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Abstract This study explores the relationship between public environmental concern and the level of corporate carbon performance based on the data of Chinese A-share listed companies in the industrial sector from 2011 to 2019. The research finds that public environmental concern significantly improves the level of corporate carbon performance, and this conclusion remains robust after additional tests such as the instrumental variables approach. The mechanism analysis shows that public environmental concern improves the level of carbon performance in firms through two mechanisms. One is promoting green technological innovation in firms, and the other is optimizing the regional energy consumption structure. The heterogeneity analysis indicates that the impact of public environmental concern on the level of carbon performance is more pronounced for firms facing stronger local environmental regulations, located in low-carbon pilot cities, and with poorer social responsibility performance, while it exerts a significant effect on both SOEs and non-SOEs.
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Received: 07 November 2022
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