AUTHOR=Jiang Xinyang 

TITLE=From burning to clean: how China’s heating transition reduces pollution and enhances land-use sustainability

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Environmental Science

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/environmental-science/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1598729

DOI=10.3389/fenvs.2025.1598729

ISSN=2296-665X

ABSTRACT=IntroductionAgricultural fires have posed significant challenges to environmental governance and the effective cultivation of land in China, prompting the government to implement the Clean Heating Policy (CHP) since 2013 as a key measure to reduce coal consumption and promote energy structure optimization. Moreover, growing land-use pressures—particularly those arising from agricultural intensification and rural energy demand—have further underscored the need for cleaner and more sustainable heating strategies.MethodsUsing county-level data on PM2.5 concentrations and agricultural fire frequencies, this paper employs a staggered Difference-in-Differences (DID) approach for empirical analysis.ResultsThe results indicate that the CHP significantly reduces PM2.5 concentrations by 4.8% and lowers agricultural fire occurrences by 17.4%, with the findings remaining robust. Further analysis demonstrates that the air pollution mitigation effect is primarily concentrated within a 50 km radius, while the fire suppression effect extends up to 100 km, especially pronounced in core grain-producing areas and non-resource-based cities.DiscussionOverall, this study highlights the positive role of the CHP in improving environmental quality, promoting more rational land resource use, and advancing sustainable energy transition.