Exploratory analysis of grey behavior of multidimensional subjects of environmental governance under the carbon peak mechanism

Balancing economic development with ecological conservation has long been a focal topic in academia. Central and local governments, polluting enterprises, and the public generate diverse environmental governance behaviors based on their respective interests. As conflicts and interests collide, the boundaries of behavioral evolution become increasingly blurred, giving rise to iterative grey behaviors situated between positive and negative actions. Consequently, the behavioral mechanisms of environmental governance actors essentially control the balancing weights between economy and ecology. However, as an interim state bridging historical governance systems and carbon neutrality goals, carbon peak has altered environmental governance signals. Given its temporal proximity and contextual constraints, there emerges greater tolerance for environmentally detrimental behaviors, further shaping the evolutionary trajectory of governance standards and behavioral transitions. This study analyzes environmental cases reported in media from 2012 to 2022 and incorporates all environmental regulatory documents issued by central and local governments. Grounded in grey system theory and signaling theory, it defines grey behaviors adjusted by informal rules among multi-dimensional environmental governance actors. Findings reveal that polluting enterprises—as direct executors of pollution discharge and control—experience intensified pressure from publicized government supervision and public complaints, yet this paradoxically increases grey behaviors. Such behavioral escalation detrimentally impacts regional economic development. Further analysis demonstrates that the credibility, intensity, and clarity of central, local, and peer signals influence enterprises' motivations for grey behaviors, while strong public signals exert pressure to reduce such motivations. The study constructs a theoretical framework integrating the Pollution Information Transparency Index (PITI), grey behavior index, and urban economic development levels. Empirical evidence confirms that rising grey behavior indices hinder regional economic growth, attributable to dual institutional constraints and technological limitations. This research contributes to environmental behavior literature by defining governance actors' grey behaviors, elaborating their motivations and characteristics, and expanding analytical perspectives to multi-dimensional governance systems. It provides clearer operational solutions to mitigate grey behaviors in polluting enterprises. Crucially, the study proposes comprehensive policy recommendations addressing: potential trade-offs between grey behavior emergence and ecological goal attainment, institutional safeguards for multi-dimensional governance actors, legal framework enhancements, and balanced coordination between grey behaviors and carbon peak objectives.