Restructuring the Coupling Coordination Mechanism of Economy-Energy-Environment (3E) System Under Dual Carbon Control Policy—An Exploration Based on the "Triangular Trinity" Theoretical Framework

Against the backdrop of profound restructuring in global climate governance, China’s energy management system is undergoing a comprehensive transition from dual energy consumption control to dual carbon emissions control. This policy shift fundamentally the underlying logic of energy-focused regulation and inevitably impacts the Economy-Energy-Environment (3E) system. Innovatively proposing a "Triangular Trinity" theoretical framework-integrating internal, intermediate, and external triangular couplings -this study systematically analyzes the transition’s effects on Guangdong Province’s 3E system, revealing the restructuring logic and mechanisms of dual carbon control on 3E coupling coordination. Key findings include: (1) Policy efficacy evolution: During 2005–2016, dual energy control significantly improved energy conservation and emissions reduction, elevating Guangdong’s 3E coupling coordination. Post-2017, however, its singular focus on total energy consumption revealed limitations, causing declined 3E coordination. Dual carbon control demonstrably enhances 3E systemic synergy. (2) Decoupling dynamics: Dual carbon control accelerates economic-carbon emission decoupling while slowing economic-energy consumption decoupling. This creates an elasticity space of 5.092 million tons of standard coal and reduces carbon emissions by 26.43 million tons, enabling high-quality economic development. (3) Mechanism reconstruction: By leveraging external triangular elements (energy-saving technologies, market mechanisms) to act on the energy subsystem, dual carbon control approaches optimal solutions for the "energy trilemma". This drives systematic restructuring of the sustainability triangle, achieving high-order 3E coupling coordination. The Triangular Trinity framework constructed in this paper perfectly deciphers the logic of China’s energy transition and provides a replicable methodology for resolving global 3E contradictions. These results offer theoretical and practical guidance for establishing dual-control systems in national and subnational energy transitions.