Research on the Stage of Regional Low-Carbon Economy Development, Influencing Factors and Policy Effects—Evidence from Jiangxi Province

Abstract

This paper considers the pilot policy of low carbon cities as a “natural experiment”. Firstly, the EKC curve is plotted using panel data of Jiangxi Province and eight prefectural-level cities in the province from 2010 to 2018, and it is judged that Jiangxi Province’s economy is still in the rising part of the left side of the curve, and economic development is still occurring at the cost of carbon emission growth. Secondly, fixed-effects model was used to investigate the factors that influence CO2 emissions, and it was discovered that industrial structure and the intensity of environmental management had an impact on carbon emissions. Thirdly, the Difference-in-Differences model is applied to evaluate the effect of low carbon city pilot policies, and it is discovered that the policies have a positive effect on energy conservation and emissions reduction. Finally, based upon the empirical results, suggestions for the future development of a low-carbon economy in Jiangxi Province are made in three areas: low-carbon production, environmental governance and supervision, and policy radiation.