Can Economic Growth and Environmental Protection Achieve a “Win–Win” Situation? Empirical Evidence from China
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Literature Review
3. Methods
- Step 1. Indicator selection and data acquisition.
- Step 2. Indicator processing and aggregation.
- Step 3. Estimated values of EG and EPI over time and decoupling analysis.
- i.
- Decoupling (D). The first major category is the decoupling state, which contains three subcategories and usually refers to a situation where the environmental pressure is rising lower than economic growth. This indicates that the dependence of economic growth on environmental damage as well as resource consumption are weakening. Weak decoupling (WD) indicates that both are increasing, but that economic growth is significantly faster than environmental pressure. Recessive decoupling (RD) indicates that both are decreasing, but environmental pressure is decreasing faster, and strong decoupling (SD) indicates that environmental pressure is decreasing while the economy is growing. Therefore, in this paper, we define the SD state as the “win–win” state between the EG and EPI.
- ii.
- Coupling (C). The second major category is the coupling state, which contains two subcategories and usually refers to the fact that the changes in environmental pressure and economic performance show almost the same rate of change. This indicates a strong dependence between economic development and environmental damage. In this case, recessive coupling (RC) indicates that both fall at similar rates and expansive coupling (EC) indicates that both rise at similar rates.
- iii.
- Negative decoupling (ND). The third major category is the negative coupling state, which contains three subcategories and usually refers to a situation where environmental pressure is significantly greater than economic growth, which is a completely unsustainable state. Among them, expansive negative decoupling (END) indicates that both are increasing with a more pronounced rise in environmental pressure, strong negative decoupling (SND) indicates an increase in environmental pressure and an economic recession, and weak negative decoupling (WND) indicates that both are decreasing, but with a more pronounced economic recession.
4. Results and Analysis
4.1. Results of Decoupling Status between Economic Growth and Environmental Pressures at the National and Provincial Levels
4.2. Analysis of the Temporal Evolution of the Decoupling between Environmental Pressure and Economic Performance
4.2.1. Decoupling between Environmental Pressure and Economic Performance at the National Level
4.2.2. Decoupling between Environmental Pressure and Economic Performance at the Provincial level
4.3. Analysis on the Spatial Differences of the Decoupling between Environmental Pressure and Economic Performance
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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No. | Relationships between Environment and Economy | Authors |
---|---|---|
1 | Inverted-U shape (EKC hypothesis in long-term) | Grossman and Krueger [33], Hao and Liu et al. [43], Zhu et al. [39], AL-Mulali et al. [44] |
Inverted-U shape (EKC hypothesis in short-term) | Khalid Ahmed and Wei Long [31], Zhao et al. [34] | |
2 | Rejection of the EKC hypothesis | Hettige et al. [45], Ozturk and Al-Mulali [46], Perman and Stern [47], Wang et al. [48] |
3 | A monotonic relationship | Stern and Common [49], Azomahou et al. [50], Jaunky [51] |
4 | N-shaped | Yan-Qing Kang et al. [35], Yoonseok Lee et al. [36], Hannes Egli and Thomas M. Steger [37], O. Zaim and F. Taskin [38], Zhu et al. [39] |
5 | Special relationships (linear positive relationship at the stage of low income and then plateaus) | Bertinelli and Strobl [52], Ahmed et al. [53] |
6 | U-shaped | Lopez and Litra [32] |
First-Level Indicator | Secondary Indicator | Description | Units |
---|---|---|---|
Air quality | PM2.5 concentration | Annual average of PM2.5 concentration | Μg/m3 |
Greenhouse gas | Carbon dioxide emissions | CO2 emissions per capita | Ton |
Waste gas | Sulfur dioxide emissions | SO2 emissions per capita | Ton |
Nitrogen oxide emissions | NOx emissions per capita | Ton | |
Smoke and dust emissions | Smoke and dust emissions per capita | Ton | |
Wastewater | Industrial wastewater discharge | Industrial wastewater discharge per capita | Ton |
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) | Chemical oxygen demand per capita | Ton | |
Solid waste | Hazardous waste | Hazardous waste generation per capita | Ton |
General industrial solid waste | General industrial solid waste generation per capita | Ton | |
