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The mechanism of the environmental regulations affecting carbon emissions is complex, and for many years it has been a hot research topic for researchers. However, few of the previous studies have focused on whether or not environmental regulations can potentially influence carbon emissions through technical efficiency. Therefore, the present study chose to investigate the mediation effects of the technical efficiencies between environmental regulations and carbon emissions using the provincial panel data of energy-intensive industries for the period ranging from 2005 to 2015. The results were as follows: (i) In regard to the entire group of energy-intensive industries, it was found that environmental regulations could not only potentially directly reduce carbon emissions, but also indirectly reduce carbon emissions through technical efficiency. In other words, technical efficiency had played a partial mediation role between the environmental regulations and the carbon emissions; (ii) It was observed that for the different subdivided energy-intensive industries, the different levels of technical efficiency had shown various mediation effects. For example, the mediation effects of technical efficiency in the petroleum processing and coking (PPC) industry; papermaking and paper products (PPP) industry, and raw chemical materials and chemical products (RCMCP) industry, were found to be similar to those of the whole energy-intensive industries. Furthermore, the "Porter Hypothesis" had been verified in the nonmetal mineral products (NMP) industry. However, there were no mediation effects observed in the smelting and pressing of ferrous metals (SPFM) and smelting and pressing of nonferrous metals (SPNM) industries; (iii) In this study, in accordance with the regression results of the double-threshold models, it was found that for the energy-intensive industries as a whole, the carbon emission reduction effects of environmental regulations had become stronger with the increases in technical efficiency. For the PPP and RCMCP industries, there was an inverted U-shaped relationship observed between environmental regulations and carbon emissions when the technical efficiency was taken as the threshold variable. Therefore, based on the research conclusions achieved in this study, some policy recommendations were put forward. • Environmental regulation reduces carbon emission of the energy intensive industries of China. • Technical efficiency plays a partial mediation effect between environmental regulation and carbon emission. • The mediation effects of technical efficiency differ in the subdivided energy-intensive industries. • The "Porter hypothesis" is verified in Nonmetal Mineral Products (NMP) industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We study the relationship between GVC embedding and carbon emission density. • A mediation effect model was established to test the mechanism. • There is a U-shaped relationship between urban GVC embedding and carbon emission density. To achieve its carbon peak and neutrality plan, whether China's global value chain (GVC) embedding has a carbon emission reduction effect is a question worthy of attention. This paper measures the GVC embedding degree of 218 Chinese cities from 2000 to 2016, and constructs a panel data model to investigate the impact and its mechanism of GVC embedding on carbon emission intensity. This study finds that there is a significant U-shaped relationship between GVC embedding and carbon emission intensity, and a series of robustness test results support this conclusion. Export scale, energy consumption structure and technological innovation play a mediation role in the impact path of GVC embedding on carbon emission intensity. Based on this, this paper proposes that while participating in GVC, China needs to actively utilize the emission reduction effect of GVC, promote the transformation of export mode to high quality, reduce the use and dependence on high-carbon resources such as coal, and encourage companies to innovate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using panel data of 11 provinces in the western region of China, the paper empirically analyzes the influence of public environmental participation on the effectiveness of pollution governance. Based on documents from provincial governments in Western China, the paper uses Nvivo software to extract keywords about local governments' attention to the environment and examines its mediating effect between public environmental participation and pollution governance. Furthermore, a classifiable analysis of government environmental attention is carried out, and the effect of local governments' attention to the environment on pollution governance is studied. The results show that public environmental participation promotes pollution governance by increasing the governments' attention to the environment. Additionally, local governments' environmental attention also has a promotive effect on pollution governance, and the increase in environmental decision-makers' attention to environmental pollution and energy consumption is conducive to the improvement of environmental quality, but the effect of environmental protection and collaborative attention on environmental quality improvement still needs to be explored further. • Local governments' attention to the environment is estimated. • Public environmental participation promotes pollution governance. • Local Governments' Environmental Attention plays mediating role. • Local Governments' Environmental Attention has a promotive effect on environmental quality. • The effect of collaborative attention on environmental quality improvement still needs to be explored further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alienation among young residents is imposing different degrees of distress on society and community residents. For this paper, an online survey platform was used to collect 637 samples of young residents from 22 provinces in China. Based on the mediating effect of social capital, and by