IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/eneeco/v115y2022ics0140988322004595.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How green trade influences pollution emissions in China: A provincial perspective

Author

Listed:
  • Li, Jiaman
  • Dong, Kangyin
  • Dong, Xiucheng
  • Shahbaz, Muhammad

Abstract

How green trade affects regional environmental conditions is one of the core issues of sustainable economic growth in China. Based on the distinction of product quality, this study first assesses the level of provincial green trade by utilizing firm-level trade data on 142 green products. Then, based on panel data for the period 2007–2016 in China, this study empirically explores the comprehensive impact of green trade on pollution emissions by employing the SYS-GMM method. Furthermore, this paper explores the heterogeneous analysis, asymmetric analysis, and mediating mechanism analysis of the green trade - pollution emissions nexus. Following are the main conclusions: (1) Green trade can effectively reduce pollution emissions; (2) improved environmental quality can be achieved by increased trade in green medium- and high-technology products; (3) across various provinces, this impact is heterogeneous and asymmetric; and (4) the scale and technique effects are significant mediators in this nexus based on the mediation mechanism, while the composition effect is insignificant. The findings have several policy implications for improving green trade and reducing environmental degradation.

Suggested Citation

  • Li, Jiaman & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng & Shahbaz, Muhammad, 2022. "How green trade influences pollution emissions in China: A provincial perspective," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:115:y:2022:i:c:s0140988322004595
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106330
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140988322004595
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.eneco.2022.106330?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. He, Ling-Yun & Huang, Geng, 2022. "Are China's trade interests overestimated? Evidence from firms’ importing behavior and pollution emissions," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Hu, Yue & Liu, Chang & Peng, Jiangang, 2021. "Financial inclusion and agricultural total factor productivity growth in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 68-82.
    3. Grossman, G.M & Krueger, A.B., 1991. "Environmental Impacts of a North American Free Trade Agreement," Papers 158, Princeton, Woodrow Wilson School - Public and International Affairs.
    4. Frees,Edward W., 2004. "Longitudinal and Panel Data," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521828284.
    5. Dong, Kangyin & Sun, Renjin & Hochman, Gal, 2017. "Do natural gas and renewable energy consumption lead to less CO2 emission? Empirical evidence from a panel of BRICS countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 1466-1478.
    6. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2021. "General diagnostic tests for cross-sectional dependence in panels," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 13-50, January.
    7. Im, Kyung So & Pesaran, M. Hashem & Shin, Yongcheol, 2003. "Testing for unit roots in heterogeneous panels," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 53-74, July.
    8. Chen, Lei & Li, Ke & Chen, Shuying & Wang, Xiaofei & Tang, Liwei, 2021. "Industrial activity, energy structure, and environmental pollution in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    9. Managi, Shunsuke & Hibiki, Akira & Tsurumi, Tetsuya, 2009. "Does trade openness improve environmental quality?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 58(3), pages 346-363, November.
    10. Brander, James A. & Scott Taylor, M., 1997. "International trade between consumer and conservationist countries," Resource and Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 267-297, November.
    11. Brian R. Copeland & M. Scott Taylor, 1994. "North-South Trade and the Environment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 109(3), pages 755-787.
    12. Zhao, Jun & Jiang, Qingzhe & Dong, Xiucheng & Dong, Kangyin, 2020. "Would environmental regulation improve the greenhouse gas benefits of natural gas use? A Chinese case study," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    13. Alam, Md. Samsul & Atif, Muhammad & Chien-Chi, Chu & Soytaş, Uğur, 2019. "Does corporate R&D investment affect firm environmental performance? Evidence from G-6 countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 401-411.
    14. Doron Lavee & Ofer Menachem, 2018. "Identifying Policy Measures for Reducing Expected Air Pollution Across Israel and Analyzing their Expected Effects," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 20(01), pages 1-38, March.
