IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i17p7571-d1469067.html

Decoupling Analysis between Socio-Economic Growth and Air Pollution in Key Regions of China

Author

Listed:
  • Manru Wei

    (Safety and Emergency Management Research Center, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China)

  • Xiaoming Chuai

    (Safety and Emergency Management Research Center, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China)

  • Yisai Li

    (Safety and Emergency Management Research Center, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China)

  • Jingwen Han

    (Safety and Emergency Management Research Center, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China)

  • Chunxia Zhang

    (Safety and Emergency Management Research Center, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo 454003, China)

Abstract

The coordinated development of atmospheric pollution and socio-economic growth plays a core role in the sustainable development of cities and regions. The relationship between socio-economic growth and air pollution can be described using decoupling analysis. The seven key regions of China (168 cities), including Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei and its surrounding areas (BTHSR), the Yangtze River Delta region (YRDR), the Fen-Wei Plain (FWP), the Chengdu–Chongqing region (CCR), the urban agglomeration of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River (MLRYR), the Pearl River Delta region (PRDR), and other provincial capitals and municipalities with specialized plans (OPCCSP) were taken as targets to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of AQI values and PM 2.5 concentrations from 2014 to 2022. Then, the decoupling relationship between the AQI/PM 2.5 and the socio-economic growth index (SEGI) in these key regions was deeply researched by the Tapio decoupling model. The main results were as follows: (1) Although the continuous improvement in air quality was observed in these seven key regions in China, the PM 2.5 concentration in the BTHSR and FWP was still higher than 35 μg·m −3 . The AQI showed a spatial pattern of high in the north and low in the south, and the distribution of PM 2.5 in China was high in the east and low in the west. (2) The decoupling degree between air pollution and socio-economic growth was relatively high in the PRDR and YRDR. In contrast, the degree of decoupling was poor in the FWP and OPCCSP. The decoupling states were primarily influenced by industrial structure, energy consumption, and urbanization. (3) The decoupling of air pollution from socio-economic growth was in a strong decoupling state throughout the majority of the study period, achieving a comparatively ideal decoupling state in 2018. However, the overall decoupling states of the seven regions were not sustainable, and the decoupling stability was relatively poor. During the research period, the decoupling state between socio-economic growth and air pollution changed and was unstable.

Suggested Citation

  • Manru Wei & Xiaoming Chuai & Yisai Li & Jingwen Han & Chunxia Zhang, 2024. "Decoupling Analysis between Socio-Economic Growth and Air Pollution in Key Regions of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(17), pages 1-23, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:17:p:7571-:d:1469067
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/17/7571/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/17/7571/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Balwinder-Singh & Andrew J. McDonald & Amit K. Srivastava & Bruno Gerard, 2019. "Tradeoffs between groundwater conservation and air pollution from agricultural fires in northwest India," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 2(7), pages 580-583, July.
    2. Yuan, Liang & Shin, Kongjoo & Managi, Shunsuke, 2018. "Subjective Well-being and Environmental Quality: The Impact of Air Pollution and Green Coverage in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 124-138.
    3. Roinioti, Argiro & Koroneos, Christopher, 2017. "The decomposition of CO2 emissions from energy use in Greece before and during the economic crisis and their decoupling from economic growth," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 448-459.
    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. Yugang He & Chunlei Wang, 2022. "Does Buddhist Tourism Successfully Result in Local Sustainable Development?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15, March.
    2. Wang, Qiang & Han, Xinyu, 2021. "Is decoupling embodied carbon emissions from economic output in Sino-US trade possible?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    3. Andreoni, Valeria, 2020. "The energy metabolism of countries: Energy efficiency and use in the period that followed the global financial crisis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    4. Tostes, Bernardo & Heun, Matthew Kuperus & Henriques, Sofia T. & Brockway, Paul E. & Sousa, Tânia, 2025. "Insights from the evolution of transport technologies, 1800–2020: Energy use, transitions, and efficiency," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 401(PA).
    5. Mary Abed Al Ahad, 2024. "Air Pollution Reduces the Individuals’ Life Satisfaction Through Health Impairment," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 19(3), pages 1049-1073, June.
    6. Zbigniew Gołaś, 2022. "Changes in Energy-Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions of the Agricultural Sector in Poland from 2000 to 2019," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-18, June.
    7. Cansino, José M. & Román-Collado, Rocío & Merchán, José, 2019. "Do Spanish energy efficiency actions trigger JEVON’S paradox?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 760-770.
    8. Md. Afzal Hossain & Jean Engo & Songsheng Chen, 2021. "The main factors behind Cameroon’s CO2 emissions before, during and after the economic crisis of the 1980s," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 4500-4520, March.
    9. B. Kelsey Jack & Seema Jayachandran & Namrata Kala & Rohini Pande, 2025. "Money (Not) to Burn: Payments for Ecosystem Services to Reduce Crop Residue Burning," American Economic Review: Insights, American Economic Association, vol. 7(1), pages 39-55, March.
    10. Liang, Wei & Gan, Ting & Zhang, Wei, 2019. "Dynamic evolution of characteristics and decomposition of factors influencing industrial carbon dioxide emissions in China: 1991–2015," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 93-106.
    11. Huiling Wang & Jiaxin Luo & Mengtian Zhang & Yue Ling, 2022. "The Impact of Transportation Restructuring on the Intensity of Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Empirical Data from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-16, October.
    12. Xu, Shuhua & Sun, Chuanwang & Wei, Haoyu & Hou, Xinshuo, 2023. "Road construction and air pollution: Analysis of road area ratio in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 351(C).
    13. Agarwala, Meghna & Bhattacharjee, Shampa & Dasgupta, Aparajita, 2022. "Unintended consequences of Indian groundwater preservation law on crop residue burning," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 214(C).
    14. Mihaela Simionescu, 2025. "The Stability of the Economic Growth–Energy Consumption–Pollution Nexus in the European Union," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-20, May.
    15. Karmellos, M. & Kosmadakis, V. & Dimas, P. & Tsakanikas, A. & Fylaktos, N. & Taliotis, C. & Zachariadis, T., 2021. "A decomposition and decoupling analysis of carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation: Evidence from the EU-27 and the UK," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 231(C).
    16. Long Li & Yinting Li, 2022. "The Spatial Relationship between CO 2 Emissions and Economic Growth in the Construction Industry: Based on the Tapio Decoupling Model and STIRPAT Model," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, December.
    17. Jingjing Wang & Decai Tang, 2023. "Air Pollution, Environmental Protection Tax and Well-Being," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-15, January.
    18. Meng-Meng Geng & Ling-Yun He, 2021. "Environmental Regulation, Environmental Awareness and Environmental Governance Satisfaction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-17, April.
    19. Yong Wang & Yu Zhou & Lin Zhu & Fei Zhang & Yingchun Zhang, 2018. "Influencing Factors and Decoupling Elasticity of China’s Transportation Carbon Emissions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-29, May.
    20. Perry Sadorsky, 2020. "Energy Related CO 2 Emissions before and after the Financial Crisis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-22, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    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:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:17:p:7571-:d:1469067. 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.