using path analysis and structural equation modeling, this paper examines the effect and mechanism of how the usage of urban community public spaces alleviates alienation among young residents. The findings show that the usage of urban community public spaces can not only alleviate alienation among young residents at the general level, but also through the path of interpersonal trust and reciprocity norm. The implications of these findings are that urban community public spaces play an essential role in improving community relations and happiness of residents. Therefore, in urban development, sufficient community public space, especially space for social activities, should be reserved. Furthermore, accurately understand to the use characteristics and actual needs of young residents for community space should be highlighted, to meet the diversified social needs of young residents and expand the value of public space through community space reconstruction and micro-renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The impact of digital city construction on carbon emissions was investigated. • Quantified the level of digital city construction at the provincial level in China. • Digital city construction can reduce regional carbon emission intensity. • Digital development and total carbon emissions show an inverted U-shaped curve. • Transmission mechanism for digitization to affect carbon emissions were explored. The rise and vigorous development of digital technology and digital economy provide huge potential for carbon emission reduction globally and in China. However, the current research on digital technology and carbon emissions is still in its infancy, and there is a lack of empirical conclusions between the two. Therefore, this paper investigates the impact of digital city construction on carbon emissions in China and its transmission mechanism using the panel regression models and mediating effects models, respectively. In particular, this paper constructs a measurement system for the level of digital city construction in China from four dimensions: digital infrastructure, digital economy, digital industry, and digital application. Then, the relationship between urban digital development and carbon emission reduction in China was investigated. The results show that: firstly, regional digital development significantly reduces carbon emission intensity, and the impact on total carbon emission shows an inverted "U" curve relationship of increasing and then decreasing. Second, digital development affects carbon emissions through three paths: technological innovation, industrial structure and energy structure. Third, the heterogeneity analysis shows that the impact of digitalization is more significant in the central and western regions than in the eastern regions, which highlights the late-development advantage of these regions in terms of carbon neutrality and carbon peaking targets. Based on the above conclusions, specific policy recommendations are proposed for region development in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We verify the mediation effect of technical efficiency between bus facility scale and ridership attraction. • Multigroup analysis is used to explore the variable returns to scale in bus system. • When bus facility scale is small, an increase in scale can enhance ridership attraction through higher technical efficiency. • When bus facility scale is excessive, ridership attraction suffers from the negative impact of a lower technical efficiency. • Different policies are proposed based on the actual situations faced by the cities. Bus ridership in many cities has not increased but, ultimately, decreased with the continuous growth of the bus facility scale in recent years in China. This study aims to explore the relationship between bus facility scale and ridership attraction by introducing technical efficiency as a mediator variable, and data collected from 152 Chinese cities in 2015 is used in the study. Technical efficiency in this paper refers to the degree to which a bus system attains its minimum inputs (labor, bus facility) with a given level of output (vehicle-km). Results show that the technical efficiency has a mediation effect. When bus facilities are few and insufficient, an increase in facilities can considerably enhance ridership attraction through higher technical efficiency, but when the scale of bus facilities increases to an excess, ridership attraction suffers from the negative impact of a lower technical efficiency. This study offers a theoretical explanation and provides decision support for policy-makers who would like to strengthen bus ridership attraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • This study explores young people's behaviour intentions to reduce PM2.5 in China. • The extended theory of planned behaviour model has been adopted. • Personal moral norm is significantly related to intention to reduce PM2.5. • The indirect effect of subjective norm is greater than direct effect. Abstract Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions have attracted extensive attention because of their severe negative impacts on human health and the national economy. Promoting public participation in reducing PM2.5, especially among young people, is one effective manner in which to control PM2.5 emissions. The present study explores the determinants that influence young people's behavioural intentions towards reducing PM2.5 using an extended version of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), which incorporates personal moral norms. Additionally, this paper evaluates and compares the direct and indirect relationships between subjective norms and PM2.5 reduction intentions. This study was tested empirically using survey data collected from 425 respondents in China. The results revealed that young people's attitude towards reducing PM2.5, the subjective norm, was that behavioural control and personal moral norms significantly affect PM2.5 reduction intentions. Furthermore, the indirect effects of subjective norms on PM2.5 reduction intentions via