High-quality energy development in China: Comprehensive assessment and its impact on CO2 emissions

To effectively assess the potential greenhouse effect of high-quality energy development (HED), this study first constructs an assessment system for HED, and then tests the impact of HED on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in China. We also investigate three main effects (i.e., scale effect, structural effect, and technological effect) on the HED-CO2 nexus, respectively, and discuss the asymmetric impacts. The results show that: (i) HED in China has achieved initial results during the sample period; (ii) the overall effect of HED on CO2 emissions is negative, and HED not only curbs CO2 emissions directly, but also mitigates CO2 emissions indirectly by reducing total energy consumption, increasing the proportion of natural gas in energy consumption, and improving energy efficiency; and (iii) CO2 emissions and their determinants are significantly asymmetric at different quantiles. This study proposes a series of policy recommendations to promote carbon emission reduction according to the primary findings.