Does low-carbon city pilot lead to adaptation? Empirical research from 267 prefecture-level cities in China

In the face of China's visions of carbon neutrality and emission peak, carbon emission reduction reflects China's responsibility as a major country and the intrinsic requirements of high-quality development, while adaptation means ensuring national security, and climate adaptation, in particular, cannot be neglected in the context of the overall goal of carbon neutrality. This paper analyses the impact of climate mitigation measures on adaptation actions in 267 prefecture-level cities in China, based on a low-carbon city pilot, and examines the moderating effect of the global dimming effect and the mediating effect of green finance. The study finds that low-carbon city construction can lead to adaptation effects and, in addition, that green finance instruments, a key element of climate finance, play a mediating role between low-carbon city construction and adaptation strategies, but no moderating effect of the global dimming effect is found. As an exploratory study on the strategic relationship between low-carbon city construction and adaptation, this study tries to verify this problem from an empirical perspective, hoping to provide feasible solutions for global response to climate change.