other determinants were 2.5 times greater than the direct effect. In addition, the results also validated the appropriateness of the extended theory of planned behaviour for exploring young people's PM2.5 reduction intention. Based on the results, implications and future research directions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Narrowing carbon inequality is crucial for coordinated and sustainable development. Based on a dataset of 283 Chinese cities for the period 2011–2017, and by employing the instrumental variable-generalized method of moments (IV-GMM) model, we test whether financial inclusion can achieve the dual dividends of inhibiting carbon inequality not only within cities, but also between cities. Further, this paper pays attention to the heterogeneous, direct, and indirect impacts of financial inclusion on carbon inequality. (1) The first finding is that financial inclusion achieves the dual dividends of narrowing carbon inequality within and between cities. (2) The mitigation effect of financial inclusion on carbon inequality is heterogeneous in terms of cities' administrative hierarchy, geographical location, and economic scale. (3) Six aspects of financial inclusion lead directly to the mitigation of carbon inequality. (4) The inhibitory effect of financial inclusion on carbon inequality is caused mainly by reduced intensity of carbon emissions and income inequality, which are two effective mediators. These findings help us devise solutions for eradicating carbon inequality by designing policies related to financial inclusion. • We examine the impact of financial inclusion on carbon inequality. • Financial inclusion achieves the dual dividends of narrowing carbon inequality both within and between cities. • The nexus is heterogeneous at different city levels, geographical locations, and economic scales. • Financial inclusion indirectly affects carbon inequality through carbon emissions intensity and income inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Green food consumption can guarantee the life quality of consumers as well as promote green food production. However, green food consumption is not an easy task which needs governmental policies, consumers’ environmental value, and convenient channels. This paper aims to examine how to promote green food consumption intention and in the end bring real green food consumption behaviors by using samples of 457 Chinese consumers. Based on the theory of planned behavior, we develop a conceptual model which proposes that internal influencing factors of consumers mediate the relationships between external influencing factors and green food consumption intention while context factors such as purchasing convenience moderate the relationships between green food consumption intention and behaviors. Hierarchical regression results show that promotion/diffusion can bring green food consumption intention but environmental value of consumers is needed. Purchasing convenience can promote green food consumption intention to become real green food consumption behaviors but it is not convenient to buy green food in China yet. Education affects green food consumption intention and family income decides if green food consumption intention can really bring green food consumption behaviors. We conclude that Chinese governments should strengthen supervision of green food production and labeling systems as well as develop more channels to improve environmental value of consumers. With more convenient purchasing channels and increasing incomes of consumers, green food consumption intention can more likely bring green food consumption behaviors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Intergenerational transmission of parenting styles exists in rural China. • The transmissible parenting style emphasis the role of father in parenting. • There is intergenerational transmission of rejective, hostile parenting style. • The transmission of parenting style is mediated by caregiver's mental health. The quality of parenting is associated with both early childhood development and lifelong negative adult outcomes, and there is evidence to suggest that some aspects of parenting show patterns of intergenerational transmission. However, the mediating mechanisms of the intergenerational transmission of parenting style are not fully understood. This study aims to examine whether intergenerational transmission of parenting style occurs among caregivers in rural China, and whether the mental health of caregivers is a critical mediator in the transmission process across generations. The sample consists of 194 caregivers who were recruited from an investigation in rural Jiangxi Province, China. Parenting style of both father and mother of the caregiver were self-reported by the caregiver using the simplified version of Egna Minnen av Barndoms Uppfostran (s-EMBU) inventory. The current parenting style of the caregiver is assessed by using the Parenting Practice Questionnaire (PPQ). We use multivariate regression to predict the intergenerational transmission of parenting style and examine the potential mediation effects. We found that 'emotional warmth' and 'rejective' parenting style of caregiver's parents are positively and significantly associated with 'warm' and 'hostile' parenting style of the caregiver, respectively. The transmission of rejective, hostile parenting style across generation is fully mediated by the mental health status of the caregiver. Specifically, the mediation effect of caregiver's depression, anxiety, and stress are all statistically significant. Findings in this paper support the existence of intergenerational transmission of parenting styles in rural China. Caregiver's mental health mediate the transmission process of rejective, hostile parenting style. This raises the possibility that parenting services may benefits across generations, and provides empirical evidence for preventive services aimed at improving caregiver's mental health and parenting styles at the early stage of child development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]