Can green transformation finance contribute to urban carbon emission performance? An empirical analysis based on a spatiotemporal bi-fixed SPDM model.

"Carbon peaking" and "carbon neutrality" are serious challenges at this stage, and the function of the green transformation finance (GTF) in the operation of carbon dioxide emission reduction is an urgent issue to be explored. However, empirical studies on GTF and carbon emission performance (CEP) are lacking. Given that, this research employs a panel dataset of 278 cities in China spanning the years 2006 to 2020 to measure the CEP of Chinese cities using the non-radial directional distance function (NDDF) approach and applies the SPDM and the intermediary effect model to practically analyze the spatial effects and mechanisms of GTF in promoting CEP. The findings derived from the empirical analysis indicate that (1) the level of GTF and CEP shows a trend of year-on-year increase, and there is a significant spatial correlation, but the absolute difference in CEP between cities increases. (2) GTF promotes the improvement of CEP in local cities. It reveals a favorable spillover impact on enhancing the neighboring cities' CEP. Furthermore, the research findings remain pertinent even after conducting rigorous tests to ensure their robustness. (3) Regional heterogeneity has been observed in the impact of GTF on CEP, with the development of GTF significantly contributing to the amelioration of CEP of neighboring cities in the east, significantly contributing to the improvement of local CEP of central cities and simultaneously contributing to the improvement of local and neighboring cities' CEP in the west. (4) The findings of the intermediary examination show that GTF mainly promotes CEP through the positive incentive effect of promoting green innovation in technology and the reverse push-back effect of optimizing the structure of industries. (5) The spatial spillover effect of GTF on CEP is more sensitive under the geographic distance matrix, showing a "three-stage" decay characteristic from near to far, and its influence range is roughly 300 km. Therefore, China should strengthen the development of GTF, cross-city communication and cooperation to boost the accomplishment of the carbon neutrality objective.

What is the relationship among environmental pollution, environmental behavior, and public health in China? A study based on CGSS.

China's increasing environmental pollution has caused concern for public health, so it is worth demonstrating the relationship between environmental behaviors and public health. To this end, this study examines the relationship between public health and both pollution and environmental behavior, based on micro-data and the ordered multinomial logistic regression model. It has been found that (1) external environmental pollution and subjectively perceived pollution have negation correlation with public health. Specially, air pollution and domestic waste pollution have significant associations and mainly with public mental health, (2) the environmental behavior of government and individual has an intermediary role, and (3) there is regional heterogeneity in the association between environmental pollution and public health. Residents in eastern China are more willing to mitigate the health damage caused by environmental pollution through individual environmental behavior, whereas those in central and western China emphasize government behavior. Finally, it is encouraged to actively implement environmental protection behaviors to improve the external environment and pay attention to the public's mental health.

Coordinated development of economic growth and ecological efficiency in Jiangsu, China.

In order to realize sustainable development, ecological efficiency is particularly important and deserving of further study and discussion in China. Thus, the study proposed a comprehensive index for ecological efficiency in Jiangsu and evaluated the ecological efficiency of 13 cities in the year of 2007, 2012, and 2017 by using entropy-weighting TOPSIS method. Based on coupling model, the study discussed the interaction between economic growth and ecological efficiency in Jiangsu. The results indicated that the ecological efficiency of Jiangsu in these three years differed considerably. Ecological efficiency is the highest in central Jiangsu, whereas ecological efficiency in the northern and southern parts of Jiangsu is relatively low from the perspective of horizontal space. In terms of coupling, Wuxi and Suzhou were the stablest in southern Jiangsu. Economic growth in the central Jiangsu fluctuated, Suqian lagged. Furthermore, based on the findings, the industrial structure should be adjusted to improve ecological efficiency. In addition, the use of innovation and rational foreign direct investment and other measures should be promoted. These proposals aim at improving ecological efficiency and achieving overall sustainable development in Jiangsu, China.