IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i18p8253-d1483473.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unlocking Sustainable Growth: The Transformative Impact of Green Finance on Industrial Carbon Emissions in China

Author

Listed:
  • Xi Zhao

    (School of Economics and Management, Hefei University, Hefei 230601, China)

  • Siqin Zhang

    (School of Economics and Management, Hefei University, Hefei 230601, China)

  • Najid Ahmad

    (School of Business, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan 411201, China)

  • Shuangguo Wang

    (Business School, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China)

  • Jiaxing Zhao

    (School of Environmental Engineering and Science, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing 211816, China)

Abstract

This study investigates the crucial role of green finance in addressing the imperative of reducing industrial carbon emissions for a sustainable global economy. Encompassing facets, such as green credit, insurance, investment, and governmental help for growth in green businesses. Our research on the strength of a comprehensive dataset covering China’s 30 provinces between 2010 and 2019 employs a fixed-effects regression and heterogeneity assessment, revealing an inverse association between green finance and industrial carbon emissions. This verifies the notion that green finance serves as a deterrent to carbon emissions from the industrial sector. According to the results of this study, green financing can significantly lower the CO 2 emissions from industries, which in turn can lead to an enhancement in environmental quality. Notably, our findings revealed substantial regional variations in this relationship. By proposing actionable recommendations, we advocate strategies to address regional disparities, standardize measurement protocols for green finance, optimize the environment for technological innovation, and realize industrial structures. By acknowledging these nuanced dynamics, our study not only contributes to the understanding of the impact of green finance but also offers targeted solutions to foster high-quality sustainable development in China, ensuring a more effective and comprehensive approach to mitigating carbon emissions in the industrial sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Xi Zhao & Siqin Zhang & Najid Ahmad & Shuangguo Wang & Jiaxing Zhao, 2024. "Unlocking Sustainable Growth: The Transformative Impact of Green Finance on Industrial Carbon Emissions in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-21, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:18:p:8253-:d:1483473
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/18/8253/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/18/8253/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Hussain, Jafar, 2023. "An assessment of socioeconomic indicators and energy consumption by considering green financing," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    2. Liu, Ying & Liu, Steve & Wu, Ziqi & Xiao, Yi, 2022. "How do technological innovations affect corporate investment and hiring?," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    3. Abbas, Jawad & Wang, Lisu & Ben Belgacem, Samira & Pawar, Puja Sunil & Najam, Hina & Abbas, Jaffar, 2023. "Investment in renewable energy and electricity output: Role of green finance, environmental tax, and geopolitical risk: Empirical evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 269(C).
    4. Lan, Jing & Wei, Yiming & Guo, Jie & Li, Qiuming & Liu, Zhen, 2023. "The effect of green finance on industrial pollution emissions: Evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    5. Li, Yaowang & Yang, Xuxin & Du, Ershun & Liu, Yuliang & Zhang, Shixu & Yang, Chen & Zhang, Ning & Liu, Chang, 2024. "A review on carbon emission accounting approaches for the electricity power industry," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 359(C).
    6. Ren, Xiaohang & Tong, Ziwei & Sun, Xianming & Yan, Cheng, 2022. "Dynamic impacts of energy consumption on economic growth in China: Evidence from a non-parametric panel data model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    7. Umar, Muhammad & Safi, Adnan, 2023. "Do green finance and innovation matter for environmental protection? A case of OECD economies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    8. Wang, Jiaqi & Tian, Jiaxin & Kang, Yuxin & Guo, Kun, 2023. "Can green finance development abate carbon emissions: Evidence from China," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 73-91.
    9. Zhang, Chuanguo & Zhou, Xiangxue, 2016. "Does foreign direct investment lead to lower CO2 emissions? Evidence from a regional analysis in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 943-951.
    10. Yu, Huaying & Wei, Wei & Li, Jinhe & Li, Ying, 2022. "The impact of green digital finance on energy resources and climate change mitigation in carbon neutrality: Case of 60 economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    11. Aiping Chen & Huiying Chen, 2021. "Decomposition Analysis of Green Technology Innovation from Green Patents in China," Mathematical Problems in Engineering, Hindawi, vol. 2021, pages 1-11, May.
