Regional differences and key pathway identification of the coordinated governance of pollution control and carbon emission reduction in the three major urban agglomerations of China under the“Double-Carbon”targets

Abstract

Urban agglomerations are the main carrier of regional economic and green development in China, and their strategic position is rapidly increasing. Under the targets of carbon neutralization and carbon peaking, research on coordinated governance of urban agglomeration pollution control and carbon emission reduction is an important content of exploring regional sustainable development. Based on the mechanism of change of coordinated governance of pollution control and carbon emission reduction, this study used the panel data of the three major urban agglomerations of China from 2010 to 2019 to measure the coordination degree of coordinated governance of pollution control and carbon emission reduction in these regions with correlation coefficient matrix method and composite system coordination degree model. Using Gini coefficient, coefficient of variation, Theil index and its decomposition method, and gravity model, this study analyzed the regional differences and spatial connection intensity of the coordinated governance of pollution control and carbon emission reduction and identified the critical pathways of pollution control and carbon emission reduction coordinated governance. The results show that: (1) The orderliness degree of coordinated governance in the three major urban agglomerations showed a significant growth trend; However, the coordination degree is low, and the system is in an unstable and uncoordinated state. (2) The differences in the coordination degree of coordinated governance of pollution control and carbon emission reduction in the Beijing-Tianjin- Hebei region gradually decreased, while the differences in the Yangtze River Delta remained stable, and the internal differences in the Pearl River Delta fluctuate greatly. (3) The network density and network structure complexity in the Beijing- Tianjin- Hebei region and the Pearl River Delta are higher than those in the Yangtze River Delta, and the spatial connection intensity is higher. The cities are interconnected and influenced by each other. The coordinated governance of pollution control and carbon emission reduction in the three major urban agglomerations can be promoted from the aspects of policy, technology, capacity building, top-level design, transformation and upgrading, and cooperation and expansion.