Can Implementing the New Development Concept Reduce Carbon Emissions? An Empirical Study from China

Abstract

China is the world’s largest carbon emitter, causing severe environmental damage. In order to enhance the sustainability of economic development, the Chinese government proposed a new development concept, including innovation, coordination, green, openness, and sharing. Based on the government work reports of 285 cities in China from 2010 to 2019, this study measures the implementation of the new development concept using a textual analysis method and investigates the impact of the implementation of the new development concept on carbon emissions. The results show the following: (1) The implementation of the new development concept can significantly reduce the scale and intensity of carbon emissions, and after a robustness test, the above conclusion is still valid; (2) Technological progress and industrial structure upgrading play mediating roles between the implementation of the new development concept and carbon emissions; and (3) The city’s characteristics can affect the impact of implementing the new development concept on carbon emissions, and in the eastern region, as well as in large-sized, resource-based, and high-administrative-level cities, the inhibiting effect of the implementation of the new development concept on carbon emissions is more pronounced compared with other cities. The findings of this study contribute to understandings of the relationship between the new development concept and carbon emissions and help policymakers design differentiated policies to reduce carbon emissions.