    12. Jing Zhang & Xiaolan Fu, 2008. "FDI and environmental regulations in China," Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 13(3), pages 332-353.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Khan, Yasir & Hassan, Taimoor & Guiqin, Huang & Nabi, Ghulam, 2023. "Analyzing the impact of natural resources and rule of law on sustainable environment: A proposed policy framework for BRICS economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).
    2. Muntazir Hussain & Ramiz Ur Rehman & Usman Bashir, 2024. "Environmental pollution, innovation, and financial development: an empirical investigation in selected industrialized countries using the panel ARDL approach," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(11), pages 29217-29248, November.
    3. Wen Jun & Muhammad Zakaria & Syed Jawad Hussain Shahzad & Hamid Mahmood, 2018. "Effect of FDI on Pollution in China: New Insights Based on Wavelet Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-20, October.
    4. Xiuli Liu & Jing Cui & Yanrui Wu & Xiaohang Yue & Jun Shen & Pibin Guo, 2024. "The Nexus between Green Finance and Carbon Emissions: Evidence from Maturity Mismatch in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-24, May.
    5. Umar, Muhammad & Ji, Xiangfeng & Safi, Adnan & Afshan, Sahar, 2024. "Decentralization, institutional quality, and carbon neutrality: Unraveling the nexus in China's pursuit of sustainable development," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1238-1249.
    6. Assad Ullah & Xinshun Zhao & Muhammad Abdul Kamal & Jiajia Zheng, 2022. "Environmental regulations and inward FDI in China: Fresh evidence from the asymmetric autoregressive distributed lag approach," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 1340-1356, January.
    7. Li Cao & Jiaqi Gao, 2024. "The Impact of Green Finance on Agricultural Pollution and Carbon Reduction: The Case of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Li, Rongnan & Liu, Zhuang & Li, Shun & Geng, Jiao & Shi, Guanqun & Gu, Xiao, 2023. "Geopolitical risk, green finance and natural resources: A novel analysis of China's national level data," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PB).
    9. Wang, Hao & Luo, Qi, 2022. "Can a colonial legacy explain the pollution haven hypothesis? A city-level panel analysis," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 482-495.
    10. Zhao, Congyu & Dong, Kangyin & Wang, Kun & Nepal, Rabindra, 2024. "How does artificial intelligence promote renewable energy development? The role of climate finance," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    11. Yang, Xiaoyun, 2023. "Role of green finance and investment in sustainable resource development in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).
    12. Hao, Yu & Guo, Yunxia & Guo, Yitong & Wu, Haitao & Ren, Siyu, 2020. "Does outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) affect the home country’s environmental quality? The case of China," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 109-119.
    13. Wang, Fanyi & Ma, Wanying & Mirza, Nawazish & Altuntaş, Mehmet, 2023. "Green financing, financial uncertainty, geopolitical risk, and oil prices volatility," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    14. Tang, Yunfeng & Zhang, Xuan & Lu, Shibao & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2023. "Digital finance and air pollution in China: Evolution characteristics, impact mechanism and regional differences," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(PA).
    15. Shimei Wu & Haotian Zhang, 2022. "The existence and mechanism of the domestic pollution haven hypothesis: evidence from 265 cities in China," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 15(3), pages 287-310, December.
    16. Jingjing Wang & Yuhan Pan & Decai Tang, 2024. "Environmental Protection Tax Reform in China: A Catalyst or a Barrier to Total Factor Productivity? An Analysis through a Quasi-Natural Experiment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(16), pages 1-20, August.
    17. Ma, Hongchao & Zhang, Haonan, 2024. "Can green energy expansion develop the mineral resource market in East Asia?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    18. Zhang, Ming-ang & Lu, Shuling & Zhang, Sihan & Bai, Yanfeng, 2023. "The unintended consequence of minimum wage hikes: Evidence based on firms' pollution emission," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    19. Acheampong, Alex O., 2019. "Modelling for insight: Does financial development improve environmental quality?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 156-179.
    20. Degirmenci, Tunahan & Yavuz, Hakan, 2024. "Environmental taxes, R&D expenditures and renewable energy consumption in EU countries: Are fiscal instruments effective in the expansion of clean energy?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:18:p:8253-:d:1483473. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.