore, some key recommendations for improvement of wetland protection and management for China were given. These recommendations include: improve special laws and regulations regarding wetlands, establish specialized management agencies; strengthen wetlands research and monitoring; and enhance public wetland conservation awareness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane (CH 4 ), the second largest greenhouse gas emitted in China, hasn’t been given enough attention in the country’s policies and actions for addressing climate change. This paper aims to perform a bottom-up estimation and multi-regional input–output analysis for China’s anthropogenic CH 4 emissions from both production-based and consumption-based insights. As the world’s largest CH 4 emitter, China’s total anthropogenic CH 4 emissions in 2010 are estimated at 44.3 Tg and correspond to 1507.9 Mt CO 2 -eq by the lower global warming potential factor of 34. Energy activities as the largest contributor hold about half of the national total emissions, mainly from coal mining. Inherent economic driving factors covering consumption, investment and international exports play an important role in determining regional CH 4 emission inventories. Interregional transfers of embodied emissions via domestic trade are equivalent to half of the national total emissions from domestic production, of which two thirds are energy-related embodied emissions. Most central and western regions as net interregional CH 4 exporters such as Shanxi and Inner Mongolia have higher direct emissions, while the eastern coastal regions as net interregional importers such as Guangdong and Jiangsu always have larger embodied emissions. Since China’s CH 4 emissions have significant contributions to global climate change, a national comprehensive action plan to reduce CH 4 emissions should be designed by considering supply-side and demand-side emission characteristics, mitigation potentials and emission responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental impact assessment (EIA) serves as a gatekeeper to prevent environmental pollution, and public participation is a legal requirement in the EIA process that ensures people's awareness of activities that may jeopardize the environment. Recently, with the elevated awareness of environmental protection and increasing environmental sensitivity, EIA has evolved as a means for the public to show their attitudes towards environmental issues. More frequently, public protests against not-in-my-backyard (NIMBY) facilities have become a significant challenge in the government's decision-making process. Government officials and EIA practitioners continue to look for a more effective way of public participation and aim to establish a platform that can involve related stakeholders. However, current research on public participation is limited to individual case studies or lacks a systematic approach to analysing diversified modes of public participation, which may differentiate levels of acceptance by the government in the EIA process and consequently lead to different effects. Therefore, from the perspectives of the participation extent and conflict level, this paper aims to establish an integrated framework to categorize different public participation patterns in EIA practices and to analyse their characteristics, such as preferences and the action logic arising from different stakeholders, including the government and public. The paper concludes that collaborative public participation is a possible way to strengthen the effectiveness of public involvement within the Chinese context. • A framework based on participation extent and conflict level was set up. • The framework categorized public involvement in China's EIA into four modes. • Preference, action logic and effectiveness of each mode were discussed. • Collaborative mode might be a recommended way of public involvement in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes an empirical analysis of the effect of producer services agglomeration on China's energy efficiency under environmental constraints (EEE) by using spatial Durbin model. The results show that at the national level, the urbanization agglomeration of producer services not only improves the local EEE significantly, but also has an obvious spatial spillover effect on the surrounding regions, while the localization agglomeration of producer services is only beneficial to the improvement of the local EEE. From the regional perspective, both the urbanization and localization agglomeration of producer services show significant promotion effect and spatial spillover effect on China's EEE in the east region, and the promotion effect of the urbanization agglomeration of producer services is greater, while the improvement of EEE in the central and west regions mainly depend on the MAR externality of producer services agglomeration, and its spatial spillover effects are not obvious. Moreover, the above empirical results exhibit strong robustness. Based on these empirical findings, this paper puts forward some specific suggestions for improving China's EEE so as to achieve the multi-win of economic growth, energy conservation and environmental protection. The study contributes to improving the environmental quality and speeding up the construction of Beautiful China. • Use spatial Durbin model to analyze the effect of producer services agglomeration on China's EEE. • Localization agglomeration of producer services is only beneficial to the local EEE. • Urbanization agglomeration not only improves China's local EEE, but also has an obvious spatial spillover effect. • Regional differences in the effect