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Are natural resource endowments good or bad for carbon lock-in?——a perspective based on industrial resource dependence

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  • Wang, Guoyu
  • Zhou, Jinsheng

Abstract

To explore the potential impact of natural resource endowment on carbon locking in China, the mechanism of natural resource influence on carbon locking was constructed from the perspective of industrial locking and technological locking. A study based on a spatial Durbin model with provincial panel data from 2008 to 2022 found that: (1)Natural resource endowments exacerbate the degree of carbon lock-in in the region and have a spatial spillover effect; (2)resource-dependent industrial has a mediating role in the process of natural resource endowment influencing carbon lock-in; (3)the double threshold effect of technological innovation in the process of natural resource endowment influencing carbon locking is conducive to breaking the regional carbon locking dilemma; (4) the regional heterogeneity test found the most significant mediating effect in the eastern region. We obtained the conclusion that natural resource endowments exacerbate carbon lock-in. Finally, to accelerate the process of carbon unlocking in China, we put forward some policy recommendations from the perspectives of resource endowment, industrial restructuring, and technological innovation.

Suggested Citation

  • Wang, Guoyu & Zhou, Jinsheng, 2025. "Are natural resource endowments good or bad for carbon lock-in?——a perspective based on industrial resource dependence," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 340(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:340:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225049849
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.139342
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