The emission reduction effect of environmental information disclosure: a Chinese city perspective
Abstract To address the problem of air pollution caused by industrialization and urbanization, China has issued various types of policies related to environmental protection. However, policies regarding environmental information disclosure have long-term advantages in reducing information asymmetry and improving regulatory efficiency, and are selected as the research objects of this paper. Using the "Environmental Information Disclosure Measures (Trial)" in 2008 as a quasi-natural experiment, our analysis utilizing the difference-in-differences method shows that (1) as the quality of environmental information disclosure increase, the production and emission of sulfur dioxide decrease, and this relationship is robust to different specifications; (2) a possible channel composed of green patents and the pollution source information and treatment information (PITI) disclosure index has a same-direction moderating effect on the reduction of pollutants; and (3) our findings are particularly pronounced in subsamples of large-scale and resource-intensive cities. Overall, this paper reveals micro evidence on the effects of environmental information disclosure policy on the reduction of pollutants, thus providing timely insights for the further improvement and implementation of the policy.