of urbanization and localization agglomeration of producer services on China's EEE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a clean, renewable energy source with low carbon content, geothermal energy has the advantages of wide resource availability coverage, low environmental impact, low operating costs, and high reliability. For the development and production of more sustainable energy, geothermal energy has become one of the key areas of development in many countries. Geothermal resources are abundant in China and mainly distributed in the eastern region where the energy demand is the highest; therefore, the resources have the advantage of local development and consumption, which can alleviate the mismatch between resource distribution and demand in China's eastern and western regions. However, the development of geothermal energy started relatively late in China and has confronted many difficulties. This paper summarizes the status of geothermal energy in China and analyzes the existing problems with respect to policies and regulations, technological development, financial investment, and environmental protection. Some policy recommendations are put forward for promoting geothermal energy in China. This paper argues that the period of the "13th Five-Year Plan" is the opportunity for geothermal energy development. With the attention increasing, a series of policies to promote the development and utilization of geothermal energy could be introduced, and this resource could experience scaled development in China. • A review of China's geothermal energy reserves and development status is proposed. • Related policies and regulations, development goals and trends of geothermal energy are summarized. • The main problems of geothermal energy development and utilization in China are analyzed. • The policy recommendations aimed to solve the problem are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy is an important factor in achieving a low-carbon economic development path in China. This paper investigates the factors influencing renewable electricity consumption in China. Specifically, the factors that influence the share of renewable electricity in total electricity consumption in China is investigated using data from 1980 to 2011 and employing the Johansen cointegration technique and vector error correction model. The result of the analysis shows that there is a long run relationship between renewable electricity consumption and GDP per capita, trade openness, foreign direct investment, financial development and share of fossil fuel in energy consumption. Economic development and financial development promotes renewable electricity consumption while foreign direct investment, trade openness and the lobby of conventional energy sources undermine the share of renewables in total electricity consumption in China. While the effects of shocks to the other variables appear to die out over time, the “lobby effect” is persistent and explosive. The results also show that there is a uni-directional short run causality from financial development to renewable electricity consumption and from renewable electricity consumption to trade openness. The Chinese government should pursue policies that not only increase the amount of renewable electricity, but also increase the share of renewables in total electricity consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine zoning and planning are cornerstones of China's marine and coastal management, but are facing challenges in maintaining sustainable development with increasing resource use. Marine functional zoning (MFZ) and marine environmental functional zoning (MEFZ) are existing official Chinese regulations possessing legal force. In contrast, the Marine ecological red line (MERL) refers to a type of marine spatial planning aimed at ecological protection which has been promoted following a 2011 decision of the Chinese State Council to strengthen environmental protection. It has been partially implemented within China, but has only gained legal status in late 2014 and implementation in 2015. The paper compares the two kinds of marine spatial planning providing a general overview, an example in the Bohai Sea, and discussing the marine functional zone and marine ecological red line approaches. The legal status, spatial layout, and control of the systems are compared. The comparison shows that the marine ecological red line has the potential to supplement and strengthen the current marine functional zoning system, and that further improvement should come from recent legal developments. Management will require more ecological information to improve the technical aspects of the MERL approach to enable further MFZ and MERL integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The new EPL sets harsher penalties against polluters while providing discretion to local environmental authorities • The level of enforcement is significantly higher in counties with higher GPD per capita and larger government budget deficit • The choice of penalty types is unlikely to be correlated with GPD per capita and government budget deficit • The central government issues normative documents to limit local authorities' room to select the type of penalties • The central government also need to regulate local authorities' discretion to decide whether to impose penalties Discretion given to local authorities is an essential feature when national governments delegate enforcement of environmental regulations/laws to the local authorities. Enforcement discretion, however, raises the concern about weak environmental enforcement at the local level, especially in developing