ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Environmental Economics and Management
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1538077
This article is part of the Research TopicEnvironmental degradation, health, and socioeconomic impactsView all 8 articles
How does a city's digital economy development impact pollution emissions?
Provisionally accepted
Tian Lan1
Jun Ma1,2*- 1Yunnan University of Finance And Economics, Kunming, China
- 2Ningbo University of Finance and Economics, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, China
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This study examines the intricate relationship between a city's digital economic development and pollution emissions in China, employing panel data from 285 cities spanning 2002-2022. Utilising threshold regression, spatial autoregressive, and mediation models, we uncover a non-linear inverted-U relationship nationally, where initial digital expansion may elevate emissions before mature digital ecosystems drive reductions. Regional heterogeneity is pronounced: eastern and central regions show significant emission reductions, while western and northeastern areas exhibit limited or nonsignificant effects. Spatial spillover effects highlight the need for inter-regional policy coordination. Mediation analysis reveals green technological innovation and industrial upgrading as critical pathways through which digitalisation mitigates environmental impacts. Our findings underscore the necessity for context-specific policies-prioritising energy efficiency in nascent digital phases and fostering advanced technologies in mature regions. These insights provide empirical foundations for balancing digitalisation's economic benefits with sustainable environmental stewardship.
Keywords: digital economy development, Pollution emissions, Inverted U-shaped relationship, Spatial spillover effect, Green technological innovation
Received: 02 Dec 2024; Accepted: 23 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Lan and Ma. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jun Ma, Yunnan University of Finance And Economics, Kunming, China
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