Understanding the driving factors and finding the pathway to mitigating carbon emissions in China's Yangtze River Delta region

Technological progress is an effective tool for controlling carbon emissions. However, because the connection between technological progress and carbon emissions remains under-theorized, the literature often discusses the overall effect of technological progress, ignoring the heterogeneity of technology. To better understand the driving factors of carbon emissions, we develop a new theoretical model based on the Green Solow model, in which technology is divided into production, energy conservation, and energy substitution technologies. Dy-namic panel models are then applied to show the driving influence of different factors affecting carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region between 2000 and 2017. The results indicate that total technological progress is conducive to reducing carbon emissions. The heterogeneity analysis indicates a positive reduction effect on carbon emissions for energy substitution and energy conservation technologies, but not for production technology. Interestingly, production technology significantly drives carbon emissions. However, the results also suggest that to control carbon emissions, it is necessary to promote production technology. Further analysis suggests that production technology plays an important role in the effectiveness of energy conservation and energy substitution technologies in decreasing carbon emissions.

Automated summary

Technological progress is an effective tool for reducing carbon emissions, but its connection to carbon emissions is not well-researched in the literature. To address this gap, this study develops a new theoretical model based on the Green Solow model and analyzes the driving factors of carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta region using dynamic panel models. The results indicate that overall technological progress is beneficial for reducing carbon emissions. Energy substitution and energy conservation technologies have a positive effect on carbon emissions reduction, while production technology has a significant impact on driving carbon emissions.