countries where institutions are built on weak foundations in general and enforcement usually falls short of what is needed to address environmental challenges. Given that existing literature does not have a clear understanding of whether discretion helps or hinders enforcement, This paper uses a unique nation-wide dataset collected from more than 2,200 counties in China from 2015 to 2017 to empirically identify key factors considered by local environmental authorities when they exercise discretion in the enforcement of the new Environmental Protection Law. Main results from the econometric analyses show that the level of enforcement measured by the total number of penalties is significantly higher in counties with higher GPD per capita and larger government budget deficit. In contrast, the choice of penalty types is unlikely to be correlated with these two variables. The patterns above are quantitatively similar across geographical regions that have different natural, economic and environmental conditions. Similar to the case for which the central government issues a series of normative documents to limit local environmental authorities' room to select the type of penalties to be imposed, it is also necessary for the central government to regulate local authorities' discretion to decide whether to impose penalties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Compared with traditional fossil fuel energy, wind power is becoming more and more popular relies on its environment protected characteristic. In China, the wind power industry has undergone a rapid development based on the rapid development of wind power technology and the support from Chinese government policy. However, there is still a big difference between actual generating capacity and design data, which has caused a great impact on people''s life and running of power grid. It is necessary to have a post-evaluation on wind farm planning. Based on studying domestic and foreign literatures that are about evaluation on wind farms, this paper gets a more comprehensive and integrated post-evaluation dedicator framework on wind farm planning. This framework consists of four indicators and ten sub-indicators, and also adds in evaluation study on management effect particularly, proposes a new evaluation perspective compared with the existing research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to propose a new direction of eco-tourism development in China. Using the converse thinking method, we found China eco-tourism is still locating a lower level, and has some problems: the eco-tourism plan is simple and unreasonable; the eco-tourism development has mainly focused on better ecological system resource but not the worse; the eco-tourism products mostly expense natural resource and damage ecological system, but not protect or rebuild it. Then we proposed the advice that the eco-tourism development should mainly focus on the destroyed ecosystem, go the length of “two not, one transition” when doing tourism exploitation of worse ecological system resource, and emphasize that it must protect and rebuild the ecological system but not damage it. It has important meanings to reconditioning and protecting the environment, and it is feasible. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper investigates the systemization process of environmental impact assessment (EIA) in China through the review of China''s experience in EIA implementation and legislation. The purpose of this study is to analyze the key driving forces of this systemization process and provide advice for future improvement of China''s EIA system. It is found that there are three key drivers promoting the systemization of China''s EIA: the Government''s powerful guidance on the environmental policy implementation; the critical environmental pressure caused by the scale expansion of construction projects and planning activities; and people''s consciousness-raising on environmental protection and environmental rights. Based upon the analysis results and China''s political, legislative and administrative characteristics, some recommendations are proposed to improve the effectiveness of EIA system in China, in terms of internal measures on refining EIA legislative framework and external mechanisms concerning supporting the efficient operation of EIA legislation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper reviews the present development of environmental emergency in China that involves legislative framework, regulations and technical support system. Through the analysis of actual case, these deficiencies and problems existing in action of environmental emergency are pointed out. In the countermeasures, the punishment and fine ceiling for environmental violations should be raised by revising clauses, and fees about handling, inspection, restoring and compensation for pollution incidents should be put into the law system, and environmental protection departments should be the leadership to improve emergency response efficiency, and the technical support system should be established to build a series of technical guidelines, norms and work manuals around three procedures that include prevention and monitoring before incident, response and handling in incident and assessment and restore after incident. