Advances in Resources and Environmental Science

In the context of the two-carbon goal, energy conservation and carbon reduction have become the focus of governments at all levels. Based on the official promotion tournament theory and the political cycle theory, this paper uses the carbon emission data of prefecture-level cities in China to explore the impact of the transfer of local officials on urban carbon intensity, clarify the mechanism of government science and technology expenditure, and consider the role of official heterogeneity (including the age of tenure and tenure period). The conclusions are as follows: (1) The transfer of local officials promotes the decrease of carbon intensity in the jurisdiction; (2) The transfer of local officials will strengthen the restraining effect on urban carbon intensity through government spending on science and technology. (3) Compared with the party secretary, the mayor has a more significant impact on the carbon intensity in his jurisdiction; But as the party secretary nears retirement, the impact on the carbon intensity of his jurisdiction increases. (4) Further differences in urban region, resource type and wealth level all affect the relationship between official transfer and urban carbon intensity to some extent. Suggestions were put forward to strengthen the horizontal and vertical flow of local officials, promote the diversification of the evaluation system of local officials and mobilize the initiative of public supervision.

Transfer of local officials; Urban carbon intensity; Policy orientation; Technological innovation; Low-carbon development