What Information Do We Have on the Government's Environmental Management? A Perspective of Energy and Carbon Performance in China's Mining Industry

Abstract

As one of the important pillars of China's industrial sector, the mining industry is critical to China's modernization and energy security. Based on China's provincial panel data, this paper collects the information on government's environmental management and estimates the impact of environmental regulation on China's mining industry's energy and carbon performance. The study further collects information on the industries' technological innovation and analyzes the technological innovation's moderating effect on environmental regulation. The research results indicate that the interconnection between the intensity of environmental regulations and the energy and carbon performance of the mining industry is inverted U-shaped, and mining enterprises with high levels of technological innovation have better adaptability when facing pressure from external environmental regulations. Regarding policy recommendations, it is imperative that the government should enhance the environmental policy framework, develop clean energy, and incentivize mining firms to advance technological innovation.