IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i1p402-d1312095.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does the National Carbon Emissions Trading Market Promote Corporate Environmental Protection Investment? Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Xiao Yang

    (School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China)

  • Wen Jia

    (School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China)

  • Kedan Wang

    (School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China)

  • Geng Peng

    (School of Economics and Management, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China)

Abstract

China launched the National Carbon Emissions Trading Market (NCETM) in July 2021, heralding the first nationwide implementation of carbon emissions trading since the 2011 pilot scheme in China. The NCETM serves as a vital policy instrument that employs market mechanisms to regulate and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, this study aims to examine how the NCETM in China, as an environmental regulatory policy, impacts environmental protection investment (EPI) made by enterprises. Specifically, the research seeks to address three key questions: (1) Does the NCETM have an impact on corporate EPI? (2) What are the mechanisms underlying the effect of the NCETM on corporate EPI? (3) Additionally, does the impact of the NCETM on corporate EPI vary with the location of the firms? By utilizing financial data from listed firms from 2018 to 2022 and employing the difference-in-differences (DID) model, the empirical results suggest that: (1) NCETM significantly stimulates the increase in EPI by firms. (2) The NCETM promotes environmental investment by inducing higher R&D expenditures. (3) The effects of NCETM on firms’ EPI vary across regions, with the policy only being effective for firms in non-pilot regions that did not engage in the carbon emissions trading market prior to NCETM. This study provides empirical evidence for the microeconomic effects of the NCETM and a useful reference for the implementation of carbon emissions trading policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiao Yang & Wen Jia & Kedan Wang & Geng Peng, 2024. "Does the National Carbon Emissions Trading Market Promote Corporate Environmental Protection Investment? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-22, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:1:p:402-:d:1312095
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/1/402/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/1/402/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhou, Fengxiu & Wang, Xiaoyu, 2022. "The carbon emissions trading scheme and green technology innovation in China: A new structural economics perspective," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 365-381.
    2. R. H. Coase, 2013. "The Problem of Social Cost," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 56(4), pages 837-877.
    3. Konar, Shameek & Cohen, Mark A., 1997. "Information As Regulation: The Effect of Community Right to Know Laws on Toxic Emissions," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 109-124, January.
    4. Karen Palmer & Wallace E. Oates & Paul R. Portney & Karen Palmer & Wallace E. Oates & Paul R. Portney, 2004. "Tightening Environmental Standards: The Benefit-Cost or the No-Cost Paradigm?," Chapters, in: Environmental Policy and Fiscal Federalism, chapter 3, pages 53-66, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    5. Andrew Prag & Gregory Briner & Christina Hood, 2012. "Making Markets: Unpacking Design and Governance of Carbon Market Mechanisms," OECD/IEA Climate Change Expert Group Papers 2012/3, OECD Publishing.
    6. Thomas Stoerk & Daniel J. Dudek & Jia Yang, 2019. "China’s national carbon emissions trading scheme: lessons from the pilot emission trading schemes, academic literature, and known policy details," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(4), pages 472-486, April.
    7. Andrew King & Michael Lenox, 2002. "Exploring the Locus of Profitable Pollution Reduction," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 48(2), pages 289-299, February.
    8. Hua, Weiqi & Jiang, Jing & Sun, Hongjian & Wu, Jianzhong, 2020. "A blockchain based peer-to-peer trading framework integrating energy and carbon markets," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    9. Easwaran Narassimhan & Kelly S. Gallagher & Stefan Koester & Julio Rivera Alejo, 2018. "Carbon pricing in practice: a review of existing emissions trading systems," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(8), pages 967-991, September.
    10. Kedan Wang & Wenjia Cui & Mei Mei & Benfu Lv & Geng Peng, 2023. "The Moderating Role of Environmental Information Disclosure on the Impact of Environment Protection Investment on Firm Value," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-27, June.
    11. Giorgio Petroni & Barbara Bigliardi & Francesco Galati, 2019. "Rethinking the Porter Hypothesis: The Underappreciated Importance of Value Appropriation and Pollution Intensity," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 36(1), pages 121-140, January.
    12. Hongxin Yu & Yaohui Jiang & Zhaowen Zhang & Wen-Long Shang & Chunjia Han & Yuanjun Zhao, 2022. "The impact of carbon emission trading policy on firms’ green innovation in China," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 8(1), pages 1-24, December.
    13. Fankhauser, Samuel & Hepburn, Cameron, 2010. "Designing carbon markets, Part II: Carbon markets in space," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(8), pages 4381-4387, August.
    14. Sheng Xu & Wenran Pan & Demei Wen, 2023. "Do Carbon Emission Trading Schemes Promote the Green Transition of Enterprises? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-28, April.