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The enactment and implementation of the 2003 EIA Law in China institutionalised the role of plan environmental impact assessment (PEIA). While the philosophy, methodology and mechanisms of PEIA have gradually permeated through the various levels of government with a positive effect on the process and outcome of urban planning, only a few cities in China have so far carried out PEIA as a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA)-type procedure. One such case is the southern city of Shenzhen. During the past three decades, Shenzhen has grown from a small town to a large and booming city as China has successfully and rapidly developed its economy by adopting the “reform and open door” policy. In response to the challenges arising from the generally divergent processes of rapid urbanisation, economic transformation and environment protection, Shenzhen has incrementally adopted the SEA concept in developing the city''s Master Urban Plan. As such, this paper reviews the effectiveness of PEIA in three ways: [•] as a tool and process for achieving more sustainable and strategic planning; [•] to determine the level of integration of SEA within the planning system; and, [•] its effectiveness vis-à-vis implementation. The implementation of PEIA within Shenzhen''s Master Urban Plan offers important insights into the emergence of innovative practices in undertaking PEIA as well as theoretical contributions to the field, especially in exploring the relationship between PEIA and SEA and highlighting the central role of local governing institutions in SEA development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) inherently needs to address greater levels of uncertainty in the formulation and implementation processes of strategic decisions, compared with project environmental impact assessment. The range of uncertainties includes internal and external factors of the complex system that is concerned in the strategy. Scenario analysis is increasingly being used to cope with uncertainty in SEA. Following a brief introduction of scenarios and scenario analysis, this paper examines the rationale for scenario analysis in SEA in the context of China. The state of the art associated with scenario analysis applied to SEA in China was reviewed through four SEA case analyses. Lessons learned from these cases indicated the word “scenario” appears to be abused and the scenario-based methods appear to be misused due to the lack of understanding of an uncertain future and scenario analysis. However, good experiences were also drawn on, regarding how to integrate scenario analysis into the SEA process in China, how to cope with driving forces including uncertainties, how to combine qualitative scenario storylines with quantitative impact predictions, and how to conduct assessments and propose recommendations based on scenarios. Additionally, the ways to improve the application of this tool in SEA were suggested. We concluded by calling for further methodological research on this issue and more practices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Building manufacturing creates product value like building space, and induces severe environmental influence at the same time. The idea of eco-efficiency (EE) can link a product or service value and the corresponding environmental influence together, but there has been little research that implements such idea on building manufacturing, such as the green building rating system of the comprehensive assessment system for building environmental efficiency (CASBEE) in Japan and the EcoEffect in Sweden. This paper proposes an emergy (spelled with an “m”) analysis-based methodology for EE evaluation of building manufacturing, where the building space (in cubic size) and the emergy amount of building manufacturing are selected as the indicators of product value and the environmental influence, respectively. Six residential buildings that include multi-storeys, moderate high-rises and high rises are selected averagely from two Chinese famous cities, namely Beijing and Shanghai. The evaluation results can provide directions to assess environmental influence and thus to heighten the EE of building manufacturing. The EE evaluation result can even be used as the base of a new green building (or eco-building) rating system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In order to seek economic interests, environmental issues are not always the top priority in the hospitality industry in China. This paper develops a model to investigate the influence of the political, economic and cultural context on the environmental awareness and behavior incorporated in Xiamen city, China. To illustrate the differences of the environmental awareness and behavior in hotels in China, 300 hotels were selected, and a total of 451 hotel managers participated in e-mail-based and internet-based survey. The study shows that the managers of hospitality industry generally recognize the need for environmental protection, who is involved in many behaviors and activities. The economic situation and environmental efforts initiated by the government were found to have an impact on certain aspects of hotel managers’ behaviors and activities. The investigation has drawn two conclusions which need to be considered when introducing environmental sustainability into the hospitality industry. The first involves incorporating responsible technical and behavioral practices in the hotels, while the second highlights the necessity of initiating greater demand for “green” practices from the customers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: High levels of corporate environmental information disclosure (EID) have become pressing issues due to environmental protection around the world. Corporate EID refers to disclose their information on activities related to the natural environment, environmental protection and use of resource. Emerging economies in developing countries seem to face a formidable task for promoting corporate EID. Based on data of corporate EID for 871 listed manufacturing companies in China, this paper examines the status of corporate EID. The significant difference of selectively disclosing their environmental information for the listed companies is investigated. The relations among the level of EID, industrial sector, company size, and company ownership are also explored. Surprisingly, the result reveals the inverse relationship between the marketization level and corporate EID. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper analyzes the functions of a government-oriented disclosure program in China, which rates company environmental performance into five colors and discloses the results to the public. The rating results and their annual changes during 2005–2007 are statistically summarized by using the detailed database provided by municipal environmental protection bureau of the study area: Changshu city in Jiangsu province. The reflexive, deterrent and enhancement mechanisms, preliminarily identified for the disclosure program, are qualitatively evaluated by using the information collected by onsite interviews to 32 program participating firms. In overall, the firms'' environmental performances have been improved. The companies with worse rating records would be more likely to improve their environmental performances in the following years. The disclosure program encourages the firms to be more reflexive to their internal environmental problems. The deterrent and enhancement functions of the program are weak due to the marginal pressure from the classified stakeholders such as investors, business partners and creditors. The influence of the public, such as neighboring communities and environmental NGOs, is weak too. Encouraging serious reactions of firm''s stakeholders to the disclosed rating results should be addressed in order to enhance the effectiveness of the disclosure strategy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since the late 1970s the central government of China has initiated several ecological environmental protection projects. The most significant of these has been the tui geng huan lin (returning cultivated land to forest and pasture) project in operation since the late 1990s. China''s northwest region is characterized by lack of water resources, yet such resources are of vital importance. There is scant discussion in the literature (including in China) on the linkages between the environmental protection projects and water management practices. This paper analyses how central government environmental protection projects are interpreted in the local setting, and how local water management policies and practices correspond to the projects. The conclusion is that local water management policies and practices are interlinked with both central government and local government policies on the environmental protection projects, and a new process for the redistribution of water has been established. When equity and social costs are not factored into the planning of new environmental protection projects, the social costs may be as high as the environmental costs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development stipulates 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The implementation of this agenda will mobilize countries worldwide to incorporate the SDGs into their national development strategies. The agenda does not specify how these goals are interconnected, thus limiting their implementation. In addition, air quality affects human life and plays a vital role in achieving these SDGs. Clarifying the interconnections between SDGs related to air pollution and other SDGs will accelerate the implementation of air protection and SDGs while simultaneously promoting policy coherence. In this paper, we use the latest calculation of the SDGs in China to construct national and provincial panel data to investigate the trade-offs and synergies among Chinese air pollution-related SDGs. The findings are as follows. First, most air pollution-related SDGs have synergetic relationships, except for SDG12, which has a trade-off relationship with other air pollution-related SDGs. Second, the synergies between air pollution-related SDGs and other SDGs far outweigh the trade-offs. Third, rapidly developing areas are more likely to experience a trade-off between economic development and air pollution problems. Fourth, geographic advantages in reducing air pollution, such as being adjacent to the sea, may weaken the synergies among air pollution-related SDGs and their synergies with other SDGs. These findings indicate that most air-pollution-related SDGs and interactions between air-pollution-related SDGs and other SDGs have substantial synergy; that is, measures aimed at one goal are conducive to the advancement of other goals. However, SDG12 reflects a trade-off relationship between economic development, environmental protection, and resource utilization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the world gets ready to begin the second decade of the twenty-first century, global climate change has been recognized as a real threat to civilization as we know it. The rapid and successful economic growth of developing nations, particularly China and India, is contributing to climate change. The route to initial economic success in China followed that of the developed nations through the development of industries. Unfortunately, China''s environmental protection efforts have not been the same as in developed countries because China is vastly different culturally, socially, economically and, especially, politically from developed nations. When