Does ecological poverty trap exist in Chinese cities? Evidence from the distribution dynamics of vegetation coverage

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Abstract

This paper is the first to examine the distribution dynamics of vegetation coverage using a dataset of 366 China’s prefecture and above (PAA) cities from 2001 to 2020. The results from the continuous state space approach demonstrate a clear pattern of convergence in China’s vegetation coverage in the long run, proving the effectiveness of government policies in the last two decades. However, catch-up effects in low-vegetation-coverage cities are weak, and an ecological poverty trap exists in Chinese cities. We also find polarization effects in eastern and high-rainfall cities. Some eastern cities with better climate endowments show poor performance in vegetation coverage in the long run, suggesting that ecological damage is caused by overdevelopment rather than natural endowment. Our findings offer robust scientific support for China to take more proactive and aggressive measures to maintain sustainable development. JEL: Q20, Q50, N55

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