From awareness to Action: How climate attention drives the low-carbon transition in Chinese agriculture

The agricultural low-carbon transition is essential to achieving China's dual carbon goals. Utilizing provincial panel data (2001-2021), this study analyzes the influence of climate attention on agricultural low-carbon transition and investigates underlying mechanisms. Additionally, leveraging the establishment of the carbon trading market-a key indicator of societal climate attention-as a quasi-natural experiment, this study applies DID and PSM-DID models to assess its role in promoting the agricultural low-carbon transition. The findings reveal that increasing climate attention significantly enhances the agricultural low-carbon transition, with more pronounced effects in the western region and major grain-producing areas. These results remain robust across multiple robustness checks. Mechanism analysis from the perspectives of agricultural enterprises, consumers, and governments indicates that disruptive and breakthrough technological innovations, increasing consumer demand for eco-agricultural products, and environmental regulation policies are key drivers of the agricultural low-carbon transition. Furthermore, using the carbon trading market as an exogenous shock, this study confirms its significant positive impact on the agricultural low-carbon transition. Therefore, increasing climate attention prompts agricultural enterprises, consumers, and governments to adopt proactive measures, thereby accelerating the agricultural low-carbon transition.