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Environmental law, environmental policy stringency, and development of environmental technologies in China

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Abstract

China’s fast industrialization and economic expansion has led to environmental degradation, prompting the government to implement a slew of environmental regulations and laws. This article examines how China’s stringent environmental policies and legislation have impacted the development of environmental technology. The study’s panel of Chinese companies confirmed that more stringent regulations really spurred innovation in green technology. This research lends credence to the premise that stricter environmental regulations are helpful in inspiring the development of cleaner technology that may help mitigate environmental issues. Research also shows that tighter environmental legislation increases environmental policy’s effect on technological development. According to these results, environmental law may improve the efficiency of environmental policy by providing a hospitable framework for the application of technological innovation. The findings of this research have significant implications for Chinese policymakers committed to fostering sustainable development. The need of rigorous environmental rules to support comprehensive environmental policies that promote the development of greener technology is emphasized. The results shed even more light on how crucial it is to enforce environmental laws in order to ensure that environmental policies are effectively implemented. In essence, this study contributes to the expanding body of knowledge on the link between environmental policy and technical advancement by illuminating the potential for China’s environmental policy and law to work together to encourage sustainable development. China’s investment in green tech research and development may mitigate the environmental damage caused by its rapid economic growth.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Major project of the National Social Science Foundation “Research on technical regulations based on the rule of law, national governance and global governance” (21&ZD192).

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  1. School of Law, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan, 430073, Hubei, China

    Jun Fang

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Jun Fang: ideas and concepts, data gathering, methodology, writing (first draft), visualization, supervision, editing (review and editing), and software.

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Correspondence to Jun Fang.

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Fang, J. Environmental law, environmental policy stringency, and development of environmental technologies in China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 101234–101249 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29023-5

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