The Role of Education and Green Innovation in Green Transition: Advancing the United Nations Agenda on Sustainable Development

Abstract

Educating the masses about the dire consequences of climate change in high-polluting countries is essential to achieving the United Nations’ sustainable development agenda. This study investigates the role of education in environmental sustainability and influencing mechanisms of green innovation and government intervention in China. Using panel data of 31 provinces from 2008 to 2020, our analysis documents the significant impact of education in reducing pollutant emissions. Further, green innovation and government intervention can enhance this impact significantly. Regional heterogeneity tests show a more pronounced effect of education and government intervention in the eastern and western provinces, while the western region is indifferent in this regard. The results are robust to the replacement of core variables and shifting mean values. The likely endogeneity issue is resolved through the system GMM approach, which provides similar estimates as in the baseline regression. The study offers several implications for the government, researchers, policymakers, environmentalists, and industrialists.