Carbon Disclosure,Financial Transparency,and Agency Cost: Evidence from Chinese Manufacturing Listed Companies

Given the constraints on carbon emissions due to their impact on global warming, carbon disclosure has become an important way to deliver signals to the market. We examine the benefits associated with carbon disclosure from the standpoint of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for China’s manufacturing industries from 2010 to 2014. We divide corporations into heavily polluting and non-heavily polluting groups in order to control the industry factor. Based on the Principal-Agent Theory, we empirically test the relationship between carbon disclosure and financial transparency, and we evaluate the effect of carbon disclosure on agency costs and operations. Our results highlight that carbon disclosure is negatively associated with agency costs. However, we do not find enough evidence to prove what role financial transparency plays in the relationship between carbon disclosure and agency cost. Therefore, the influence of financial transparency as a mechanism is not yet clear. This study provides a way to look at the intentions of firms that disclose carbon information, and it also enhances the literature on carbon disclosure and agency costs in China based on Chinese data.     

国际碳基金经营风险管理的经验与启示

当前,国际碳基金运营体系日趋成熟。本文总结了国际碳基金在治理运营模式、风险评价、风险控制与项目退出四个方面的运营经验;并结合实际,提出了中国进一步发展碳基金的建议。     

产品碳足迹及其国内外发展现状

气候变化已成为可持续发展的重要议题。低碳经济、低碳生活的号召下,产品生产及消费对环境的影响已渐渐引起人们的重视。产品碳足迹分析有助于企业真正了解产品对气候变化的影响,并由此采取可行的措施减少供应链中的碳排放。对碳足迹、产品碳足迹及产品碳足迹标识的相关概念进行介绍,分析国内、外有关产品碳足迹的发展现状和发展趋势。对社会普及碳足迹概念和引导更多中国企业实施产品碳足迹起到促进作用。     

会计对称理论:会计准则制定的优化路径

会计对称理论应作为会计准则制定的重要原则。会计对称理论作为中立性的可实现途径,能在理论上解决中立性和准则制定经济后果之间的矛盾。将会计对称理论纳入会计信息质量框架中,可简化会计准则规范方法、优化会计准则内容、提升会计信息质量,同时对会计、审计、统计等实务工作产生积极影响。     

The EU ETS and corporate environmental abatement

This article studies the relationship between firm-level emissions-to-cap ratio (ETC) and environmental abatement, by using a unique and extensive data set of 10 762 installations covered by the European Union Emission Trading Scheme (EU ETS) matched to 5931 firms. We find that a shortage of emissions allowances is related to more abatement in later years while a surplus of emissions allowances results in worse subsequent environmental performance. This finding underscores the importance of reducing the global amount of allowances in the ETS system. Our results also suggest that stakeholder pressure and the creation of transparency concerning corporate environmental performance are likely to support the effectiveness of the system.     

中国中部六省的碳排放趋势研究

采用王铮等人提出的中国碳排放预估模型,测算在经济平稳增长条件下,中部六省未来的能源碳排放趋势,考虑了6省未来水泥工业的碳排放,并采用CO2FIX模型计算各省森林碳汇量,从而得出各省的净碳排放量,为各省制定碳排放战略提供参考。结果显示：各省的能源碳排放量都呈现先增长后下降的倒U型特征,能源碳排放高峰出现的先后顺序分别是河南、湖南、山西、安徽、江西、湖北;6个省份水泥工业的碳排放都呈现不断增长的趋势,水泥工业产生的碳排放量最大的是河南,最小的是山西;累计森林碳汇量最大的是江西省,其次是湖南省,河南省最小;各省应在减少能源碳排放的同时,控制水泥工业产生的碳排放,积极增加森林碳汇,从多方入手减少碳排放。     

创建低碳型大学园区的思考与探索

在建设资源节约型、环境友好型社会的过程中,大学应作为发展低碳经济倡导低碳生活的一支重要力量,在充分认识创建低碳校园重要性的基础上,营造良好的低碳校园文化,落实全方位的低碳管理措施,采用先进的低碳技术和设施,从文化、管理、科技三方面打造全方位的低碳型大学园区。     

The Goals of Carbon Peaking and Carbon Neutrality and China’s New Energy Revolution

Based on the full consideration of both domestic and global environments and conditions, the adherence to the conviction that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets, and the comprehensive weighing of pros and cons, the Chinese government has made a major strategic decision to achieve the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, which is crucial to the overall green transformation of the economy and society and the long-term benefits of the Chinese nation. With the new energy revolution and energy mix diversification driven by the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, nonfossil energy sources centered on photovoltaic energy will gradually dominate the energy mix, while the status of electricity and hydrogen energy will be significantly enhanced and the consumption of coal and petroleum will decline significantly. Carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals are both challenges and opportunities for China. Specific challenges are embodied in the large pressure of economic and energy restructuring, the rising manufacturing costs, the difficulties in withdrawing coal-fired power stations, the possibility of unstable grid operations due to large-scale integration of photovoltaic and wind power into the power distribution network, and the supply risks of key metals, while specific opportunities are emerging in the strong competitiveness of photovoltaic and wind power equipment, lower dependence on foreign petroleum and gas supply and accelerated low-carbon green transformation. China should strengthen the top-level design of the path to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, encourage innovation of green low-carbon technologies, accelerate economic and energy restructuring, strictly restrict the construction of new high-emission and energy-intensive projects, and steadily promote the adjustment and withdrawal of the existing high-emission and energy-intensive projects.     

论低碳产业集群的动力机制——基于省级面板数据的实证分析

发展低碳产业集群对于实现中国低碳经济目标有着极其重大的作用。本文论述了我国低碳产业集群动力机制的内涵,认为可持续发展观念是低碳产业集群的思想基础,政府的政策和制度创新对产业集群企业和公众的低碳活动起着激励作用,经济绩效是低碳产业集群的直接动力,技术创新是低碳产业集群发展的关键因素;而国内外低碳环境的压力和产业集群外公众的市场取舍与监督构成了外部动力。各种动力互相配合作用,推动了低碳产业集群快速发展。     

欧盟碳期货风险量化——基于GED-GARCH模型和VaR模型

以欧盟碳期货合约为研究对象,针对其反映的市场风险特点,采用GED-GARCH模型进行参数估计。结果显示:到期日的因素使得欧盟碳期货合约收益率序列的条件方差与历史信息之间存在联系;碳期货合约的到期日越久,其条件方差越依赖于历史信息,表明欧盟碳期货市场为弱式有效市场;欧盟碳期货合约收益率序列的波动会逐渐衰减,表明最终合约价格能够起到价格预示作用。再利用GARCH模型的参数估计结果,计算出不同置信水平下收益率序列的在险值,夯实实证研究结果。针对欧盟碳期货合约风险的量化研究表明,欧盟碳期货与碳现货的关系呈现出新兴市场的分割局面特征,进一步导致欧盟碳金融市场逐渐走向虚拟化。因此,在中国碳市场的建设中,应做到碳期货与碳现货交易相协调,做好碳金融市场上风险的量化和控制。