Spatial-temporal characteristics and influencing factors of atmospheric environmental efficiency in China

This research constructs a super efficiency slack-based measure (SBM) model based on the Malmquist-Luenberger (ML) index to analyze the atmospheric environmental efficiency (AEE) of 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2016 and explores the spatial and temporal differences of AEE by using the coefficient of variation method. This paper further analyzes the internal influencing factors of AEE via the ML index decomposition approach and establishes a panel data regression model to explore AEE's influencing factors in China. The results show some regional differences of the AEE level in China, with it the best in the eastern region and followed in order by the western and central region, and these differences exhibit an increasing trend year by year. During the study period, the development trend of AEE in China is similar to that in the eastern and western regions, showing a "W" shape, where in the central region it has a "U" pattern. The conclusion is that technical progress (TC) is the dominant factor affecting AEE, technical efficiency (EC) fails to effectively promote AEE improvement, and TC and EC present varying degrees of influence and different directions of action in the regions. The analysis results show that the influence effect of economic development on AEE presents a "U" pattern of first declining and then rising. The degree of China opening up to the outside world and its carbon dioxide emissions intensity have significant negative effects on AEE, whereas the increase of pollution control input effectively improves AEE.