Impact Of Forest Carbon Sequestration Project On Rural Residents’ Economic Welfare

In recent years,the global warming caused by greenhouse gases has become the focus of attention in the world,and has affected the environmental,economic and political fields.In December 2017,China officially launched a unified national carbon emissions trading system.In September 2020,China set the goals of "carbon peaking" by 2030 and "carbon neutrality" by 2060.Forest carbon sink project is an effective way to accelerate the pace of reducing carbon emissions.As the main suppliers and the most direct participants of forest carbon sink project,it is of great significance for farmers to explore ways to continue implementing forest carbon sink project.In the process of implementing forest carbon sink projects,farmers pursue economic welfare,and absolute income cannot fully reflect the economic welfare of rural residents.This paper analyzes the economic welfare effects of forest carbon sink projects on rural residents based on relative income,and puts forward corresponding policy suggestions to promote the sustainable and healthy operation of forest carbon sink projects.Based on the county statistical data from 2007 to 2018,taking Sichuan Province as an example,the PSM-DID method was used to empirically measure the economic welfare effect of rural residents in the pilot counties of forest carbon sequestration project.The results show that:(1)In the full sample analysis,the economic welfare effect of rural residents in the pilot counties of forest carbon sequestration project decreased after taking relative factors into account,and the rural comparison showed obvious welfare loss from a relative perspective.On average,from a relative perspective,the implementation of forest carbon sequestration projects resulted in the loss of subjective economic welfare in rural areas,which was highlighted by the comparison of rural areas.(2)In the dynamic test,the impact of the implementation of forest carbon sink project on the economic welfare of rural residents lags behind and has a significant positive impact on average in the sixth year of the implementation of the project.The economic welfare effect of the implementation of forest carbon sink project on rural residents considering relative factors is always lower than that without considering relative factors,but in the 9th phase,the economic welfare effect of rural residents considering relative factors exceeds that without considering relative factors for the first time.This indicates that long-term implementation of forest carbon sequestration projects can improve the economic welfare of rural residents from both absolute and relative perspectives.(3)In the heterogeneity analysis,the economic welfare effect of rural residents in the 20-year group was negative after taking relative factors into account;The economic welfare effect of rural residents increased after taking relative factors into account when implementing forest carbon sequestration projects in poor counties;When the forest carbon sequestration project was implemented in Minzu County,the economic welfare effect of rural residents was negative.In order to further improve the economic welfare effect of the forest carbon sink project on rural residents and enhance the willingness of farmers to implement the forest carbon sink project,it is concluded that:(1)With the goal of compensating the opportunity cost of rural residents,the carbon sink trading price standard should be adjusted according to the economic development level of pilot areas,so as to ensure that the economic income of rural residents in pilot counties is not lower than that in other non-pilot areas.(2)Establish and improve the long-term stabilization mechanism of forest carbon sink projects,prevent potential natural and market risks,and ensure the long-term driving force of the projects on the economic welfare of rural residents.(3)Implement forest carbon sequestration projects according to local conditions and implement policies conducive to project development in different regions.(4)Since forest carbon sequestration projects tend to occupy certain land resources,it is necessary to vigorously support and develop the local tertiary industry while actively carrying out training and retraining of rural personnel,improving the cultural quality and skill level of the labor force,and promoting the flow of surplus rural labor force to the city with the project as the carrier.Skills training,nonagricultural employment and other forms to alleviate the possible rural income gap.