    15. Lu, Shibao & Lu, Wenjing & Shao, Wei & Xue, Yangang & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2021. "The transboundary ecological compensation construction based on pollution rights: Ways to keep the natural resources sustained," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    16. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Li, Jiaman & Dong, Xiucheng & Dong, Kangyin, 2022. "How financial inclusion affects the collaborative reduction of pollutant and carbon emissions: The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    17. Gozgor, Giray & Can, Muhlis, 2016. "Export Product Diversification and the Environmental Kuznets Curve: Evidence from Turkey," MPRA Paper 69761, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2007. "A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 265-312.
    19. Arellano, Manuel & Bover, Olympia, 1995. "Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 29-51, July.
    20. Li, Jiaman & Dong, Xiucheng & Jiang, Qingzhe & Dong, Kangyin & Liu, Guixian, 2021. "Natural gas trade network of countries and regions along the belt and road: Where to go in the future?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    21. T. S. Breusch & A. R. Pagan, 1980. "The Lagrange Multiplier Test and its Applications to Model Specification in Econometrics," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 47(1), pages 239-253.
    22. Bastola, Umesh & Sapkota, Pratikshya, 2015. "Relationships among energy consumption, pollution emission, and economic growth in Nepal," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 254-262.
    23. Liu, Guixian & Dong, Xiucheng & Jiang, Qingzhe & Dong, Cong & Li, Jiaman, 2018. "Natural gas consumption of urban households in China and corresponding influencing factors," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 17-26.
    24. Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary & Ehsan Rasoulinezhad & Naoyuki Yoshino & Youngho Chang & Farzad Taghizadeh-Hesary & Peter J. Morgan, 2021. "The Energy–Pollution–Health Nexus: A Panel Data Analysis Of Low- And Middle-Income Asian Countries," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 66(02), pages 435-455, March.
    25. Soytas, Ugur & Sari, Ramazan, 2003. "Energy consumption and GDP: causality relationship in G-7 countries and emerging markets," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 33-37, January.
    26. Ren, Shenggang & Yuan, Baolong & Ma, Xie & Chen, Xiaohong, 2014. "International trade, FDI (foreign direct investment) and embodied CO2 emissions: A case study of Chinas industrial sectors," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 123-134.
    27. Werner Antweiler & Brian R. Copeland & M. Scott Taylor, 2001. "Is Free Trade Good for the Environment?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 877-908, September.
    28. Frees,Edward W., 2004. "Longitudinal and Panel Data," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521535380.
    29. Sanjaya Lall, 2000. "The Technological Structure and Performance of Developing Country Manufactured Exports, 1985-98," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(3), pages 337-369.
    30. Soytas, Ugur & Sari, Ramazan, 2009. "Energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon emissions: Challenges faced by an EU candidate member," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(6), pages 1667-1675, April.
    31. Papadas, Karolos-Konstantinos & Avlonitis, George J. & Carrigan, Marylyn & Piha, Lamprini, 2019. "The interplay of strategic and internal green marketing orientation on competitive advantage," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 632-643.
    32. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    33. Steven J. Moss, 1999. "Community-Based Trading Mechanisms To Reduce Polluting Air Emissions And Address Global Warming," Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 1(02), pages 195-212.
    34. Du, Kerui & Li, Pengzhen & Yan, Zheming, 2019. "Do green technology innovations contribute to carbon dioxide emission reduction? Empirical evidence from patent data," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 297-303.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yu, Xiaofan & Wang, Jin, 2023. "Enhancing sustainable trade of mineral resources between China and African Great Lakes economies: Recommendations for action," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PB).
