Abstract
Power technology innovation has been positioned as an effective way to contribute to China’s carbon productivity. However, limited empirical evidence exists on the impact of power technology innovation on carbon productivity. Thus, based on the annual panel dataset of 30 China’s provinces from 2001 to 2019, this study explored whether and how power technology innovation promotes or impedes the improvement of carbon productivity. First, carbon productivity in the framework of total factor was calculated based on the metafrontier Malmquist-Luenberger productivity index. Second, the effect of power technology innovation on carbon productivity was investigated using the spatial Durbin model. And we also examined whether heterogeneous power technology innovations have a synergistic effect on carbon productivity. Third, influence mechanism of power technology innovation affecting carbon productivity was identified. Results show that (1) there are notable differences in China’s provincial carbon productivity, which is characterized by the spatial correlation. (2) Local power technology innovation has a promotion effect on carbon productivity in both local and neighboring provinces. Moreover, the promotion effect of breakthrough power technology innovation is stronger than that of incremental power technology innovation. (3) Catching-up Effect and Innovation Effect are important transmission channels through which power technology innovation improves carbon productivity. Finally, policy recommendations are provided.
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Abbreviations
- WTO:
-
World Trade Organization
- IPCC:
-
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- DEA:
-
Data environment analysis
- ML:
-
Malmquist-Luenberger
- MML:
-
Metafrontier Malmquist-Luenberger
- EC:
-
Efficiency change
- BPC:
-
Best-practice gap change
- TGC:
-
Technology gap change
- SLM:
-
Spatial lag model
- SEM:
-
Spatial error model
- SDM:
-
Spatial Durbin model
- IPC:
-
International Patent Classification
- ED:
-
Economic development
- FDI:
-
Foreign direct investment
- ER:
-
Environmental regulation
- FD:
-
Fiscal decentralization
- UL:
-
Urbanization level
- ISU:
-
Industrial structure upgrading
- PTI:
-
Power technology innovation
- CP:
-
Carbon productivity
- BPTI:
-
Breakthrough power technology innovation
- IPTI:
-
Incremental power technology innovation
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the reviewers for all comments and suggestions.
Funding
This work was supported by both the Ministry of Education Humanities and Social Sciences Research Planning Fund Project of China (The study of security risk measurement and benefit evaluation of China’s outward mining investment in the context of “One Belt One Road,” Grant No.19YJA790027) and High Technology Innovation Think Tank Youth Project of China Association for Science and Technology (The study of China’s power technology innovation, diffusion and improvement of carbon productivity, Grant No. 2021ZZZLFZB1207139).
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Software preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Yating Deng. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Fengtao Guang. Review and validation were performed by Shuifeng Hong and Le Wen. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Deng, Y., Guang, F., Hong, S. et al. How does power technology innovation affect carbon productivity? A spatial perspective in China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 82888–82902 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21488-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-21488-0