The influence of environmental efficiency on PM_2.5 pollution: Evidence from 283 Chinese prefecture-level cities

Environmental inefficiency caused by the extensive economic growth pattern is considered a critical driver of the unprecedented PM_2.5 (fine particulate matter) pollution in China. However, the nexus between environmental efficiency and PM_2.5 concentrations has rarely been examined. We used a recently developed data envelopment analysis method to measure environmental efficiency, environmental total factor productivity, and their compositions in China at the prefecture level from 2003 to 2013 and examined the effects of environmental efficiency on PM_2.5 pollution. The results indicated that improvements in environmental efficiency significantly ameliorated PM_2.5 pollution. The effect of technological progress on PM_2.5 reduction is limited, but the pure efficiency and scale efficiency promoted by enhanced management level and optimized production scale strongly contribute to PM_2.5 mitigation. The significant spatial spillover of environmental efficiency and PM_2.5 pollution introduces challenges and opportunities for lowering PM_2.5 emissions. The impact of environmental efficiency on PM_2.5 pollution exhibits significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity, and the strength of influence tends to increase with PM_2.5 concentration and become more pronounced over time. Furthermore, several socioeconomic factors are related to PM_2.5 pollution, which implies that PM_2.5 control is a complex system and requires a comprehensive policy mix.