Dynamic target adjustment and pollution reduction effects: Evidence from China’s Clean Air Action

This study explores the impact of dynamic target adjustment on the environment. By extending China’s Clean Air Action (CAA) to the city level, using panel data from 289 Chinese cities between 2007 and 2023, and applying the DDD model, we find that annual target adjustment significantly reduces air pollution in China. This reduction is achieved through mechanisms such as optimizing the industrial structure and increasing green technology innovation, but it has not effectively slowed the rise of environmental inequality. The effects are particularly significant in areas with higher target levels, north of the Qinling-Huaihe heating line, and in regions with greater environmental attention. This research enriches the theory of target setting and highlights the important impact of periodic target updates on pollution control and environmental equity.

本研究探讨动态目标调整对环境的影响效应。本研究将中国清洁空气行动（Clean Air Action，CAA）拓展至城市层面，采用2007—2023年中国289个地级市的面板数据，并运用三重差分（DDD）模型开展实证分析，结果发现年度目标调整可显著降低中国大气污染水平。该减排效应可通过优化产业结构、提升绿色技术创新等路径实现，但未能有效遏制环境不平等程度的加剧。该效应在目标基准更高、秦岭-淮河供暖线以北以及环境关注度更高的地区尤为显著。本研究丰富了目标设定理论，并凸显了周期性目标更新对污染治理与环境公平的重要影响。