YUAN Jingkun School of Economics
ABSTRACT：In September 2020, President Xi Jining made a solemn commitment of reaching carbon peak by 2030 and to be carbon neutral by 2060 at the UN General Assembly. The report of the CPC's 20th National Congress proposed to actively yet prudently promote carbon peak and carbon neutrality. Carbon intensity is a vital index for achieving peak carbon and carbon neutrality goals. Finance as a foundation and important pillar of national governance, plays an important role in supporting, leading and ensuring that peak carbon and carbon neutrality goals are achieved. At the end of fiscal expenditure, it is mainly reflected in the expenditure on energy conservation and environmental protection. Under the current fiscal decentralization system, the main expenditure of energy conservation and environmental protection is from local governments. Therefore, it is worth studying whether local fiscal expenditure on energy conservation and conservation can reduce carbon emission intensity and how effective it is to reduce carbon emission intensity. In the case of limited financial funds, how to make better use of the carbon reduction effect of energy conservation and environmental expenditure, and improve the efficiency and quality of the investment in energy conservation and environmental expenditure are of great significance for promoting the carbon peak and carbon neutrality, building a beautiful China, and achieving high-quality development.
On the premise of sorting out and analyzing relevant literature and defining concepts, this paper clarified relevant theoretical bases such as "foundation and pillar" theory, fiscal decentralization theory and Kaya formula, etc. related to the research, and analyzed and elaborated the mechanism of action of energy conservation and environmental protection expenditure to reduce carbon intensity. The absolute scale and expenditure structure of local expenditure on energy conservation and environmental protection are analyzed, and the current situation of carbon emission and carbon emission intensity is also mentioned.
Then, using provincial panel data from 2007~2019, an empirical study was conducted to examine the association between energy-efficient environmental spending and carbon intensity. Baseline regression was performed using a deterministic effect model. By adjusting the regression variables, the robustness was tested by a first order differential method. Comprehensive empirical analysis and current situation analysis, put forward the current local energy conservation and environmental expenditure problems and the reasons affecting these problems analysis. It was found that the absolute scale and proportion of local expenditure on energy conservation and environmental protection were low and unstable, and even showed a continuous sharp contraction. The proportion of expenditure on energy conservation and carbon reduction was low and showed a declining trend, and the effect of energy conservation and carbon reduction was higher in the eastern region than in other regions. The main causes of the problem are the lack of local governments' financial resources, the relative lack of attention to energy conservation and environmental protection, the relative lack of attention to carbon reduction, and the differences in regional resource endowment and development degree. Finally, proposes to strengthen the protection of energy conservation funds, optimize the expenditure structure, improve the budget management level of energy conservation funds, and promote the development of classified policies according to local conditions to achieve peak carbon emissions and carbon neutrality.
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地方节能环保支出对碳排放强度影响研究.pdf
