An empirical study on the influencing factors of carbon accounting information disclosure of listed mining companies: based on the perspective of corporate governance and location

With the increasing global attention to climate change issues, China has clearly put forward the strategic goals of double carbon, which strongly demonstrates its firm determination to transform into a low-carbon economy. Under this important guidance, the mining industry, due to its crucial position in the process of energy resource development and utilization, has become an important field for achieving carbon neutrality. The mining industry not only needs to shoulder the heavy responsibility of promoting economic development but also needs to strengthen the concept of ecological protection and actively implement the strategy of efficient resource recycling, so as to strike a balance between economic growth and green sustainable development. However, currently, there are many problems in the disclosure of carbon accounting information in the mining industry, which have affected the decision-making of stakeholders and the green transformation process of the industry. Therefore, in-depth research on this issue has important practical significance. This study takes listed companies in the mining industry as the research object and selects data samples from 2009 to 2023. From the unique perspective of corporate governance, six key variables are screened out, namely, the proportion of independent directors, the nature of equity, the concentration of equity, the size of the board of directors, the region where the enterprise is located, and whether it is located in a carbon trading pilot city. An in-depth empirical analysis of the practice of carbon accounting information disclosure by listed companies in the mining industry has been carried out. The results show that an increase in the proportion of independent directors and the nature of state-owned enterprise equity have a positive promoting effect on the level of carbon accounting information disclosure by listed companies in the mining industry. Independent directors, relying on their independence and professionalism, urge companies to attach importance to disclosure; state-owned enterprises respond more actively to low-carbon policies due to their stronger sense of social responsibility. However, the concentration of equity, the size of the board of directors, the region where the enterprise is located, and whether it is in a carbon trading pilot city have no significant impact, possibly due to the interweaving of multiple factors. In order to explore the differential mechanisms, a heterogeneity analysis has been conducted on the nature of equity, the region where the company is located, and whether it is in a carbon trading pilot city. Based on this research, suggestions are put forward, such as optimizing the internal management of enterprises, improving the disclosure system and process; strengthening policy guidance to guide enterprises through incentives and constraints; and strengthening external supervision to give full play to the roles of intermediaries, the media, and the public. These suggestions aim to help listed companies in the mining industry improve the level of carbon accounting information disclosure and promote the realization of China’s double carbon goals.