Search Results (11)

China’s carbon peak and neutrality transition is critically constrained by the severe talent shortage and structural inefficiencies in higher education. This study systematically investigates the current status of “dual-carbon” talent cultivation and demand in China, leveraging annual “dual-carbon” talent cultivation data from universities nationwide. By applying the GM(1,1)-ARIMA hybrid forecasting model, it projects future national “dual-carbon” talent demand. Key findings reveal significant regional disparities in talent cultivation, with a pronounced mismatch between industrial demands and academic supply, particularly in interdisciplinary roles pivotal to decarbonization processes. Forecast results indicate an exponential growth in postgraduate talent demand, outpacing undergraduate demand, thereby underscoring the urgency of advancing high-end technological research and development. Through empirical analysis and innovative modeling, this study uncovers the structural contradictions between “dual-carbon” talent cultivation and market demands in China, providing critical decision-making insights to address the bottleneck of carbon-neutral talent development. Full article

Amidst the dual challenges of escalating ecological environmental pressures and economic transformation globally, green innovation emerges as a pivotal pathway toward achieving high-quality sustainable development. To elucidate how digitalization and novel productive forces synergistically drive the green transition, the research utilizes panel data from 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China spanning 2009 to 2022, constructing a green innovation efficiency measurement frame-work grounded in the Super Slack-Based Measure (Super-SBM)model, alongside a novel productive forces evaluation system based on the triad of laborers, labor objects, and means of production. Employing spatial difference-in-differences and double machine learning methodologies within a quasi-natural experimental design, the research investigates the causal mechanisms through which digital empowerment and novel productive forces influence regional green innovation efficiency. The findings reveal that both digital empowerment and novel productive forces significantly enhance regional green innovation efficiency, exhibiting pronounced positive spatial spillover effects on neighboring regions. Heterogeneity analyses demonstrate that the promotive impacts are more pronounced in eastern provinces compared to central and western counterparts, in provinces participating in carbon trading relative to those that do not, and in innovation-driven provinces versus non-innovative ones. Mediation analysis indicates that digital empowerment operates by fostering the aggregation of innovative talent and elevating governmental ecological attentiveness, whereas new-type productivity exerts its influence primarily through intellectual property protection and the clustering of high-technology industries. The results offer empirical foundations for policymakers to devise coordinated regional green development strategies, refine digital transformation policies, and promote industrial structural optimization. Furthermore, this research provides valuable data-driven insights and theoretical guidance for local governments and enterprises in cultivating green innovation and new-type productivity. Full article

Urgency and severity of climate change impacts have become increasingly prominent, making the enhancement of corporate climate risk disclosure (CCRD) a shared demand among regulators, investors, and the general public. From the perspective of irrational behavioral traits, this paper utilizes a sample of A-share-listed companies in China from 2008 to 2022 to empirically examine the impact of executives’ overseas experiences on CCRD and its underlying mechanisms. To measure firm-level climate risk disclosure, we employ machine learning-based textual analysis techniques and match the constructed disclosure indicators with firms’ financial data. The results demonstrate that executives with overseas experience significantly enhance the level of CCRD, and this effect remains consistent after a series of robustness tests. This effect operates through the dual paths of “climate attention allocation enhancement” and “management myopia mitigation”. Moreover, the positive impact of overseas experience is more pronounced among firms in climate-sensitive industries and regions with lower climate awareness. A further analysis of executive overseas experience characteristics shows that executives with experience in developed economies and those with international educational backgrounds exhibit a stronger influence in promoting CCRD. Additionally, an investigation into the economic consequences demonstrates that executives with overseas experiences not only improve firms’ ESG performances but also help reduce ESG rating discrepancies, reinforcing the beneficial role of overseas exposure in corporate governance. The findings not only provided micro-level empirical evidence for the effectiveness of talent recruitment policies in emerging economies but also yielded critical policy implications for regulatory bodies to refine climate disclosure frameworks and enable enterprises to leverage opportunities in low-carbon transition. Full article

Amid China’s “dual carbon” goals of achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, understanding the spatial dynamics of carbon emissions is essential for promoting coordinated regional decarbonization. This study takes a systems perspective to investigate the drivers and network structures of carbon emissions across 31 Chinese provinces from 2000 to 2022. Utilizing a Spatial Durbin Model (SDM) alongside social network analysis (SNA), it examines both the spatial spillover effects of key economic and innovation-related factors and the structural characteristics of interprovincial carbon transmission networks. The main findings include the following: (1) a significant spatial autocorrelation in provincial carbon emissions, indicating strong cross-regional spillover effects; (2) a nonlinear, inverted U-shaped relationship between green innovation and carbon emissions, where emissions initially rise before declining as innovation matures; (3) a dual impact of human capital, which increases local emissions but reduces emissions in neighboring regions through knowledge diffusion; and (4) the identification of key provinces such as Shaanxi, Henan and Hubei as central nodes within the carbon emission network, acting as influential hubs in the transmission of carbon emissions. This study highlights the importance of differentiated policy design based on regional network centrality and advocates for a systemic governance framework that promotes technology diffusion, talent mobility, and collaborative emission control across provinces. The integrated SDM-SNA approach provides a novel perspective for understanding the complexity of carbon governance in large economies and offers a flexible framework that can be adapted to other national or subnational settings. Full article