    15. Zhang, Wei & Li, Guoxiang & Guo, Fanyong, 2022. "Does carbon emissions trading promote green technology innovation in China?," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 315(C).
    16. Zhang, Yue-Jun & Peng, Yu-Lu & Ma, Chao-Qun & Shen, Bo, 2017. "Can environmental innovation facilitate carbon emissions reduction? Evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 18-28.
    17. Liu Yang & Han Qin & Quanxin Gan & Jiafu Su, 2020. "Internal Control Quality, Enterprise Environmental Protection Investment and Finance Performance: An Empirical Study of China’s A-Share Heavy Pollution Industry," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(17), pages 1-15, August.
    18. Zhou, P. & Zhang, L. & Zhou, D.Q. & Xia, W.J., 2013. "Modeling economic performance of interprovincial CO2 emission reduction quota trading in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 1518-1528.
    19. Shigong Lv & Yanying Lv & Da Gao & Lulu Liu, 2023. "The Path to Green Development: The Impact of a Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme on Enterprises’ Environmental Protection Investments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-15, August.
    20. Zhou, Feite & Huang, Zhehao & Zhang, Changhong, 2022. "Carbon price forecasting based on CEEMDAN and LSTM," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    21. Wang, Minggang & Zhu, Mengrui & Tian, Lixin, 2022. "A novel framework for carbon price forecasting with uncertainties," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    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. Yadu Zhang & Yiteng Zhang & Zuoren Sun, 2023. "The Impact of Carbon Emission Trading Policy on Enterprise ESG Performance: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-27, May.
    2. Nicholas Howarth, 2011. "Clean Energy Technology and the Role of Non-Carbon Price-Based Policy: An Evolutionary Economics Perspective," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(5), pages 871-891, October.
    3. Elsayed, Khaled & Paton, David, 2005. "The impact of environmental performance on firm performance: static and dynamic panel data evidence," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 395-412, September.
    4. Jon D. Harford, 1997. "Firm ownership patterns and motives for voluntary pollution control," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(6), pages 421-431.
    5. Greg Filbeck & Raymond Gorman, 2004. "The Relationship between the Environmental and Financial Performance of Public Utilities," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 29(2), pages 137-157, October.
    6. Cary Coglianese & Shana M. Starobin, 2020. "Social Science and the Analysis of Environmental Policy," Review of Policy Research, Policy Studies Organization, vol. 37(5), pages 578-604, September.
    7. Jin, Chenfei & Tsai, Fu-Sheng & Gu, Qiuyang & Wu, Bao, 2022. "Does the porter hypothesis work well in the emission trading schema pilot? Exploring moderating effects of institutional settings," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    8. Xihui Chen & Juan Ou & Xuemei Tang & Qinghe Yang, 2023. "The Impact of Officials’ Off-Office Accountability Audit of Natural Resource Assets on Firms’ Green Innovation Strategies: A Quasi-Natural Experiment in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-36, February.
    9. Yang, Lisha & Li, Yutianhao & Liu, Hongxun, 2021. "Did carbon trade improve green production performance? Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    10. Aseem Kaul & Jiao Luo, 2018. "An economic case for CSR: The comparative efficiency of for‐profit firms in meeting consumer demand for social goods," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(6), pages 1650-1677, June.
    11. Stavins, Robert, 2001. "Lessons From the American Experiment With Market-Based Environmental Policies," RFF Working Paper Series dp-01-53, Resources for the Future.
    12. Michael Peneder & Spyros Arvanitis & Christian Rammer & Tobias Stucki & Martin Wörter, 2022. "Policy instruments and self-reported impacts of the adoption of energy saving technologies in the DACH region," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 49(2), pages 369-404, May.
    13. Homroy, Swarnodeep, 2023. "GHG emissions and firm performance: The role of CEO gender socialization," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    14. Xiaoqi Li & Dingfei Guo & Chao Feng, 2022. "The Carbon Emissions Trading Policy of China: Does It Really Promote the Enterprises’ Green Technology Innovations?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-15, November.
    15. Eng, Li Li & Fikru, Mahelet G. & Vichitsarawong, Thanyaluk, 2021. "The impact of toxic chemical releases and their management on financial performance," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    16. Yongliang Yang & Jin Wen & Yi Li, 2020. "The Impact of Environmental Information Disclosure on the Firm Value of Listed Manufacturing Firms: Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-20, February.
    17. Stavins, Robert, 2004. "Environmental Economics," RFF Working Paper Series dp-04-54, Resources for the Future.
    18. Stefan Ambec & Paul Lanoie, 2007. "When and Why Does It Pay To Be Green?," CIRANO Working Papers 2007s-20, CIRANO.
    19. Wunhong Su & Chun Guo & Xiaobao Song, 2022. "Media coverage, Environment Protection Law and environmental research and development: evidence from the Chinese-listed firms," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(5), pages 6953-6983, May.
    20. Bergquist, Ann-Kristin & Cole, Shawn A. & Ehrenfeld, John & King, Andrew A. & Schendler, Auden, 2019. "Understanding and Overcoming Roadblocks to Environmental Sustainability: Past Roads and Future Prospects," Business History Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 93(1), pages 127-148, April.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:1:p:402-:d:1312095. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.