The construction of ecological civilization is a fundamental plan related to the sustainable development of China. During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, China’s ecological civilization construction has entered a key period focusing on carbon reduction, promoting the co-benefits of pollution and carbon reduction, promoting the comprehensive green transformation of economic and social development, and realizing the improvement of ecological environment quality from quantitative change to qualitative change. Meanwhile, it is also facing the severe challenges brought by carbon peak and carbon neutralization, as well as the arduous task of thoroughly fighting the tough battle of pollution prevention and control. Standing at a new historical point, we must more completely, accurately and comprehensively implement the concept of Two Mountains Theory, comprehensively promote pollution control, ecological protection and climate change, promote the co-benefits of pollution and carbon reduction, accelerate economic and social development, and realize comprehensive green transformation.

This paper brings air pollution and carbon emissions into the 3E (energy-environment-economy) performance research framework. Through the multi-dimensional comparative analysis of time, space and subsystems, this paper quantitatively investigates the impact of coordinated promotion of pollution and carbon reduction on the performance of China’s 3E system and its subsystems. The results show that: During the sample investigation period, the coordinated promotion of pollution and carbon reduction has increased the overall performance of China’s 3E system by 0.91% per year. Especially since the 18th CPC National Congress, the coordinated promotion of pollution and carbon reduction has played a more significant role in improving the performance. At the level of 3E subsystem, the coordinated promotion of pollution and carbon reduction is conducive to the performance improvement of economic system, energy system and environmental system, but the performance improvement of energy system faces greater challenges.

The marginal contribution of this paper may be reflected in the following aspects: First, this paper brings the coordinated promotion of pollution and carbon reduction into the 3E performance research framework for the first time, which enriches the theoretical research system of coordinated control of pollution and carbon reduction. Second, this paper gives full play to the additive characteristics of Luenberger productivity index and puts forward the calculation idea of energy, environment and economic subsystem performance. Third, this paper shows the great achievements of China’s ecological civilization construction since the 18th CPC National Congress, and deepens the understanding of the idea that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets.