Energy carbon performance curse: an analysis based on the economic restructuring stickiness

Although natural resource’s negative impacts on economic growth have been extensively explored, its curse on energy carbon performance may remain ignored. Combining theoretical analysis, this paper further examines the curse of mineral resource dependence on energy carbon performance and the specific mechanism. In 2019, if optimal production is achieved in all sample cities, China would reduce electricity consumption by 42.941% and carbon emissions by 43.958%. Compared to non-resource-based cities, the potential ratios of energy savings and carbon reduction in resource-based cities are 5.403% and 6.059% higher, respectively. When the mineral resource dependence is less than 0.042%, it contributes to energy carbon performance, but when the mineral resource dependence exceeds 0.042%, higher mineral resource dependence implies more serious energy carbon performance curse, which explains the coexistence of resource blessing and resource curse. Economic restructuring stickiness caused by mineral resource dependence serves as a key mechanism for energy carbon performance curse, and energy, factor and industry restructuring stickiness are specific channels for this mechanism.