The Effect of Energy Structure on Pollution Emissions: The Role of Technological Innovation

Using a panel data of 30 Chinese provinces from 2000 to 2016, we investigate the linear and nonlinear effects of industrial energy structure on pollution emissions. We find that: (1) technological innovation can alleviate the restraining effect of coal-based energy structure on pollution emissions; and (2) industrial energy consumption significantly increases pollution emissions, while this increase has also occurred in parallel with an increase in the proportion of R&D input.