A Study on the Influence Mechanism of Port Environmental Carrying Capacity

Abstract

Based on the concept of environmental carrying capacity (ECC), this study applies data envelopment analysis (DEA) and panel data analysis on panel data of 20 coastal ports in China from 2007 to 2012 to study the ECC mechanism of coastal ports. Research indicates that both port environmental technology level and environmental construction scale affect port ECC (PECC) with the latter dominating the changes in PECC. Additionally, economic development level and port throughput capacity positively impact PECC; educational investment negatively impacts PECC to a certain extent; and the degree of technological innovation and industrial transformation and upgrading have no obvious effect on PECC, indicating that science and technological investments did not achieve the desired output of industrial transformation and upgrading. Given the government's policy of advancing sustainable development and supply-side reform, this study provides policy guidance for the port to promote the construction of ecological civilization from the perspective of PECC. Keywords: Environmental carrying capacity, Environmental Kuznets Curve, Environmental Education Theory, Cost Theory, Data envelopment analysis