Impact of Hydropower on Air Pollution and Economic Growth in China

Chenggang Li, Tao Lin and Zhenci Xu
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Chenggang Li: School of Big Data Application and Economics, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, China
Tao Lin: School of Big Data Application and Economics, Guizhou University of Finance and Economics, Guiyang 550025, Guizhou, China
Zhenci Xu: Department of Geography, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 10, 1-20

Abstract: The development of renewable clean energy such as hydropower can not only ensure energy security, but also help achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals. This paper uses the annual data of 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2017, and constructs a dynamic spatial Durbin model and a geographically weighted regression model to empirically test the dynamic impact of hydropower on haze pollution and economic growth at the national and provincial levels. The empirical results show that the promoting effect of hydropower on economic growth in Western China is less than that in Eastern China, which further aggravates the economic development gap between the eastern and western regions. In addition, the suppression effect of hydropower on the haze pollution in the western region is greater than that in the eastern region, where the haze pollution is serious. From the national level, hydropower can promote regional economic growth and inhibit haze pollution, and the spatial spillover effects of these two effects are greater than the local effects, and the long-term impact is greater than the short-term impact. The research conclusions of this paper will help China realize the sustainable development goals of energy saving and emission reduction.

Keywords: hydropower; haze pollution; economic growth; spatial Durbin model; geographically weighted regression (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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