Shen Qiong, Pan Yuxi, Feng Yanchao
Business School, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, PR China.
Environ Res. 2023 Nov 15;237(Pt 2):116931. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.116931. Epub 2023 Aug 25.
Against the backdrop of the global carbon peak and carbon neutrality goals, the role of informal environmental regulation, epitomized by public engagement, is assuming an increasingly pivotal position within the realm of environmental management. By contrast, amidst the prevailing landscape dominated by formal environmental regulation (command-and-control and market-driven approaches), the environmental effects of informal environmental regulation on carbon emissions have received scant attention. Consequently, we examine the net, nonlinear, and mediation effects of informal environmental regulation on carbon emissions using panel data from 30 provinces in China, from 2003 to 2019. We find that informal environmental regulation has a significant effect on regional carbon emission reduction, especially in the eastern cities, pilot cities, and cities with long-term governor's tenure. Its U-shaped effect is confirmed by changes in environmental decentralization. The key points remain valid after the robustness test and the endogenous processing. The mechanism analysis shows that informal environmental regulation can reduce carbon emissions in the dual channels by improving industrial structure transition and renewable energy substitution. Therefore, this study assesses the management effectiveness of informal environmental regulation and determines the underlying mechanism between it and regional carbon emission reduction to provide a reference and an empirical basis for other countries regarding environmental improvement.
在全球碳达峰和碳中和目标的背景下，以公众参与为代表的非正式环境规制在环境管理领域正发挥着越来越关键的作用。相比之下，在以正式环境规制（命令控制和市场驱动方法）为主导的现有格局中，非正式环境规制对碳排放的环境影响却鲜有关注。因此，我们利用2003年至2019年中国30个省份的面板数据，研究了非正式环境规制对碳排放的净效应、非线性效应和中介效应。我们发现，非正式环境规制对区域碳排放减少有显著影响，特别是在东部城市、试点城市和市长任期较长的城市。环境分权的变化证实了其U型效应。经过稳健性检验和内生性处理后，关键点仍然有效。机制分析表明，非正式环境规制可以通过促进产业结构转型和可再生能源替代这两个渠道减少碳排放。因此，本研究评估了非正式环境规制的管理效果，并确定了其与区域碳排放减少之间的潜在机制，为其他国家的环境改善提供参考和实证依据。