China started to deal with environmental concerns in the late 1970s, it took advantage of the experiences of other countries in establishing environmental standards and regulations, but it did not have a model to follow when it came to implementing these standards and regulations because of the abovementioned differences. Economically, China is transitioning from an agricultural base into an industrial base; however, even now, 60% of the population remains farmers. China has been and still is heavily dependent upon coal for energy, resulting in serious atmospheric particulate pollution. While growing efforts have been expended on the environment, at this juncture of its economic development, China would be well served to revisit the traditional “develop first and clean up later” approach and to find a balance between development and protecting the environment. Against this backdrop, a reflective look of the effort to manage air quality from 1949–2008 (with an emphasis on the past 30years) in China is presented in this paper. The environmental component of the 2008 Olympic Games is examined as a special example to illustrate the current measures being used to improve air quality in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: China has become one of the largest refrigerants market in the world with the rapid economy development. This paper details the status of natural working fluid research and application developments in China as an essential element for the sustainable economic development and environmental protection. The natural working fluids examined include carbon dioxide, water, ammonia, air and hydrocarbon. Prestigious universities and enterprises in China have made significant achievements in recent years, especially on the application of carbon dioxide, water, and ammonia. Application of absorption and adsorption systems using water and ammonia as refrigerants are promising technically and economically, and various commercialized products have been developed for utilization in industry as well as commercial building. Evaporative/desiccant cooling markets are also expanding quickly in China. However, commercialized products with carbon dioxide as working fluid are still not available in China. Academic and industrial sectors should work together promote the application of carbon dioxide. With the strong support from government and society, it can be expected that more achievements could be obtained in near future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Efficiency and sustainability of grain production has now been an important issue in China. Aiming at analyzing such efficiency and sustainability in different parts of China, the grain production system of Jiangsu and Shaanxi Provinces was analyzed and compared by means of using emergy method in this study. The results showed that deterioration of emergy input structure (inorganic assistant emergy inputs increased drastically while organic ones decreased or increased little) affected the grain production system''s efficiency and sustainability of both provinces, and the situation of Jiangsu Province is more serious than that of Shaanxi Province. According to the results of efficiency and sustainability analysis, this paper suggests that we should utilize environmental resources abstemiously and dramatically to reduce the assistant emergy input structure into the grain production system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: China''s carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel combustion had increased with an annual growth rate of 4.36% since 1980, hitting 1GtC in 2003. The global climate change issue is becoming more and more important and hence to be the fourth challenge for China''s future energy development, following energy supply shortages, energy security, and local environmental protection. This paper used three MARKAL (MARKet ALlocation) family models, that is, MARKAL, MARKAL-ED (MARKAL with elastic demand), and MARKAL-MACRO, to study China energy system''s carbon mitigation strategies and corresponding impacts on the economy. The models’ structures and the economic feedback formulations used in MARKAL-MACRO and MARKAL-ED are briefly described. The endogenous demands in MARKAL-MACRO and MARKAL-ED enable them to partly satisfy carbon abatement constraints via energy service demand reductions, and the reduction levels for the 30 demand sectors from these two kinds of models for given carbon emission constraints are presented and compared. The impact of carbon mitigation on social welfare from MARKAL and MARKAL-ED, and on GDP, investment and consumption from MARKAL-MACRO are evaluated. The changes in both final and primary energy mix, changes in technology development, as well as marginal abatement costs for given carbon constraints from the three models, are analyzed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

