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ORIGINAL RESEARCH
The Impact of Carbon Emission Intensity on High-
Quality Economic Development: An Empirical Study
from 284 Prefecture-Level Cities in China
1
Research Institute of Economics and Management, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics,
Chengdu 611100, China
2
Management Institute, Beijing Academy of Social Sciences,100101,China
Submission date: 2024-01-05
Final revision date: 2024-02-14
Acceptance date: 2024-03-12
Online publication date: 2024-05-20
Publication date: 2025-01-02
Corresponding author
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2025;34(1):57-66
KEYWORDS
Carbon emission intensityHigh-quality economic developmentGreen technological innovationSpatial Durbin Model
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
Currently, China is at a critical juncture for achieving high-quality economic development, and the
goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality pose new challenges to this endeavor. Therefore, based on
panel data from 284 prefecture-level cities in China spanning from 2011 to 2021, this study employs various
econometric methods and considers green technological innovation as a mediating variable to empirically
examine the impact of carbon emissions on high-quality economic development and its underlying
mechanisms. The results indicate that there exists a non-linear, inverted “U-shaped” relationship between
carbon emission intensity and high-quality economic development. As carbon emission intensity increases,
its role transitions from promoting high-quality economic development to inhibiting it. Furthermore, both
carbon emission intensity and high-quality economic development exhibit significant spatial positive
correlations and spatial spillover effects. The local area’s carbon emission intensity also affects the
high-quality economic development of neighboring regions. Green technological innovation serves as
a mediator, implying that carbon emission intensity can influence high-quality economic development
through its impact on fostering green technological innovation. This study holds significant theoretical
and practical implications in aiding the implementation of China’s carbon reduction policies and fostering
high-quality economic development across various cities.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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