The Influence Of Export Trade On Environment: An Empirical Research On Zhejiang Province

With the reform and opening of China, our trade has been beingdeveloped with good momentum. Especially with the accession to WTO,trade has been making great contributions to our nation’s economy.However, the consumption of related resources and large emissions ofindustrial refuses resulted by trade expansion make pollution even worse.The issue about how to realize the coordinated development amongeconomy, trade and environment should be presented and solved in time.Based on the situation, this paper tries to analyze how exports of ZhejiangProvince, which trade is important to economy, influence environmentfrom the theoretical and empirical point, and hopes to find methodsrealizing the balances between trade and environment.In the process of the paper research, we use qualitative analysis tolearn the export and environment of Zhejiang Province at first. Then wedraw supports from quantitative methods. In this paper, we draw lessonsfrom Werner Antweiler, Brian R.Copeland and Taylor’s ACTmodel(2001), from four sides including scale effect, structure effect,technical effect and policy effect, to analyze influences of export onenvironment in empirical way, and learn the shape of EKC curves todiscuss the step of Zhejiang’s economy. At the same time, we will learnwhether service trade could improve environmental quality from thecontrast between service trade and goods trade. In addition, we analyze the pollution from industry level. At last, we use some ways to researchthe dynamic relationship between export and environment.According to our research, we find that structure effect and largescale of export have negative influences on environmental improvement.Dependence of foreign capital and economic development will offset thenegative effects of structure and scale. Environmental policy coulddecrease SO2emission effectively. Contrary to the traditional EKC curveof conversed U, the EKC curve’s shape of Zhejiang is conserved N, andthe situation of Zhejiang’s economy is on the declined side of the curve.Compared with goods trade, export of service trade is in favor ofenvironmental development. At present, the export of mechanical,electrical and electronic equipment manufacturing industry brings greaternegative impacts on environment. In addition, export is pollutant changesGrainger reason, but pollutant hasn’t influence export. In future,government and enterprises should pay more attention to pollutant, incase that environmental deterioration will block the development ofeconomy and export.