Environmental Monetization | Regional environmental infrastructure development investment | Regional environmental infrastructure construction investment per capita | CNY |
Regional industrial pollution control completed investment | Per capita regional industrial pollution control completed investment | CNY |
Province | 2004 | 2007 | 2010 | 2013 | 2016 | 2019 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anhui | 85,063 | 130,330 | 133,212 | 398,374 | 441,794 | 666,974 |
Beijing | 241,992 | 341,549 | 292,066 | 293,819 | 346,528 | 426,005 |
Fujian | 126,262 | 139,552 | 120,968 | 413,085 | 423,163 | 595,036 |
Gansu | 66,047 | 66,173 | 90,882 | 150,642 | 167,993 | 217,499 |
Guangdong | 847,102 | 793,558 | 521,234 | 107,9492 | 105,2835 | 145,5367 |
Guangxi | 60,822 | 63,545 | 54,758 | 206,772 | 251,557 | 324,731 |
Guizhou | 30,686 | 26,106 | 26,498 | 184,091 | 245,172 | 294,047 |
Hainan | 23,425 | 17,828 | 25,575 | 75,458 | 86,228 | 107,918 |
Hebei | 258,737 | 298,117 | 311,181 | 448,416 | 494,570 | 738,914 |
Henan | 167,072 | 218,124 | 205,669 | 454,382 | 487,109 | 790,192 |
2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
∆EPI | 0.2631 | −0.2030 | 0.0945 | −0.0199 | −0.0974 | 0.0841 | −0.0885 | 0.0024 |
∆EG | −0.0297 | 0.3892 | 0.0909 | −0.0687 | −0.022 | −0.0665 | −0.0623 | 0.3566 |
−8.83 | −0.52 | 1.04 | 0.29 | 4.24 | −1.26 | 1.42 | 0.01 | |
2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
∆EPI | 0.0828 | 0.0871 | 0.1192 | −0.1405 | 0.1792 | −0.0460 | −0.1877 | 0.1086 |
∆EG | −0.0865 | −0.1881 | 0.0295 | 0.0186 | 0.1245 | 0.0408 | 0.0273 | 0.1496 |
−0.96 | −0.46 | 4.03 | −7.53 | 1.44 | −1.13 | −6.87 | 0.73 |
Year | C | D | ND |
---|---|---|---|
2004 | 2 | 20 | 8 |
2005 | 3 | 6 | 21 |
2006 | 2 | 23 | 5 |
2007 | 1 | 13 | 16 |
2008 | 2 | 14 | 14 |
2009 | 1 | 15 | 14 |
2010 | 0 | 14 | 16 |
2011 | 3 | 21 | 6 |
2012 | 2 | 10 | 18 |
2013 | 0 | 24 | 6 |
2014 | 2 | 7 | 21 |
2015 | 1 | 25 | 4 |
2016 | 0 | 28 | 2 |
2017 | 0 | 30 | 0 |
2018 | 2 | 25 | 3 |
2019 | 3 | 22 | 5 |
Eastern | Western | Central | Northeastern | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
C | D | ND | C | D | ND | C | D | ND | C | D | ND | |
11th FYP | 1 | 24 | 26 | 2 | 30 | 21 | 1 | 17 | 13 | 1 | 9 | 5 |
12th FYP | 1 | 28 | 16 | 6 | 31 | 17 | 1 | 20 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 8 |
13th FYP | 0 | 31 | 6 | 2 | 40 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
Name | Governing Agencies | |
---|---|---|
Program 1 | Carbon neutral and carbon peaking strategy | State Council |
Program 2 | Agricultural and Rural Pollution Control Action Plan | Ministry of Ecology and Environment Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs |
Program 3 | The Three-year Action Plan of the Blue-Sky Defense War | Ministry of Ecology and Environment |
Program 4 | Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan | Ministry of Ecology and Environment |
Program 5 | Water Pollution Control Action Plan | Ministry of Ecology and Environment |
Program 6 | Arable Land Quality Protection and Enhancement Project | Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs |
Program 7 | Air Pollution Control Action Plan | Ministry of Ecology and Environment |
Program 8 | Grassland Ecological protection subsidy incentive projects | Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Rural Affairs Ministry of Finance |
Program 9 | Beijing-Tianjin Sandstorm Source Control Project | National Forestry and Grassland Administration |
Program 10 | Central Financial Forest Ecological Benefit Compensation Fund Project | National Forestry and Grassland Administration Ministry of Finance |
Program 11 | Reforestation Project | National Forestry and Grassland Administration |
Program 12 | Natural Forest Protection Project | National Forestry and Grassland Administration |
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Yang, Z.; Gao, W.; Li, J. Can Economic Growth and Environmental Protection Achieve a “Win–Win” Situation? Empirical Evidence from China. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 9851. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169851
Yang Z, Gao W, Li J. Can Economic Growth and Environmental Protection Achieve a “Win–Win” Situation? Empirical Evidence from China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022; 19(16):9851. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169851
Chicago/Turabian StyleYang, Zhen, Weijun Gao, and Jiawei Li. 2022. "Can Economic Growth and Environmental Protection Achieve a “Win–Win” Situation? Empirical Evidence from China" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 19, no. 16: 9851. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19169851