The Coupling Relationships and Influence Mechanisms of Green Credit and Energy-Environment-Economy Under China’s Goal of Carbon Neutrality

Under the goal of carbon neutrality, it is critical for China to give full play to the role of green credit, and promote the coordinated development of energy-environment-economy (3E) system. Based on the data of China from 2000 to 2020, the authors build the environmental pollution index, energy transformation index and high-quality economic development index. By using Bayesian network model (BN), the authors investigate the coupling relationships and influence mechanisms of green credit and 3E system. The results show that the main cause of environmental pollution is the annual increase of carbon dioxide emissions. Green credit can reduce carbon emissions to a certain extent, and alleviate environmental pollution through energy structure, technological progress and per capita GDP. Clean energy utilization and per capita GDP growth also help to control environmental pollution. Green credit can stimulate technological progress and accelerate energy transformation together with technological progress. Clean energy utilization can facilitate the upgrading of industrial structure, industrial structure upgrading and green credit can restrict the level of opening up. Technological progress promotes per capita GDP growth. Per capita GDP growth can reduce energy intensity and improve urbanization and per capita energy consumption.