Study on Driving Factors and Spatial Effects of Environmental Pollution in the Pearl River-Xijiang River Economic Belt, China.

As a typical basin area in China, the Pearl River-Xijiang River Economic Belt (PRXREB) faces multiple types of environmental problems caused by the different development conditions of basins. To identify the situations of environmental pollution in the PRXREB, this paper constructed the Environment Pollution Composite Index (EPCI) by using four environmental pollutant emission indicators based on the entropy weight method, and explored the spatial effects and driving factors of environmental pollution by using the Spatial Error Model (SEM). The results showed that: (1) EPCI of the PRXREB decreased significantly from 2012 to 2016, and the spatial patterns were relatively stable. Wherein, the midstream and downstream were always the critical areas of environmental pollution. (2) Spatial spillover effects were significant in the PRXREB, which revealed that the local environmental pollution degree was affected by adjacent areas. (3) Industrial structure, infrastructure construction, and regulatory measures were the main driving factors of environmental pollution in the PRXREB. (4) To balance economic development and environmental protection in basin areas, environmental regulations such as environmental access, pollution payment, and cross-border early warning should be jointly established.

Spatiotemporal variations and determinants of water pollutant discharge in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, China: A spatial econometric analysis.

Water pollution is an urgent problem that needs to be controlled via green transformation and the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB). Based on the water pollutant discharge and socio-economic database of prefecture-level cities in the YREB from 2011 to 2015, this study explores the spatiotemporal variations in water pollutant discharge in the YREB via two main indicators: chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N). Further, the spatial effects and determinants of water pollutant discharge are quantitatively estimated. The results show that (1) the water pollutant discharge in the YREB has decreased significantly, with the COD and NH3-N discharge reduced by 10.46% and 10.79%, respectively, and the discharge reduction in the lower reaches was the most prominent; (2) the spatial pattern of water pollutant discharge in the YREB was generally stable and partially improved, and cities with a high rate of water pollutant reduction in the YREB were distributed in the main stream region of the Yangtze River and the intersection of the main stream and tributaries; (3) spatial effects had a significant impact on water pollutant discharge in the YREB, with regional cooperation and economic radiation through environmental management and control initially showing a combined reduction trend in regional water pollutants; and (4) determinants of population size and agricultural economic share declined to varying degrees at the end of the study period, although the urbanization level continued to increase, indicating that urbanization in the YREB occurred too quickly and that water pollutant discharge reduction was limited. However, economic development leading to the deterioration of the water environment was alleviated. In addition, foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows and rapid industrialization processes must be monitored to increase the reduction in characteristic water pollutants.

Exploring regional differences in the impact of high energy-intensive industries on CO2 emissions: Evidence from a panel analysis in China.

China is currently the largest CO2 emitter in the world. Within China, more than 60% of CO2 emissions originate from high energy-intensive (HEI) industries. Therefore, controlling and reducing CO2 emissions from HEI industries is crucial if China is to achieve its 2030 emission reduction targets. This study aims to investigate regional differences in the impact of HEI industries on CO2 emissions in China. This paper presents an analysis of the impact of HEI industries on CO2 emissions at the national and regional levels using a modified STIRPAT model and provincial panel data from 2000 to 2015 in China. The results show that HEI industries are significant contributors to China's CO2 emissions owing to the growth in industries, coal-based energy structure, low level of technology, and outstanding conduction effects. The impact intensity of HEI industries on CO2 emissions decreases from the western to the central and eastern regions in China because of a huge regional difference in industrial structure, energy structure, R&D investment, and industrial transfer. Our findings have important implications for policymakers in China by indicating that regional policies concerning HEI industries should be differentiated to successfully reduce CO2 emissions and meet national targets.

The impacts of urbanization on fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations: Empirical evidence from 135 countries worldwide.

Few attempts have been made to systematically investigate the impacts of urbanization on PM2.5 concentrations in countries at different stages of economic development. In this study, a broad concept of urbanization that considers the transformations in the urban economy and the transport sector induced by urbanization is proposed to investigate the influence of urbanization on national PM2.5 concentrations for underdeveloped, developing and developed countries during 1998-2014. The results indicate that urbanization has a significant relationship with PM2.5 concentrations, but the magnitude of its influence varies among groups of countries with different development levels. First, the positive response of PM2.5 concentrations to increased urbanization and transport-related emissions in underdeveloped countries are noticeably stronger than that in developing and developed countries. Second, for developing countries, urbanization, transport-related emissions and industrialization all have a significant positive effect on national PM2.5 concentrations increase, although their impacts are unexpectedly smaller than those in the other groups of countries. Finally, increasing urbanization and the decrease in CO2 emissions from manufacturing industry appear to reduce national average PM2.5 concentrations in developed countries, while the decrease in transport-related CO2 emission is likely to cause the rise in national average PM2.5 concentrations.