Economics and Management School, Beijing University of Technology, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100124, China.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2022 Nov;29(52):78780-78794. doi: 10.1007/s11356-022-21314-7. Epub 2022 Jun 14.
Circular economy plays an important role in carbon emissions reduction. To understand how the development of circular economy in China improve the carbon productivity is of great significance to realize China's carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals. Due to the late introduction of the concept of carbon productivity, only a few studies have preliminarily analyzed the impact of the overall development of circular economy on carbon productivity at the macro level, but they ignored the different impact of different dimensions of the circular economy indicator system on carbon productivity at the micro level. In this context, this paper analyzes the impact of circular economy on carbon productivity by constructing an index evaluation system for the carbon reduction effect of circular economy through the two dimensions of resource efficiency and economic benefits and using the total factor carbon productivity measured by the DEA-Malmquist model and also analyzes the untapped potential of circular economy in different regions, which is expected to provide policy reference for how to achieve green and sustainable development in China under low-carbon constraints. Results show that first, the development of circular economy positively affects carbon productivity, and such promotion effect gradually strengthens with time. Meanwhile, the proposed indices demonstrate varying effects, with the resource efficiency indices outperforming the economic efficiency indices. Second, the varying degrees of circular economy development across regions lead to variations in the carbon reduction effect of circular economy on carbon productivity. Specifically, compared with the eastern and central regions, the western region shows the greater untapped potential of the circular economy. Identifying priorities for circular economy development, developing a circular economy in accordance with the local conditions, developing and utilizing advanced carbon emissions reduction technologies, and opening up further to the outside world have important theoretical value and practical significance for exploring the carbon emission reduction effect of circular economy.
循环经济在减排方面发挥着重要作用。了解中国循环经济发展如何提高碳生产力，对于实现中国碳达峰碳中和目标具有重要意义。由于碳生产力概念的引入较晚，仅有少数研究初步分析了宏观层面上循环经济整体发展对碳生产力的影响，但它们忽略了循环经济指标体系的不同维度对微观层面上碳生产力的不同影响。在这种背景下，本文通过构建循环经济碳减排效应的指标评价体系，从资源效率和经济效益两个维度，利用 DEA-Malmquist 模型测度的全要素碳生产力，分析了循环经济对碳生产力的影响，并进一步分析了不同地区循环经济的潜力挖掘程度，以期为中国在低碳约束下实现绿色可持续发展提供政策参考。结果表明：第一，循环经济的发展对碳生产力具有积极影响，且这种促进作用随时间逐渐增强。同时，所提出的指标具有不同的影响，资源效率指标优于经济效益指标。第二，不同地区循环经济发展程度的差异导致循环经济对碳生产力的碳减排效应存在差异。具体而言，与东部和中部地区相比，西部地区的循环经济具有更大的潜力待挖掘。明确循环经济发展的优先事项，因地制宜发展循环经济，开发和利用先进的碳排放减排技术，进一步对外开放，对于探索循环经济的碳减排效应具有重要的理论价值和现实意义。