After more than 20 years of experience with environmental impact assessment (EIA), the government of the People''s Republic of China is set to introduce a new EIA Law, in September 2003, in which strategic environmental assessment (SEA) complements the current project-oriented EIA process. In general, the new law does not attempt to modify the existing EIA system in any radical ways, suggesting that the government consider current practices satisfactory. In order to assess the likely prospects of the new EIA Law for project-level EIA, this paper presents an evaluation of the current EIA process in China, first, establishing the historical context of the current process and, second, considering the main issues and concerns relating to the institutional and procedural arrangements, and practical implementation of the process.The main problems highlighted are as follows: the narrow historic focus on pollution of air, water and soil, at the expense of the consideration of wider environmental, social and health impacts; environmental protection agencies being funded by development-oriented local government administrations; the lack of consideration of alternatives in EIA processes; and the lack of effective public participation. More specific procedural issues are also discussed. On the basis of this analysis, we make recommendations for improving the effectiveness of EIA at the project level.The introduction of SEA in the new law marks a real step forward for EIA in China, although it appears to exclude central government policies, and there are improved provisions for public participation. However, the prospects for EIA in China will remain mixed as long as the new law leaves project-level EIA largely unchanged. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

China’s rapid economic growth following the 1978 reforms has resulted in significant economic, social and environmental change. These reforms and their outcomes have been subjected to considerable scrutiny. However, relatively little research has been directed towards the relationship between the changing role of local government, which has itself been subject to substantial restructuring, and the local mediation of the social and environmental impacts of rapid economic growth. This paper investigates the local manifestation of social and environmental change in Zhejiang Province. In particular, it considers the changing role of local government in the regulatory process, and features a case study of Huzhou Municipality. A synthesis of the factual knowledge and perceptions of 48 key-informants from government and public institutions and rural industries is used as the platform for an analysis of the changing nature of local regulation with respect to the provision of key public services (health care and education) and environmental protection (water pollution control). The results reveal the ability of local government to selectively implement national and provincial policies in light of local priorities, which is taken as indicative of the emergence of local agency within local development processes. The case study suggests a need to re-evaluate conventional wisdom on the absence of autonomy at local levels of government in China, particularly as it relates to the continued devolution of administrative responsibility and the emergence of increasingly powerful economic interests. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

PM 2.5 emissions has become a serious issue in China with enormous regional variation in economic development, resource endowment, and consumption patterns, which leads to great variations in regional PM 2.5 emissions and embodied PM 2.5 transfer among provinces. The spatial and temporal evolution pattern of PM 2.5 and its influencing factors are important issues in the study of air pollution emissions and control, which could help policy makers allocate emission responsibilities and reduction targets. Based on the perspective of final consumption, this paper uses a multiregional input-output model to estimate PM 2.5 emissions in 30 provinces in different years in China, applies a geographically weighted regression model to analyze different driving factors, and then analyzes the spatial heterogeneity of consumption-based PM 2.5 emissions. The results show that consumption-based PM 2.5 presents a significant reduction trend, although the separation of production and consumption areas of PM 2.5 emission is further intensified. The provinces with rich energy but relatively backward economies and manufacturing industries correspond to the primary net inflow of PM 2.5 , while the provinces with strong consumption ability and the most developed economies and industries present a net outflow of PM 2.5. Moreover, the slowdown of consumption growth and the improvement of consumption quality have a positive impact on PM 2.5 emission reductions. The optimization of industrial structure has a more significant impact on pollution control and haze reduction in the western region, while the improvement of energy utilization efficiency and rational use of construction land are more conducive to the reduction of consumption-based PM 2.5 emissions in the eastern region. From the perspective of temporal and spatial changes, significant spatial differences occur between regions. Energy consumption, environmental protection investment and construction land show the trend of " high value area diffusion and low value area reduction". • Explores the spatial distribution characteristics of PM 2.5 emissions in China from the perspective of consumption. • Consider and analyze the inter-annual variation of pollutant emission transfer. • Clarifies the spatial heterogeneity characteristics of influencing factors. • Emphasizes the importance of further optimizing influencing factors to reduce haze from the consumption end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