    2. Qu, Xueping & Xu, Aidi, 2023. "Ways to promote investments in sustainable energy utilities in the central Asian regional economic cooperation program region," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zhao, Jun & Jiang, Qingzhe & Dong, Xiucheng & Dong, Kangyin, 2021. "Assessing energy poverty and its effect on CO2 emissions: The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    2. Li, Jiaman & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng, 2022. "Green energy as a new determinant of green growth in China: The role of green technological innovation," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    3. Zhao, Jun & Shahbaz, Muhammad & Dong, Xiucheng & Dong, Kangyin, 2021. "How does financial risk affect global CO2 emissions? The role of technological innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    4. Iftikhar Yasin & Nawaz Ahmad & Muhammad Aslam Chaudhary, 2021. "The impact of financial development, political institutions, and urbanization on environmental degradation: evidence from 59 less-developed economies," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 6698-6721, May.
    5. Jun Zhao & Xiucheng Dong & Kangyin Dong, 2021. "Can agglomeration of producer services reduce urban–rural income inequality? The case of China," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(4), pages 736-762, December.
    6. Li, Jiaman & Dong, Xiucheng & Dong, Kangyin, 2022. "How much does financial inclusion contribute to renewable energy growth? Ways to realize green finance in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 198(C), pages 760-771.
    7. Lau, Lin-Sea & Choong, Chee-Keong & Ng, Cheong-Fatt & Liew, Feng-Mei & Ching, Suet-Ling, 2019. "Is nuclear energy clean? Revisit of Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in OECD countries," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 12-20.
    8. Vo, Duc, 2019. "The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Environment Degradation: Evidence from Emerging Markets in Asia," MPRA Paper 103292, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Sudeshna Ghosh, 2018. "Globalization and Environment: An Asian Experience," Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 9(03), pages 1-27, October.
    10. Anh Hoang To & Dao Thi-Thieu Ha & Ha Minh Nguyen & Duc Hong Vo, 2019. "The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Environment Degradation: Evidence from Emerging Markets in Asia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(9), pages 1-24, May.
    11. Zhao, Jun & Shahbaz, Muhammad & Dong, Kangyin, 2022. "How does energy poverty eradication promote green growth in China? The role of technological innovation," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    12. Maliyamu Abudureheman & Qingzhe Jiang & Xiucheng Dong & Cong Dong, 2022. "CO 2 Emissions in China: Does the Energy Rebound Matter?," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-25, June.
    13. Jiang, Hongdian & Dong, Xiucheng & Jiang, Qingzhe & Dong, Kangyin, 2020. "What drives China's natural gas consumption? Analysis of national and regional estimates," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    14. Sung, Bongsuk & Song, Woo-Yong & Park, Sang-Do, 2018. "How foreign direct investment affects CO2 emission levels in the Chinese manufacturing industry: Evidence from panel data," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 320-331.
    15. Huaping Sun & Love Enna & Augustine Monney & Dang Khoa Tran & Ehsan Rasoulinezhad & Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary, 2020. "The Long-Run Effects of Trade Openness on Carbon Emissions in Sub-Saharan African Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-18, October.
    16. Iftikhar Yasin & Nawaz Ahmad & M. Aslam Chaudhary, 2020. "Catechizing the Environmental-Impression of Urbanization, Financial Development, and Political Institutions: A Circumstance of Ecological Footprints in 110 Developed and Less-Developed Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 621-649, January.
    17. Mehdi Nemati & Wuyang Hu & Michael Reed, 2019. "Are free trade agreements good for the environment? A panel data analysis," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 435-453, February.
    18. Zheng Fang & Bihong Huang & Zhuoxiang Yang, 2020. "Trade openness and the environmental Kuznets curve: Evidence from Chinese cities," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(10), pages 2622-2649, October.
    19. Panait, Mirela & Apostu, Simona Andreea & Vasile, Valentina & Vasile, Razvan, 2022. "Is energy efficiency a robust driver for the new normal development model? A Granger causality analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    20. Ozcan, Burcu, 2013. "The nexus between carbon emissions, energy consumption and economic growth in Middle East countries: A panel data analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1138-1147.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Green trade; Pollution emissions; Mediating mechanism; Heterogeneous and asymmetric analysis; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • F18 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Environment
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:115:y:2022:i:c:s0140988322004595. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eneco .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.