Does the transition to low-carbon energy alleviate urban-rural energy inequality? The case of China.

This paper aims to investigate whether China can reduce urban-rural energy inequality during its transition to low-carbon energy. Using data from 30 Chinese provinces between 2006 and 2019, we employ the system generalized method of moments (SYS-GMM) to investigate the correlation between low-carbon energy transition (LET) and urban-rural energy inequality. Furthermore, to investigate the mechanism, this study also considers energy service accessibility and industrial structure upgrading.