Carbon dioxide emissions and Chinese OFDI: From the perspective of carbon neutrality targets and environmental management of home country

Studies investigating the relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and the environment have focused predominantly on the effects of FDI on host country environments with less attention paid to the impact on home countries. This study turns its attention to the effects of outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on a home country's carbon dioxide emissions. We use three paths through which OFDI can affect the carbon dioxide emissions of a home country, including economic scale, technology level, and industry composition effects. Using a simultaneous equation model and panel data of 30 provinces of China for the period of 2003–2017, this study finds that OFDI is positively related to the carbon dioxide emissions of the home country, though the effects of emissions have weakened dynamically due the technology developments brought about by OFDI. More specifically, we find that both ‘pollution haven’ and ‘pollution halo’ effects existing in three different paths. The paths of industry composition and technology level show negative effects on carbon dioxide emissions, whilst the path of economic scale is positive. OFDI is also found to be negatively related to the carbon intensity of the home country