Sustainable Growth Drivers: Unveiling the Role Played by Carbon Productivity

Wenhao Qi, Changxing Song, Meng Sun, Liguo Wang and Youcheng Han
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Wenhao Qi: School of Economics and Management, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Changxing Song: School of Economics and Management, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
Meng Sun: Center for Northeast Asian Studies, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China
Liguo Wang: School of Finance, Jilin University of Finance and Economics, Changchun 130117, China
Youcheng Han: School of Economics and Management, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-25

Abstract: In global climate change, improving carbon productivity holds great importance for China’s sustainable growth. Based on panel data of 30 Chinese provinces and cities from 1997–2017, the drivers, spatial effects, and convergence characteristics of carbon productivity in China are explored by combining a factor decomposition framework and a spatial panel model. The findings show that (1) China’s carbon productivity shows continuous positive growth, and the substitution effect of capital for energy dominates this changing pattern; (2) There is a β-convergence trend and club convergence in China’s carbon productivity, and the spatial technology spillover accelerates the convergence rate; (3) With its accelerated industrial transformation and technological upgrading, China’s current carbon productivity converges faster than its earlier stage, and the role of physical capital investment has gradually shifted to suppression. In contrast, the positive push of human capital investment has been strengthened; (4) From the perspective of the realization mechanism, the convergence of carbon productivity in China mainly comes from the convergence of energy restructuring and capital-energy substitution. These findings can help China narrow the inter-provincial carbon productivity gap in terms of improving factor structure, upgrading technology, etc., and provide references for sustainable growth decision making in China and around the world.

Keywords: carbon productivity; growth drivers; convergence mechanism; spatial effects; environmental protection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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