Can the Carbon Emissions Trading System Improve the Green Total Factor Productivity of the Pilot Cities?-A Spatial Difference-in-Differences Econometric Analysis in China.

Content Provider	Europe PMC
Author	Huang, Dawei Chen, Gang
Editor	Li, Kevin W. Liu, Zhi Li, Xuemei
Copyright Year	2022
Abstract	The carbon emission trading system (CETS) is an important market-oriented policy tool for the Chinese government to solve the problem of high emissions and achieve the growth of green total factor productivity (GTFP). This study makes up for the neglect of the spatial effect of CETS policy in previous studies and adopts the spatial difference-in-differences (DID) Durbin model (SDID-SDM) method of two-way fixed effects to scientifically identify the direct and spatial effects influencing the mechanisms and heterogeneity of CETS on urban GTFP based on the panel data of 281 cities in China from 2004 to 2017. It found that China's CETS significantly improved the GTFP of pilot cities but produced a negative spatial siphon effect that restricted the growth of GTFP in surrounding cities. Benchmark results are robust under the placebo test, the propensity score matching SDID (PSM-SDID) test, and the difference-in difference-in-differences (DDD) test. The mechanism analysis shows that the CETS effect is mainly realized by improving energy efficiency, promoting low-carbon innovation, adjusting the industrial structure, and enhancing financial agglomeration. In addition, we find that policy effects are better in cities with high marketization, strong monitoring reporting and verification (MRV) capabilities, high coal endowment, and high financial endowment. Overall, China's CETS policy achieves the goal of enhancing GTFP but needs to pay attention to the spatial siphon effect. In addition, our estimation strategy can serve as a scientific reference for similar studies in other developing countries.
ISSN	16617827
Journal	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health [Int J Environ Res Public Health]
Volume Number	19
DOI	10.3390/ijerph19031209
PubMed Central reference number	PMC8834972
Issue Number	3
PubMed reference number	35162232
e-ISSN	16604601
Language	English
Publisher	Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
Publisher Date	2022-01-22
Access Restriction	Open
Subject Keyword	carbon emissions trading system green total factor productivity pilot cities spatial difference-in-differences difference-in difference-in-differences energy efficiency low-carbon innovation industrial structure spatial siphon effect financial agglomeration MRV capability
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis Pollution Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health