How does energy poverty eradication promote green growth in China? The role of technological innovation

To empirically investigate the potential impact of energy poverty on green growth in China, we employ a balanced panel dataset of 30 provinces for the period 2004-2017. For this purpose, we first construct an indicator system to measure a comprehensive index of green growth in China, and then examine the mediating effect of technological innovation on the energy poverty-green growth nexus. The main findings indicate that: (1) China's annual green growth index exhibits a significant upward trend; in other words, green growth in China has shown remarkable achievements; (2) energy poverty eradication and increasing technological innovation can effectively promote the country's green growth, and the interaction role of energy poverty and technological innovation affects green growth positively; and (3) energy poverty eradication not only directly promotes green growth, but also has an indirect impact on green growth by accelerating the process of technological innovation. Following the above conclusions, we highlight some policy implications for promoting green growth in China.

Automated summary

This empirical study investigates the potential impact of energy poverty on green growth in China. The findings suggest that China's green growth index is on a significant upward trend, and the eradication of energy poverty and technological innovation play positive roles in promoting green growth. Furthermore, the study shows that energy poverty eradication not only directly promotes green growth, but also indirectly impacts it through accelerating technological innovation. The research provides policy implications for promoting green growth in China.