Ziyuan Kexue (Jan 2024)
Effects of environmental information disclosure on pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction
Abstract
[Objective] The synergistic enhancement of pollution reduction and carbon emission mitigation serves as the general approach to promote the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development. The importance of environmental information disclosure for ecological governance has become increasingly evident, and assessing the pollution reduction and carbon emission reduction effects of environmental information disclosure provides a scientific evidence for the development of a green and low-carbon economy and society. [Methods] This study took Pollution Source Supervision Information Disclosure as a quasi-natural experiment. Based on the panel data from 235 prefecture-level cities in China from 2004 to 2020, the study employed the difference-in-differences method to examine the impact of environmental information disclosure on pollution reduction and carbon emission mitigation and mechanisms. [Results] (1) Environmental information disclosure led to a win-win situation for pollution reduction and carbon emission mitigation. Specifically, this system had resulted in a relative decrease of 25.5% and 19.2% in pollution and carbon emissions levels, respectively, compared to the sample mean in pilot cities. (2) The carbon emission reduction effect of environmental information disclosure was more pronounced in resource-based cities and cities with stringent environmental regulations, and this effect exhibited a diminishing marginal trend as carbon emission levels increased. The pollution reduction effect of environmental information disclosure appeared relatively even and stable across different cities. (3) Green technological innovation, government financial support, and industrial structure upgrading were important mechanisms through which environmental information disclosure promoted pollution reduction and carbon emission mitigation. (4) Low-carbon city pilot policies can strengthen the pollution reduction and carbon emission mitigation effects of environmental information disclosure, while the reinforcing effect of carbon emission trading policies is not clearly evident. [Conclusion] This study accurately identified the key role of environmental information disclosure in facilitating pollution reduction and carbon emission mitigation in cities, providing empirical evidence for improving environmental regulatory systems and strengthening coordinated emission reduction actions. Therefore, it is necessary to further enhance the depth and breadth of environmental information disclosure, design distinct and precise governance pathways, implement a comprehensive set of policies for pollution reduction and carbon emission mitigation, and lay the foundation for advancing ecological civilization in the new era.
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