Public participation in achieving sustainable development goals in China: Evidence from the practice of air pollution control

Public participation is an important means of achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) in western countries, but it's just in its infancy in China. Does public participation in China help reduce air pollutant emissions and contribute to sustainable development? In order to answer this question, effects of the China Air Pollution Map Application on industrial pollution emissions, a natural experiment in which the public participates in environmental protection, are evaluated by using the difference-in-differences method. It is found that the launch of the Map restrains the industrial pollution discharge to a certain extent. However, its marginal effect fluctuates with the passage of time, indicating that it is not a stable means for maintaining sustainable development. Only when government policies, public and enterprise participation are jointly involved can air pollutant emissions be effectively controlled and SDGs be ultimately achieved.