Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Urbanization and Geo-simulation, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, United States.
Sci Total Environ. 2019 May 1;663:878-888. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.01.413. Epub 2019 Jan 31.
Environmental sustainability has become a significant goal for policymakers and practitioners since increasing environmental degradation owing to anthropogenic activities. Energy-environment efficiency, linked to a progressive reduction in the environmental impacts that may occur throughout their life cycle to levels that should be below or equal the Earth's estimated carrying capacity, is a crucial point for constructing an environment friendly society while maintaining rapid economic growth. Thus, this study combined a slack-based measure (SBM) with environmental impacts as undesirable outputs with spatial analysis techniques to measure energy-environment efficiency of 21 cities in Guangdong and its changing patterns during the period 2006-2016. What and how socioeconomic factors affecting energy-environment efficiency over time and space was further examined using heterogeneous panel data model. Here are the main findings: during the study period, energy-environment efficiency showed apparent spatiotemporal diversity with high values predominantly concentrated in coastal areas, especially in the center area of the Pearl River Delta. Energy-environment efficiency increased continuously in the western Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta, while it of eastern Guangdong showed a decreasing trend and of northern Guangdong remained stable at a low level. The results of the heterogeneous panel data model revealed that technological progress exerted the greatest positive effects on energy-environment efficiency, followed by population density, economic growth. Conversely, Openness was evaluated as an inhibiting factor. Interestingly, this study found that industrial structure demonstrated significant negative correlations with respect to energy-environment efficiency in the Pearl River Delta while it exerted significant positive influence in the peripheral areas of Guangdong. And foreign trade and energy-environment efficiency had a significant positive correlation in the Pearl River Delta, unlike the negative correlation in the peripheral areas of Guangdong. This study's findings hold a helpful reference for both policymakers and practitioners to coordinate the economy, energy and environment and established environment-friendly society in the fast-developed areas like Guangdong.
环境可持续性已成为政策制定者和实践者的重要目标，因为人类活动导致环境恶化加剧。能源-环境效率与逐步减少整个生命周期中可能产生的环境影响相关联，其目标是将环境影响降低到应低于或等于地球估计承载能力的水平，这是构建环境友好型社会的关键，同时保持快速经济增长。因此，本研究将基于松弛的测度（SBM）与环境影响（作为不良产出）相结合，并采用空间分析技术，来衡量 2006-2016 年间广东省 21 个城市的能源-环境效率及其变化模式。利用异质面板数据模型进一步研究了哪些和哪些社会经济因素会随着时间和空间而影响能源-环境效率。主要发现如下：在研究期间，能源-环境效率表现出明显的时空多样性，高值主要集中在沿海地区，特别是珠江三角洲的中心地区。粤西和珠江三角洲的能源-环境效率持续增长，而粤东则呈下降趋势，粤北则保持在低水平稳定。异质面板数据模型的结果表明，技术进步对能源-环境效率的正向影响最大，其次是人口密度和经济增长。相反，开放度被评估为抑制因素。有趣的是，本研究发现，在珠江三角洲，产业结构与能源-环境效率呈显著负相关，而在广东的外围地区则呈显著正相关。对外贸易与能源-环境效率在珠江三角洲呈显著正相关，而在广东的外围地区则呈负相关。本研究的结果为政策制定者和实践者提供了有益的参考，以协调经济、能源和环境，在像广东这样快速发展的地区建立环境友好型社会。
