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The digital economy is gradually emerging as a new driving force and engine for high-quality economic development. In the context of reaching carbon peak and carbon neutrality, can the digital economy empower the development of urban green technology innovation? Based on the panel data of 274 cities in China from 2011 to 2019, this paper measures the development level of digital economy at the city level and employs the two-way fixed effect model to empirically analyze the impact of digital economy on urban green technology innovation. The results indicate that: (1) Digital economy development exert a significant positive impact on urban green technology innovation. This conclusion still holds after a series of robustness tests. (2) Digital economy enhances urban green technology innovation by optimizing human capital structure, enhancing the level of financial and credit investment, and strengthening public environmental concern. (3) Heterogeneity analyses show that the digital economy has a greater positive effect on green technology innovation in the eastern region and non-resource cities. The higher the level of intellectual property protection and the better the development of the factor market, and the lower the intensity of environmental regulation, the greater the positive effect of the digital economy on urban green technology innovation. These findings are not only of great practical significance for accelerating the development of green technology innovation in China, but also serve as a reference for other developing countries to utilize the digital economy to empower the development of green technology innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the critical period of strengthening the construction of ecological civilization, the construction of forest cities has become an important measure to promote urban ecosystem restoration and achieve sustainable development. Based on the mechanism of forest city promoting green development, the construction of a national forest city is regarded as a "quasi-natural experiment". Using China's urban panel data from 2005 to 2019, the impact of national forest city construction on urban green total factor productivity was evaluated using Multistage asymptotic double difference. The results show that National Forest Cities with environmental regulation can significantly promote regional green total factor productivity, which is still valid after a series of Robustness tests. Mechanism analysis shows that forest city construction not only affects territorial spatial planning but also forms a linkage with green technology innovation, mutual promotion and mutual promotion to jointly promote the sustainable development goals. This paper argues that building a national forest city is an important measure to achieve China's sustainable development goals in the new era, but in the process of policy implementation, it is necessary to implement the national forest city selection system according to local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-carbon pilot city (LCPC) plays a pivotal role in stimulating green innovation among enterprises. However, relying solely on policy often proves less effective, necessitating support from financial development. Yet, current research frequently overlooks the impact of financial development on LCPC policy. Drawing on economic, management, and organizational psychology theories, we investigate the influence of the financial development level on enterprise green innovation in LCPC, utilizing data from listed companies between 2010 and 2018. The main finding is that LCPC facilitates institutional-level green innovation. Concurrently, financial development augments the effectiveness of LCPC policy, further expediting green innovation activities among enterprises in these pilot cities. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that financial development significantly promotes green innovation, particularly among state-owned enterprises, those with myopic management, non-high technology industries, and businesses in the southern region within LCPC. Mechanism tests identify enterprises' financing constraints and R&D investment levels as key pathways through which financial development fosters green economic development in LCPC. This study provides micro-level evidence from China elucidating the effects of environmental policies and offers practical implications for the low-carbon transformation of the manufacturing sector amid peak emissions and carbon-neutral targets. Additionally, it provides valuable guidance for other emerging economies seeking enhanced resource and environmental protection through the implementation of energy-saving and emission-reduction fiscal policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the new stage of China's economic development, significant transformations have occurred in the mode, emphasis and speed of urban development. Enhancing the level of livelihood public service and promoting the green development of cities have emerged as the prevailing themes of contemporary urban development. Based on a theoretical model analysis, using the panel data of 281 cities in China from 2007 to 2020, this paper adopts the fixed-effect model for empirical analysis. The study revealed the following four main points. (1) The provision of livelihood public services can effectively enhance the efficiency of urban green development. After conducting a series of robustness tests, this conclusion is still valid. (2) The provision of livelihood public services only fosters the green transformation of non-resource-based cities, while its impact on resource-based cities remains non-significant. (3) The mechanism test demonstrated that livelihood public services promote green development efficiency mainly through population, innovation and producer services agglomeration. (4) The threshold effect test showed that there are differences in the nonlinear relationship between the livelihood public service level and urban green development efficiency under different threshold variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government seeks to promote economic growth and sustainable development while achieving carbon neutrality by establishing phased smart city pilots. Therefore, it is important to study whether smart city pilots can promote carbon emission efficiency (CEE). This paper constructs a multi-period difference-in-difference (DID) model based on panel data from 241 prefecture-level cities in China from 2007 to 2019, aiming to investigate the