Decoupling Analysis between Economic Growth and Air Pollution in Key Regions of Air Pollution Control in China

The Chinese government has implemented a number of environmental policies to promote the continuous improvement of air quality while considering economic development. Scientific assessment of the impact of environmental policies on the relationship between air pollution and economic growth can provi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sustainability 2021-06, Vol.13 (12), p.6600
Main Authors: Li, Jing, Hou, Lipeng, Wang, Lin, Tang, Lina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
21st century
Air pollution
Air pollution control
Air pollution measurements
Air quality
Airborne particulates
Carbon
Civilization
Consumption
Continuous improvement
Decoupling
Developing countries
Economic development
Economic growth
Economic reform
Elasticity
Emissions
Environmental policy
Environmental quality
GDP
Gross Domestic Product
Impact analysis
LDCs
Nitrogen dioxide
Outdoor air quality
Particulate matter
Pollutants
Pollution control
Prevention
Regional development
Regions
Rivers
Sulfur dioxide
Sustainability
Sustainable development
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Summary:The Chinese government has implemented a number of environmental policies to promote the continuous improvement of air quality while considering economic development. Scientific assessment of the impact of environmental policies on the relationship between air pollution and economic growth can provide a scientific basis for promoting the coordinated development of these two factors. This paper uses the Tapio decoupling theory to analyze the relationship between regional economic growth and air pollution in key regions of air pollution control in China—namely, the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and surrounding areas (BTHS), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD)—based on data of GDP and the concentrations of SO2, PM10, and NO2 for 31 provinces in China from 2000 to 2019. The results show that the SO2, PM10, and NO2 pollution in the key regions show strong and weak decoupling. The findings additionally indicate that government policies have played a significant role in improving the decoupling between air pollution and economic development. The decoupling between economic growth and SO2 and PM10 pollution in the BTHS, YRD, and PRD is better than that in other regions, while the decoupling between economic growth and NO2 pollution has not improved significantly in these regions. To improve the relationship between economic growth and air pollution, we suggest that the governments of China and other developing countries should further optimize and adjust the structure of industry, energy, and transportation; apply more stringent targets and measures in areas of serious air pollution; and strengthen mobile vehicle pollution control.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su13126600