Environmental Regulations and Chinese Energy Sustainability: Mediating Role of Green Technology Innovations in Chinese Provinces

The stable growth of an economy is based on the coordination between environmental protection and economic development. Environmental regulation may affect energy efficiency because of its function of correcting energy consumption externalities. This paper uses the SBM model and Tobit model to explore the impact on and pathways of environmental regulations of energy efficiency in 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China and explains temporal and regional heterogeneity. The findings suggested that the environmental regulation in all provinces is continuously strengthened and the energy efficiency in eastern China is relatively higher. There is a positive effect of environmental regulation on energy efficiency and there is a temporal and spatial heterogeneity. Environmental regulation affects energy efficiency through green technology innovation, industrial structure upgrading, energy structure transformation and other transmission paths, and its influence mechanism on energy efficiency also has regional heterogeneity. The policy suggestions are: further enhance the intensity of environmental regulation, refine supporting safeguards and implement differentiated environmental regulation measures.

Automated summary

The stable growth of an economy requires the coordination between environmental protection and economic development. This study applies the SBM model and Tobit model to investigate the influence of environmental regulations on energy efficiency in 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China, considering temporal and regional differences. The results show that environmental regulations are strengthening in all provinces and energy efficiency is relatively higher in eastern China. Environmental regulations have a positive effect on energy efficiency, and the impact mechanisms vary across regions. Policy suggestions include further enhancing the intensity of environmental regulations, refining supporting safeguards, and implementing differentiated measures.