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Spatial effects of economic growth, energy consumption and environmental pollution in the provinces of China—An empirical study of a spatial econometrics model

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  • Jie Zhang
  • Ke Zhang
  • Feng Zhao

Abstract

With sustained economic growth, environmental pollution in China has become increasingly serious and displays certain regional differences. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of economic growth, energy consumption, and environmental pollution in China and understand the dynamic pollution mechanisms for the implementation of regional collaborative governance. Based on the theory of the environmental Kuznets curve, this paper uses panel data from 31 provinces in China from 2008 to 2018 and applies a spatial analysis model to study the correlation among economic growth, energy consumption, and the spatial distribution of environmental pollution. A spatial measurement method is adopted to study the spatial effects of economic growth and energy consumption on environmental pollution. The results show that economic growth, the energy structure, and industrial pollution in China are spatially correlated and that there are different agglomeration areas in the spatial distribution. In terms of the temporal dimension, the energy consumption effect and technological pollution effect in China led to increased environmental pollution, and changes in the structure effect indirectly improved the environmental situation. In the spatial dimension, the high‐value clusters of the structural, energy consumption, and technological pollution effects are mainly in the central and western regions of China, and the low‐value clusters are mostly in the eastern and northeastern regions of China.

Suggested Citation

  • Jie Zhang & Ke Zhang & Feng Zhao, 2020. "Spatial effects of economic growth, energy consumption and environmental pollution in the provinces of China—An empirical study of a spatial econometrics model," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 868-879, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:28:y:2020:i:4:p:868-879
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.2042
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    7. Yue Sun & Zihao Wang & Shuhan Deng & Wentao Xiang & Hongsheng Chen, 2025. "Revisiting the Environmental Kuznets Curve: Does Economic Growth Necessarily Lead to More Carbon Emissions?," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-24, August.
    8. Wang, Ye, 2023. "What drives sustainable development? Evaluating the role of oil and coal resources for selected resource rich economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    9. Ruoxuan Xia & Zhuoming Long & Licong Xing & Yousaf Ali Khan, 2023. "Achieving sustainable development through economic growth, energy consumption, and agricultural productivity in China," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(5), pages 3428-3442, October.
    10. Wang, Jianda & Wang, Bo & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng, 2022. "How does the digital economy improve high-quality energy development? The case of China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    11. Liugang Ye & Zhenhua Fang, 2025. "The Impact of New-Quality Productivity on Environmental Pollution: Empirical Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-21, April.
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