China's progress in synergetic governance of climate change and multiple environmental issues

Abstract

Abstract Advancing the synergetic control of climate change and environmental crisis is crucial for achieving global sustainable development goals. This study evaluates synergetic governance levels over climate change and four environmental issues at the provincial level in China from 2009 to 2020. Our findings reveal significant progress in China's coordinated efforts to mitigate carbon emissions, reduce air pollutants, and conserve water resources. However, there remains room for improvement in managing solid waste and protecting ecological systems and overall progress in synergetic governance has slowed since 2015. Employing a random forest model, we identify socio-economic factors with great influence on synergetic climate change and environmental governance, such as energy intensity, service sector development, electronic equipment manufacturing, and transportation. Additionally, we reveal nonlinear relationships between some factors and performance of environmental subsystems, including both plateau effects (e.g. output in the smelting of ferrous metals) and U-shaped patterns (e.g. output in the manufacturing of metal products), possibly attributed to constraints in end-of-pipe treatment capacities and complexities in supply chain networks. Furthermore, through hierarchical clustering analysis, we classify provinces into four groups and provide tailored recommendations for policymakers to enhance synergetic governance levels in their respective regions. The framework established in this study also serves as a valuable reference for countries seeking to develop practical and context-specific solutions to mitigate climate and environmental risks.