Impact of China's establishment of ecological civilization pilot zones on carbon dioxide emissions

Since China's speedy economic development, the problems of energy consumption and environmental pollution have become increasingly prominent. A question worth in-depth study is whether ecological civilization (EC) construction, one of the main policies to solve China's severe environmental and ecological problems, affects carbon dioxide emissions (CDE). In this study, we use a novel method proposed by Hsiao et al. (2012) to estimate the average treatment effect by using panel data to study the impact of establishing the EC pilot zones of China on CDE. The results show that, although EC construction is effective in reducing CDE, the impact varies from region to region. The study findings can provide a scientific basis to promote the experience of EC construction better and improve its CDE effect.