•This paper distinguishes three types of development modes based on China's practice. •A nonparametric model was built for examining the win-win ability during China's transition. •Results show that China could achieve a win-win of its economy and environment. •There is a "U" shaped relationship between win-win ability and economic development stage. •China has not succeeded in passing the turning point of the curve. Since reform and opening up, China's economic development mode has moved from "extensive" to "bottom line," and will further turn to "green" in the future. Using non-parametric and spatial econometric models, this study investigates the win-win ability of environmental protection and economic development and the best time for China's transition. The results reveal that at present, China's green development transition on the whole could achieve a win-win of environmental protection and economic development, but this ability is on a waning trend. During the past decade, the best time for China's green development transition was 2011 and 2012, when its economy came into "New Normal." For many of the country's internal provinces, such transition seems to have negative impacts on the economy in the short term. There is a "U" shaped relationship between the win-win ability and economic development stage, and China has not succeeded in passing the turning point of the curve. Under the high-, medium-, and low-growth scenarios, this decay cycle is expected to end in 2025, 2027 and 2032. Compared with the environmental Kuznets curve, the turning point of the win-win curve comes much later. It means that while the public's willingness to protect the environment is sufficiently high and has crossed the inflection point of the environmental Kuznets curve, the win-win ability is going through decay cycles over longer periods (more than 10 years). Besides, to better adapt to the economic and social changes brought about by development mode transition, the central government should give local governments much more autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation is the main force to drive China's intensive pollution industries (IPIs) into sustainable development. Improving green innovation efficiency (GIE) is an effective way to reach this goal. The correct approach to measuring IPIs' GIE and its influencing factors is a hot issue. Based on the panel data of China's 21 subdivided industries of IPIs over the period from 2011 to 2015, this paper applies the Super-Slack-Based Measurement (Super-SBM) and Tobit model to analyse IPIs' GIE and its influencing factors, respectively. The results show that IPIs' overall efficiency fluctuates around 0.67 in the first 4 years and increases to 0.776 in 2015, failing to be DEA-efficient; there are obvious gaps in GIE between the 21 industries, and the ferrous metal smelting and calendering industry has the weakest GIE. The regression results show that, government R&D support and environmental regulation have inverted U-shaped and U-shaped relationship with IPIs' GIE, respectively. Foreign market demand and market competition have significant positive and negative impacts on GIE, respectively, but the impact of market openness is not significant. The results suggest that (1) Chinese government should increase R&D support for IPIs, especially for those with low GIE, and strengthen supervision of the use of government R&D funds to avoid the crowding-out effect, (2) strengthen the intensity of environmental supervision and enforcement of environmental regulation policies, (3) improve environmental protection standards and preferential policies for exportation at the same time, (4) promote industrial restructuring and improve the mechanism of resource and benefit sharing to promote the flow of innovative resources and diffusion of innovative achievements. • Supplementing the evaluation indexes of GIE to reflect the requirements of recycling, low-carbon development, cleanness. • The GIE of IPIs has been improved from 0.67 to 0.776 during 2011–2015, but still fail to be DEA-efficient. • GIE of different industries varies greatly, and the ferrous metal smelting and calendaring industry's GIE is the weakest. • Government R&D support and environmental regulation have inverted U–shaped and U-shaped relationship with GIE, respectively. • Foreign market demand and market competition have significant positive and negative impacts on GIE, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy (RE) is strategically important to achieve sustainability. Its development in China, however, is clearly imbalanced across regions. The uneven distribution of natural resources, financial resources and other factors across this country has brought serious challenges to the policymakers. It is thus important to give a comprehensive evaluation of China's regional RE development. To do so, this paper introduces a multidimensional approach and establishes a quantitative evaluation framework. Based on the existing literature, five dimensions of factors have been chosen for the framwork: economic foundation, institutions, technological development potential, energy security and environmental protection, and current status of the RE sector. A dynamic principal component analysis technique is applied to data from 29 provinces between 2008 and 2014. The results demonstrate large variations in RE development across provinces in China. More economically developed regions, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, have maintained a higher ranking and have clear advantages in almost all dimensions. Policy implications and recommendations for more balanced development across China are drawn from the empirical results. This approach can also be extended to investigate similar issues in other countries. • A five-dimensional index is proposed to quantify renewable energy (RE) development in China. • RE development performance in China has improved over time. • Disparities in RE development across regions have become smaller. • The institutional dimension is a challenging segment in RE development. • Beijing and Shanghai have the highest level of RE development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]