Jiankui Shi, Yingge Xia, Lun Hu, Hui Zhou, Jiliang Ma, Xiangdong Hu
Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, 100081, China.
College of Economics and Management, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jul 17;15(1):25944. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-09354-8.
Amid the accelerated pace of industrialization and urbanization in China, severe air pollution has emerged as a pressing concern, posing substantial threats to public health and the overall quality of life. Given its pivotal role in the transition towards clean energy, it is of utmost importance to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth assessment of the micro-level impacts of the coal-to-gas transition (CTGT) on individual welfare (IW). This study employs data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) to scrutinize the effects of the CTGT on IW, and has uncovered three pivotal findings. Firstly, the CTGT significantly enhances IW through a combination of income substitution effect (ISE), capital aggregation effect (CAE), industrial upgrading effect (IUE), and environmental improvement effect(EIE). As a consequence, residents have witnessed significant improvements in their life happiness (LH) and physical health (PH) following the transition. Secondly, natural gas pipelines accessibility (NGPA) has been found to exert an inverted U-shaped regulation influence on the relationship between the CTGT and IW. Thirdly, the welfare-enhancing effects of the CTGT are particularly pronounced among females with lower consumption levels, with a junior high school education or below, and residents in urban areas boasting superior energy supply and infrastructure standards. The findings offer crucial theoretical foundations and policy recommendations for optimizing energy structures and enhancing individual welfare, providing practical guidance for advancing global clean energy transitions and achieving sustainable development goals.
在中国工业化和城市化加速推进的背景下，严重的空气污染已成为一个紧迫问题，对公众健康和整体生活质量构成重大威胁。鉴于其在向清洁能源转型中的关键作用，全面深入评估煤改气（CTGT）对个人福利（IW）的微观层面影响至关重要。本研究利用中国综合社会调查（CGSS）的数据，审视煤改气对个人福利的影响，并发现了三个关键发现。首先，煤改气通过收入替代效应（ISE）、资本集聚效应（CAE）、产业升级效应（IUE）和环境改善效应（EIE）的综合作用，显著提升了个人福利。因此，转型后居民的生活幸福感（LH）和身体健康（PH）有了显著改善。其次，发现天然气管道可达性（NGPA）对煤改气与个人福利之间的关系具有倒U形调节影响。第三，煤改气的福利提升效应在消费水平较低、初中及以下学历的女性以及能源供应和基础设施水平较高的城市地区居民中尤为明显。这些发现为优化能源结构和提升个人福利提供了关键的理论基础和政策建议，为推动全球清洁能源转型和实现可持续发展目标提供了实践指导。