Green technological innovation is pivotal in advancing the ‘dual carbon’ target and promoting sustainable and low-carbon development. This research examines 17 prefecture-level cities in Hubei Province, employing the Super-SBM model for assessing emissions of carbon efficiency from 2010 to 2020. The kernel density estimation and the Dagum coefficient of Gini are also used to examine the spatio-temporal differentiation and the evolution of these efficiencies. A data panel regression model is utilized to evaluate how green technological innovation impacts carbon emission efficiency in Hubei Province. The research revealed that (1) Hubei Province’s carbon emission efficiency first fluctuated and then increased rapidly, and (2) the overall regional difference in carbon emission efficiency in Hubei Province shows a trend of first decreasing and then gradually increasing. The Wuhan metropolitan area and the Xiang-yang-Shiyan-Suizhou-Shennongjia urban area are quite different; the differentiation within the Yichang-Jingzhou-Jing-Enshi urban agglomeration shows a narrowing trend. (3) The innovation elements of green technology are positively correlated with the effectiveness of carbon emissions; the relationship between economic expansion and population density among the control variables also shows a positive correlation, while the industrial structure and government environmental regulations are negatively correlated. (4) In Hubei Province, there is a temporal lag between green technological innovation and its impact on carbon emission efficiency. Capital investment and technical achievement currently enhance carbon emission efficiency, while human capital positively affects carbon emission efficiency during a second lag period. This article proposes countermeasures and recommendations for R&D capital spending, innovative talent cultivation, and regional differentiation, providing specific references to advance the coordinated growth of the whole Hubei Province and green sustainable development. Full article

Under the “dual carbon” strategy, innovation driving has become the core force for corporate green transformation, with human resources, a key element of green innovation, increasingly gaining attention. This study utilizes data from A-share listed companies to evaluate the impact of China’s urban talent introduction policies on corporate green innovation, focusing on the three dimensions of green product, process, and management innovation. The results reveal that urban talent introduction policies significantly promote corporate green innovation in three areas: green product innovation, green process innovation (end-of-pipe pollution control), and green management innovation. The influx of high-quality talent and optimization of the labor structure represent vital pathways for achieving this impact. Different talent types play different roles in different dimensions of green innovation. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that talent introduction policies have a stronger promoting effect on the green innovation performance of large enterprises, technology-intensive industries, and enterprises in relatively weak regional economies. For enterprises with public–private partnerships, talent admission policies have a more pronounced impact on their green product innovation and process innovation (end-of-pipe pollution control). Furthermore, the impact of talent policy on corporate green innovations in products and processes varies with the intensity of local government intervention. This study emphasizes the key role of talent introduction policies in promoting green innovation, providing theoretical foundations and policy references for implementing sustainable development strategies and environmental protection objectives. Full article

Improving China’s high-quality development efficiency represents a key lever for the development of new productivity and successfully achieving the “dual carbon” goal. Starting from the nonparametric production theory, this paper addresses the issues of infeasible solutions and technical heterogeneity by employing the total-factor non-radial directional distance function and a metafrontier non-radial Malmquist model. The static total-factor high-quality development efficiency index (THEI) and its dynamic metafrontier non-radial Malmquist high-quality development efficiency index (MNMHEI) are measured for 31 provinces in China from 2008 to 2021. Given that high-quality development efficiency is led and driven by talent, we use labor of different ages and levels of education as four inputs instead of single labor for the study of THEI. The MNMHEI is divided into three indices for measuring efficiency change (EC), best-practice gap change (BPC), and technology gap change (TGC). The empirical results demonstrate that labor with higher education is the main lever of static high-quality development efficiency; there is a 5.3% decrease in China’s dynamic high-quality development efficiency as a whole, and a lack of technological innovation remains a significant constraint on its improvement. The results of the heterogeneity analysis, which classified all provincial areas into low-carbon and high-carbon regions, indicate that the former exhibits a higher dynamic high-quality development efficiency than the latter, which still lacks innovation and technology leadership. It is recommended that the Chinese government consider the talent management system, investments in upgrading technologies, energy conservation, and emission reduction for high-carbon regions to improve their high-quality development efficiency. Full article

