Climate policy and green energy technology justice from a whole life-cycle perspective

This study examines the extent to which climate policy promotes green energy technology justice (GETJ) across its whole life cycle. The life cycle of GETJ is divided into three stages: disparity, transfer, and synergy. We analyze how climate policy shapes each stage and impacts regional inequalities in green technology development. Using China's Low-Carbon City Pilot (LCCP) policy as a quasi-natural experiment, we apply a Spatial Difference-in-Differences (SDID) model and an interpretable machine learning framework (XGBoost–SHAP). The findings reveal that climate policy plays different roles across the life cycle and that both policy implementation and green technology development indicate significant spatial inequities. Specifically, (1) GETJ evolves as a dynamic life-cycle process shaped by structural, spatial, and network inequalities; (2) climate policy enhances green patent disparity, diffusion centrality, and inter-city synergy, however, systemic integration remains limited; and (3) although policy strengthens inter-city synergy in green innovation, the benefits are unevenly distributed. Core cities benefit most, whereas intermediate cities are marginalized, which reveals structural asymmetries in policy effects. Theoretically, this study advances a life-cycle framework of GETJ, transcending static metrics to capture its dynamic and relational dimensions. Practically, the findings highlight the need to redesign climate policy to mitigate spatial inequality, not only by supporting peripheral cities, but also by empowering overlooked mid-tier regions. Overall, this study contributes to a more equitable and inclusive pathway toward a green transition. • Defines green energy technology justice through disparity, transfer, and synergy dimensions as a whole life-cycle process. • This study transcends a quasi-natural experiment by using continuous policy and machine learning. • Climate policy improves urban green patent output, diffusion roles, and network synergy. • Policy outcomes favor core cities, leaving mid-tier cities increasingly marginalized. • The findings support redistributive policies to promote spatial justice in green energy technology.