Review Reports

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

This paper uses a nonlinear time-varying component model to look at the club convergence effect and the factors that affect it in 30 provinces of China. The main contribution of this paper should be further clarified in Section 1. Several suggestions are listed:

The modifications of the nonlinear time-varying factor model that the authors have made based on the one proposed by Philips 60 and Sul (2007), especially on the club convergence algorithm, how are the parameters used in steps 1 & 2 decided based on the test scenario of this paper, the coal consumption in 30 Chinese provinces?

To clarify the advantages of the nonlinear time-varying factor model method over the other existing clustering methods in handling the non-convergence of individual samples;

Add to the review of the literature about how this nonlinear, time-varying factor model has changed in the 15 years since 2007. 

The contribution of this paper could be clarified further in Section 1.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comment 1:Page 7, lines 298-303 from the top. " Moreover, the economic strengths of each club's members are not exactly the same.” Please distinguish the four clubs by comparing the numbers and refine the reasons for the differences.

Comment 2: Page 12, lines 464-466 from the top. " For clubs with high coal consumption, the consumption of coal can be reduced by adjusting the industrial structure, opening up and improving technological innovation.” For clubs with high coal consumption ,please explain how these three adjustments have reduced coal consumption.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

These authors presented a nonlinear time-varying factor model which is used to screen and identify convergence clubs for interprovincial coal consumption levels in China, and further, the ordered probit model was applied to study the factors and marginal effects affecting club grouping. The topic sounds interesting, and the research has reference value for the sustainable development policy of coal.

Detailed comments are as follows.

1.For the related convergence algorithms proposed in the third part, it is recommended to make a technology or implementation flow chart.

2. This study period is 1997-2019, but the data are obtained from the China Statistical Yearbook (1997-2020), China Energy Statistical Yearbook (1997-2020), why is the 2020 data not introduced in this work? 

3.In section 4.3, it is read that the initial club is the final convergent club formed. Since the initial and the final convergent club are the same, does it mean that the convergence club classification does not work in this paper？

4.The conclusion part of the paper is a little lengthy. It is suggested to further refine the key conclusions with practical significance and mark the order to make the level of conclusions clearer.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 4 Report

The manuscript is well written and organized. The argument is original and aligned with the scope of the journal. According to my opinion it can be accepted for publication after minor improvements.

In the introduction, the novelty of the manuscript could be better specified.

In order to extend the discussion of the results and increase the value of the review, the authors could annswer the following question. How can the answers given in this review improve awareness of eco-design among designers and apprentice designers? Consider the systematic framework of “Spreafico, C., & Landi, D. (2022). Investigating students' eco-misperceptions in applying eco-design methods. Journal of Cleaner Production, 342, 130866”.

In the conclusions, the limitations of the study should be better specified.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 5 Report

The paper "On the Club Convergence in China’s Provincial Coal Consumptions: Evidence From A Nonlinear Time-varying Factor Model" examines convergence clubs for per capita coal consumptions among 12 provinces of China between 1997 and 2019 by means of a nonlinear time-varying factor model. The paper is quite clear and understandable, yet also quite simple. Here are my comments and suggestions for the authors:

1. The Abstract needs to be extended to include the main results and their explanations (for whom this might be important and why?).

2. The Introduction has to be extended to discuss more on the coal in general and coal in China. Currently, the section is quite short and does not provide enough insights on the research background.

3. The literature review needs to be extended by some 20-30 additional and relevant sources (the current 48 sources are not enough). Extending the Introduction and adding some relevant discussion might help to do that.

4. The results are quite clear but what about the implications? Any lessons that China can teach some stakeholders in other countries? What about the pathways for further research?

5. Last but not least, the paper has numerous flaws in English and lots of typos (Central Documentary Research Office of the Communist Party of Chin,2017) or "China’s coal reserves are concentrated mainly in Shanxi, Shaanxi, western of Neimeng and Xinjiang, while consumption is mostly concentrated..." ("concentrated" used repeatedly). Proofreading and English correction is needed.

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 6 Report

The article raises an important problem.

The literature review includes the most important items. It is also worth referring to other larger agglomerations and using a summary in the form of a comparison of such data.

The subject requires a much broader view of this problem. Please separate the research part and in this subchapter clearly describe the purpose and legitimacy of using a given methodology.

The model used in the research must be supported not only by the results, but also by the way of discussing the data collected for the conducted analyses. On what basis were these assumptions made? Please explain this in the subsection.

Having an appropriate set of data presented in the table, please indicate the perspective of changes and the feasibility of their implementation (diagram).

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Round 2

Reviewer 5 Report

The paper has been thoroughly improved, some parts have been written up, the literature review has been extended and relevant sources have been added. I think that the paper can be accepted for publication in its current state.