Research On The Impact Of Environmental Regulation On Carbon Emission Efficiency

The 20 th National Congress of the Communist Party of China pointed out that achieving carbon peak and carbon neutrality(hereinafter referred to as "dual carbon")is a broad and profound economic and social systemic change.Promoting the realization of the "dual carbon" goal is an important measure to establish and improve a green and low-carbon circular economy system,a key link to achieve high-quality development,and an inherent requirement of China’s modernization.In order to solidly promote the "dual carbon" work,it is necessary to effectively improve the carbon emission efficiency to promote carbon reduction,pollution reduction,green expansion and growth.However,environmental problems based on carbon emission reduction are typical externalities and are environmental responsibilities that all governments,enterprises and citizens should actually bear.Environmental regulation is a binding force centered on various social subjects,with environmental protection as the purpose and regulation as the means.In order to test the effectiveness and necessity of the current environmental regulation tools,and clarify the specific role path of environmental regulation on carbon emission efficiency,so as to clarify the direction of environmental regulation policy adjustment and the direction of carbon emission governance,this paper conducts indepth research on this paper.Following the idea of "mechanism of action-empirical test-policy recommendation",firstly,from the theoretical level,the direct and indirect mechanisms of environmental regulation on carbon emission efficiency are analyzed.Secondly,the comprehensive environmental regulation intensity and carbon emission efficiency of Chinese provinces are measured,and their spatial and temporal differentiation characteristics are analyzed.Thirdly,from the model level,a spatial econometric model is constructed to empirically test the direct effect,spillover effect and mediating effect of environmental regulation on carbon emission efficiency.Finally,on the basis of theory,data and empirical,it provides a decision-making basis for resolving the contradiction between development and environment.The results show that during the study period,the comprehensive environmental regulation intensity and carbon emission efficiency of provinces and four major regions in China showed an overall upward trend,but there were obvious differences between regions.Among them,the intensity of comprehensive environmental regulation is manifested as the gradient distribution pattern of "eastern>central>western>northeast",and the carbon emission efficiency is manifested as the distribution law of "eastern>northeast>central>west".The spatial differences in carbon emission efficiency vary in two stages,and regional differences are the main sources.Kernel density estimation examining the spatial distribution heterogeneity shows that the degree of discreteness of carbon emission efficiency expands,and the distribution shows a polarization trend.Spatially,the carbon emission efficiency of provinces showed a significant agglomeration distribution pattern.The empirical results show that the direct effects of environmental regulation,economic development level and marketization on carbon emission efficiency are significantly positive,while the direct effects of population size and external openness on carbon emission efficiency are significantly negative.Environmental regulation,marketization level and education level show a spillover effect on the carbon emission efficiency of neighboring areas,while the level of economic development,financial development inhibit the improvement of carbon emission efficiency in neighboring areas,resulting in negative spatial spillover effects.Technological innovation,energy consumption,and industrial structure all play part of the mediating effect in the process of environmental regulation affecting carbon emission efficiency,but the direction of action is different.Based on this,this paper makes suggestions for improving carbon emission efficiency and promoting green and low-carbon development from the perspectives of core explanatory variables,mediation variables and control variables.