Research On The Impact Of Environmental Regulation And Environmental Decentralization On Agricultural Carbon Emissions

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving low-carbon economic development have become important measures for governments to address climate change.Agricultural production is an important source of carbon emissions,and the realization of the "dual carbon" strategic goals cannot be achieved without the effective participation of the agricultural sector.On the basis of reasonably measuring agricultural carbon emissions,exploring carbon emission reduction paths has always been a research topic of common concern among Chinese academic and political circles.Environmental regulations,as an important means to address negative externalities,are also frequently used in controlling agricultural carbon emissions.Local governments are the main body in formulating and implementing environmental regulations,and a scientific and reasonable division of environmental affairs management power is crucial to tamping the carbon emission reduction effect of environmental regulations.Therefore,clarifying the internal relationship and mechanism between environmental regulation,environmental decentralization and agricultural carbon emissions is of great theoretical and practical significance for improving the efficiency of environmental regulation,optimizing the environmental management system and promoting low-carbon development in agriculture.This article uses a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis to study the impact of environmental regulation and environmental decentralization on agricultural carbon emissions.Firstly,the theoretical analysis framework of this article is constructed based on environmental regulation theory,environmental federalism theory,public goods theory and spatial economics theory.Secondly,using panel data of 30 provincial administrative units in China from 2005 to 2020 as the research sample,we fully grasp the evolution process and development trend of environmental regulation,environmental decentralization and agricultural carbon emissions,which provides an important factual basis for empirical research.Thirdly,the spatial Durbin model is applied to examine the impact of environmental regulation and environmental decentralization on agricultural carbon emissions,and the direct and indirect effects of the two are systematically analyzed.Finally,the interaction between environmental regulation and environmental decentralization is included in the research framework to test whether environmental decentralization will restrict environmental regulation to exert carbon emission reduction effects,and a panel threshold regression model with environmental decentralization as the threshold variable is established to further discuss the non-linear threshold characteristics between environmental regulation and agricultural carbon emissions,with a view to obtaining a reasonable interval for environmental decentralization.The main research conclusions of this article are as follows:(1)There is a significant spatial positive autocorrelation of agricultural carbon emissions in China.(2)Environmental regulation is an important means of curbing agricultural carbon emissions.It can not only reduce agricultural carbon emissions in the province,but also drive the reduction of agricultural carbon emissions in neighboring provinces through demonstration and learning effects.(3)Environmental decentralization has a promoting effect on agricultural carbon emissions.Decentralization of environmental affairs management power can easily cause constraints to fail and incentives to distort,and cannot effectively control agricultural carbon emissions in this province and neighboring provinces.(4)From a regional perspective,environmental regulations can significantly reduce agricultural carbon emissions in the eastern,central,and western regions of the province and adjacent provinces,while environmental decentralization has certain regional heterogeneity.Specifically,environmental decentralization will exacerbate agricultural carbon emissions in the eastern region of the province and neighboring provinces,and will also lead to an increase in agricultural carbon emissions in the central region of the province,but it has a significant inhibitory effect on agricultural carbon emissions in the western region of the province and neighboring provinces.(5)Environmental decentralization will weaken the carbon emission reduction effect of environmental regulations in the province.As the degree of environmental decentralization increases,the impact of environmental regulations on agricultural carbon emissions changes from a "helping hand" to a "grabbing hand ".Based on the above research conclusions,this article proposes the following policy recommendations: Firstly,scientifically formulate environmental regulation policies to release the carbon emission reduction dividends of environmental regulation.Secondly,rationally divide the management power of environmental affairs and deepen the reform of the environmental management system.Thirdly,build a low-carbon political performance evaluation system to guide local governments in healthy competition.Fourthly,strengthen regional cooperation and create an environmental governance pattern of joint prevention and control.