mechanism of the impact of smart city pilot policies (SCPP) on CEE and whether there is a rebound effect. The study found that smart city construction (SCC) significantly improves carbon efficiency, with pilot cities increasing their CEE by 1.4% compared to non-pilot cities. The conclusions remain robust under a variety of scenarios including the introduction of placebo tests, counterfactual tests, sample data screening, and omitted variable tests. The results of the mechanism test show that although the rebound effect can inhibit the improvement of CEE, the environment can be improved and the CEE can be enhanced through green technology innovation, industrial structure upgrading, energy structure optimization, environmental regulation effect, information technology support, and resource allocation effect. The heterogeneity results indicate that the SCPP is more effective in promoting CEE in cities in the eastern region, southern cities, environmentally friendly cities, large cities, and medium-sized cities. This study contributes to the existing literature in clarifying the environmental benefits of SCPP and provides valuable policy insights for cities to address climate change and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Sustainable Development Agenda Innovation Demonstration Zones (NSDAIDZs) aim to spearhead green development through scientific and technological innovation, showcasing sustainable development to other regions in China and offering valuable insights for countries worldwide. Taking Chengde City, which is one of the cities in the second batch of NSDAIDZs, as a case study, we examine the quantitative impact of technological innovation on green development. Additionally, it investigates the threshold effect of Research and development investments (R&D investments) on the relationship between technological innovation and green development. The results indicate that: (1) technological innovation has a positive promoting effect on green development, with a 1.01% increase in green development for every one unit increase in technological innovation; (2) The positive effect of technological innovation on green development becomes fully realized only when R&D investments and the upgrading of industrial structure surpass a specific threshold value. We contribute to the existing research on the connection between technological innovation and green development in innovation demonstration zones. It also provides empirical insights to foster a mutually beneficial relationship between R&D investments, industrial structure upgrading, and technological innovation, ultimately maximizing the promoting role of technological innovation in green development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green development is an important component of China's new development concept. Pilot Free Trade Zones (PFTZs), as "experimental fields" for promoting reform, deepening opening-up, and raising the level of an open economy, are important open areas for China to promote green development. However, existing related research is not extensive. This article takes PFTZs as quasi-natural experiments, with the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) as the research area. Based on urban panel data from 2006 to 2020, using multi-period differences-in-differences and spatial differences-in-differences models, it explores the impact effects of PFTZs on urban green development and their potential mechanisms. The research findings indicate: (1) Overall, PFTZs significantly promote urban green development, with variations in impact effects due to different batches and locations of establishment. (2) Mechanism tests show that PFTZs mainly promote urban green development by stimulating technological innovation, industrial upgrading, and reducing government intervention. (3) From the perspective of spatial spillover effects, the establishment of PFTZs not only promotes the green development process in the host cities but also has a promoting effect on the green development of surrounding cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green innovation possesses dual externalities of "innovation" and "environmental protection", and enhancing energy efficiency serves as a crucial means to promote high-quality economic development. Building upon the energy rebound effect, we use the balanced panel data of cities at prefecture level and above in China from 2008 to 2018 to explore the impact of urban green innovation on total factor energy efficiency (TFEE). The findings of this study indicate that, firstly, the impact of green innovation on TFEE exhibits a positive U-shaped pattern, characterized by initial suppression followed by subsequent promotion. This conclusion remains robust after undergoing a series of rigorous robustness tests. Second, high-quality green innovation is found to reach the turning point more quickly, implying that substantial green innovation can cross the turning point in smaller quantities. Thirdly, on the whole, in comparison to non-resource-based cities, resource-based cities are capable of reaching the turning point at an earlier stage. Finally, the new energy demonstration cities have not yet reached the turning point, while the non-new energy demonstration cities have crossed the turning point. This study contributes novel insights into the relationship between green innovation and TFEE, which holds significant implications for the formulation and implementation of sustainable development policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technological progress in favor of cleaner production is the key to achieving low-carbon development in China. The Ambient Air Quality Standard (AAQS) issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) in 2012 was an essential policy for the central government to implement vertical environmental regulation. Therefore, based on the city-level panel data, this paper examines the impact of the central vertical regulation on urban environment-biased technological progress using the difference-in-differences method. The results show that central vertical regulation can significantly promote urban environment-friendly technological progress. