Environmental Regulation and Green Technology Innovation under the Carbon Neutrality Goal: Dual Regulation of Human Capital and Industrial Structure

Peng Liang, Shuangyi Xie, Fengyu Qi, Yu Huang () and Xiuwen Wu
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Peng Liang: School of Economics, Beijing Technology and Business University, No. 33 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China
Shuangyi Xie: School of Economics, Beijing Technology and Business University, No. 33 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China
Fengyu Qi: School of Economics, Beijing Technology and Business University, No. 33 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China
Yu Huang: Institute of International and Comparative Education, Beijing Normal University, No. 19, Xinjiekouwai Street, Haidian District, Beijing 100088, China
Xiuwen Wu: School of Economics, Beijing Technology and Business University, No. 33 Fucheng Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100048, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Green technology innovation is increasingly becoming an important driver of modern development. Facing the pressure of the carbon neutrality target, China has been strengthening environmental regulations in recent years, and the green technology innovation ability of market players has been affected. Moreover, the impact of environmental regulations on green technology innovation and the strategies to develop green technology innovation still need to be further explored. Here, we used 285 cities from 2010–2020 as research subjects, constructed indicators such as environmental regulation and green technology innovation capability, and used panel regression, threshold effect and mediating effect methods. The results reveal that: (1) environmental regulation has a disincentive effect on green technology innovation, as increased environmental regulation increases production costs, external costs and opportunity costs for firms, causing a mismatch of resources and creating a “crowding-out effect” that inhibits innovation development; (2) further study finds that when the human capital level reaches a certain threshold value, the impact of environmental regulation on green technology innovation shifts significantly, i.e., there is a threshold effect; (3) industrial structure can further be upgraded and optimized by environmental regulation, which will have an impact on green technology innovation, thus industrial structure optimization plays a mediating role. We conclude with recommendations for improving green innovation techniques for market players, and provide some lessons for accelerating the goal of carbon neutrality and promoting quality economic development.

Keywords: carbon neutrality; environmental regulation; green technology innovation; human capital; industrial structure optimization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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