Analysis on the causes of the change in the north-south gap of industrial pollution discharge in China

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 29; no. 21; pp. 31578 - 31596
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiao-dong, Li, Bin, Lu, Juan, Abdo, AL-Barakani
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-05-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; China; Discharge; Earth and Environmental Science; Economic crisis; Economic Development; Economic growth; Ecotoxicology; Empirical analysis; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Pollution; Environmental science; Growth patterns; Growth rate; Industrial pollution; Industry; Research Article; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; China; North-south gap; Supply-side structural reform; Industrial pollution discharge; International financial crisis
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-17977-3

What are the causes of the change in the north-south gap of industrial pollution discharge in 2008 and 2016? In order to solve this problem, this paper makes theoretical and empirical research. The results show that (1) the difference in economic growth pattern transformation is the root cause of the change in the north-south gap of industrial pollution discharge.(2) The international financial crisis is the direct cause of the change in the north-south gap of industrial pollution discharge in 2008. The international financial crisis forced the industrial transformation and upgrading of the southern region, which made the TFP of the southern region relatively improve, and then led to the relative reduction of industrial pollution discharge in the southern region. (3) The supply-side structural reform is the direct cause of the change in the north-south gap of industrial pollution discharge in 2016. However, the supply-side structural reform proposed by the central government in 2016 is essentially a further continuation of the policy of “resolving overcapacity” implemented in 2013. In fact, the north-south gap in the growth rate of industrial discharge has changed since 2013.