Towards green recovery: Natural resources utilization efficiency under the impact of environmental information disclosure

Improving natural resources utilization efficiency (NRUE) is essential in order to realize green recovery and achieve sustainable development. This paper estimates NRUE based on the slacks-based measure (SBM) model and evaluates the impact of environmental information disclosure (EID) on NRUE using the data of 113 pilot cities from 2008 to 2018. Results are as follows: (1) EID has an inverted U-shaped impact on NRUE, thus achieving green recovery. This conclusion is still valid after a series of robustness tests. (2) The inverted U-shaped impact is more effective in regions with high levels, respectively, of green finance development, government environmental attention and natural resources abundance. (3) The impact is through mechanisms of green technology innovation and industrial green transformation. (4) The impact still appears inverted U-shaped considering spatial effects. The findings simultaneously broaden and deepen the research fields in green recovery and NRUE, serving as a reference for policy adjustments and decisions.