Infrastructure upgrading has an important impact on environmental protection and low-carbon development. Based on the panel data of 277 prefecture-level cities in China from 2005 to 2021, we examined the impact of infrastructure upgrading on the synergistic effect of pollution reduction and carbon reduction (Pc) by using the multiple-period difference-in-differences method. The results show that infrastructure upgrading can achieve Pc. Additionally, compared with resource-based cities, peripheral cities, and central and western cities, the impact of infrastructure upgrading on Pc is more significant in non-resource-based cities, central cities, and eastern cities. Meanwhile, infrastructure upgrading can promote Pc by promoting scientific and technological talent agglomeration (Tg) and industrial agglomeration (Ig). Finally, the policy of synergy analysis shows that compared with the single pilot cities, the dual pilot cities have a more obvious effect on Pc, and becoming first high-speed rail (HSR) cities and then becoming “Broadband China” strategy (BCS) cities has a stronger effect on Pc. Therefore, to effectively alleviate the dual environmental pressures of pollution reduction and carbon reduction, emphasis should be placed on promoting the common development of transportation infrastructure and digital infrastructure. Full article

In the context of the emerging era of smart manufacturing, the concept of sustainability is gaining substantial and widespread attention. Information technology has emerged as a potent tool for manufacturing companies, facilitating their transition toward greener practices and boosting operational efficiency. Additionally, the sustainable development of the industrial and information technology sectors not only presents promising prospects for future progress but is also intricately tied to the achievement of “dual carbon” objectives. Therefore, strategically integrating cutting-edge information technology into graduate education not only enhances the proficiency of postgraduates in the fields of information technology and manufacturing but also facilitates the achievement of green and sustainable development goals. To this end, this paper proposes a novel “Three-Level Advancement” talent development model aimed at cultivating a greater number of highly qualified talents oriented toward green and sustainable development. Built upon a one-semester graduate education framework, the model assesses the effectiveness of the “Three-Level Advancement” training approach. Subsequently, the efficacy of the new talent development model is validated through a class-based comparative analysis. Finally, based on the interview responses of the participants, both teachers and students unanimously affirmed the significant superiority of learning outcomes achieved through this pedagogical reform over traditional teaching methods. The results indicate that this new talent development model not only markedly enhances the quality of practical education but also contributes to the cultivation of sustainable talents in the field of information technology. Full article

With the establishment of China’s “dual carbon” target and the promotion of high-quality development strategy, the role of green innovation has become increasingly important. Corporate ESG innovation, as a guiding principle for companies to practice sustainable development and an important signal for evaluating their environmental and social responsibilities as well as corporate governance level, deserves in-depth research on its impact on green innovation performance. This paper empirically analyzes the green innovation effect of corporate ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) performance using Chinese A-share listed companies as a sample from 2009 to 2021. The research shows that corporate ESG performance can enhance green innovation performance. Mechanism analysis reveals that ESG performance mainly improves green innovation performance by alleviating financing constraints and enhancing human capital. Further research shows that all three sub-dimensions of ESG performance contribute to improving green innovation performance, with the strongest effect observed in corporate governance performance. ESG performance not only enhances strategic green innovation performance and independent green innovation performance but also improves substantial green innovation performance and collaborative green innovation performance. Therefore, the government should improve the ESG information disclosure system, increase support for companies with excellent ESG performance, and improve local talent policies to attract high-quality green innovation talents. Investors should incorporate ESG performance into their decision-making and strengthen the identification and use of ESG information. Companies should formulate ESG strategies, increase relevant investments, prioritize corporate governance improvement, and enhance the quality of ESG information disclosure through various means. Full article

Seaweed culture is of great significance in giving full play to the function of marine carbon sequestration and strengthening the protection and repair of the marine ecosystem. Its green efficiency measurement can provide China with a means for a global low-carbon economy. From the ecological perspective of net carbon sink, this paper selects three indexes: input, expected output and unexpected output. The total carbon sink and carbon emissions are included in the evaluation index system of green efficiency of seaweed culture in China. The green efficiency of seaweed culture in China from 2008 to 2020 is calculated by the super-SBM model. Through the redundancy rate of input and output, the influencing factors of net carbon sink output of seaweed culture are put forward. According to the empirical calculation results and influencing factors of green efficiency, the countermeasures and suggestions for green seaweed culture in China under the dual-carbon target are put forward. The results showed that: (1) the net carbon sink and green efficiency level of seaweed culture in China showed an overall growth trend, and there was a lot of room for growth in economic and ecological benefits; (2) influenced by index factors and non-index factors such as marine resource economy and planning, there are differences in seaweed culture and green efficiency in the three major sea areas of China; (3) the indexes of green efficiency of seaweed culture in different study areas are different; and (4) the improvement of green efficiency can promote the Chinese seaweed culture industry. Green technology progress effect, structure effect, and input–output scale effect are the main influencing mechanisms of green efficiency of seaweed culture. It is suggested that in the future, we should optimize the structure of seaweed culture, innovate seaweed culture technology, improve carbon sink trading policy and strengthen the training of carbon sink talents. This will accelerate the realization of the goal of green and double carbon seaweed culture and promote the global low-carbon economy. Full article