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the driving effect of the central vertical regulation on urban environment-friendly technological progress is more obvious in the eastern regions, non-resource-based cities, large cities, and high-grade cities. Moreover, the channel analysis shows that the central vertical regulation mainly boosts the urban environmental technology progress toward cleaner production by strengthening government environmental governance, raising public environmental concern, and improving energy structure. The findings provide policy implications for evaluating the effectiveness of macro-environmental policy and promoting green sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Realizing the coordination between the economic and environmental systems through a green growth model is an important goal for China to enter the high-quality development stage. Meanwhile, financial technology (fintech) is rapidly developing in China. To explore the relationship between the two, this research uses panel data from 276 cities in China from 2011 to 2022 and empirically tests through constructing econometric models and machine learning algorithms. The empirical result shows that fintech has an impact on green growth. Specifically, there is a U-shaped relationship between fintech and green growth, meaning that before a certain stage, fintech may have a certain inhibitory effect on green growth. After fintech exceeds a certain development level, it will promote the improvement of green growth. Further mediation tests show that innovation plays a mediating role in the impact of fintech on green growth. Additionally, this research also conducts consistency tests based on different criteria including the location, scale, and financial development level of cities. Based on the research findings, policy suggestions are proposed in this paper to promote the development of fintech and stimulate the growth of the green economy. Overall, our research sheds more light on the fintech-green growth linkage and provides new insights into comprehending the role of fintech in advancing towards a low-carbon economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Evaluation for urban green land use efficiency (UGLUE) of resource-based cities. • The UGLUE has experienced a trend of first fluctuating and then improving. • Industrial upgrading, financial development and technological innovation are main factors. • Spatial-temporal heterogeneity in the impact of different factors on UGLUE. The green use of urban land has become a key for the sustainable transformation of resource-based cities. This paper selects 116 Chinese resource-based cities to construct an evaluation system for urban green land use and measure its efficiency. Secondly, it identifies driving factors affecting urban green land use efficiency (UGLUE) and comprehensively analyze the heterogeneity of these factors. The important findings of this paper include: (1) The UGLUE of resource-based cities in China has experienced a trend of first fluctuating and then improving. However, there are obvious regional differences. The UGLUE in the eastern and western regions are higher than those in the central and northeastern regions. (2) Industrial upgrading, financial development and technological innovation are key factors affecting UGLUE in resource-based cities. (3) There is significant heterogeneity in the impact of different factors in different city types, different regions and different time periods. The land use in resource-based cities should transform from blind expansion in pursuit of short-term economic benefits to a green development that pursues the coordination of economic, social, and ecological benefits based on the local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon lock-in has become a major obstacle to green development in all countries, and carbon unlocking (CUL) is of great significance in accelerating the process of carbon neutrality worldwide. Based on the panel data of 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2020, this paper constructs a PSM-DID model based on machine learning to empirically test the impact of LCCP policy on urban CUL. The regression result shows that the low carbon city pilot (LCCP) policy significantly increases the level of CUL by 1.25 % in the pilot cities, which is still valid after range of robustness tests, and the mechanism analysis shows that green innovation and green habits are important ways for the policy to affect CUL. Based on the generalized random forest (GRF) algorithm, we further find that the policy can increase the CUL level by 0.6 %, and the average treatment effect (ATE) of the sample is concentrated between 0.004 and 0.006, which exhibits obvious heterogeneity. This paper chooses population quality, openness level and industrial structure as heterogeneous factors, which are finally found to have a U-shaped or inverted U-shaped relationship with ATE. This study provides useful insights for China and other countries to break the carbon lock-in and realize green development. • Low-carbon city pilot policy can effectively promote urban carbon unlocking. • Causal forest model is used for causal inference based on generalized random forests algorithm. • The propensity score is calculated by machine learning. • Generalized random forest is used for heterogeneity analysis. • Low-carbon city pilot policy transmits policy effects through green innovation and green habits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental protection and sustainable development are now profoundly ingrained in the public consciousness in the modern era of the global green revolution. First, this paper uses an evolutionary game model to theoretically analyse the impact of environmental regulation and green finance on enterprises by dissecting the game behaviour between local governments, banks and enterprises. Then, we incorporate entrepreneurial spirit into the model to determine whether entrepreneurial spirit accelerates the achievement of green sustainability objectives. Environmental regulation and green finance are found to contribute substantially to the innovation of green technologies by local enterprises, while entrepreneurial spirit accelerates this process. Finally, we empirically test the findings based on a prefecture-level panel dataset from 2007 to 2020. We find that green finance has a positive impact in Central and Western cities of China, while Eastern cities are in greater need for government environmental regulation controls. For entrepreneurial spirit, the incentive effect of entrepreneurial spirit on the level of green technology innovation is more significant in Central and Western regions of China. This paper enriches the field of research on entrepreneurial spirit and regional green sustainable development by providing empirical evidence for the evaluation of environmental regulatory and green financing policy impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enhancing the green economy efficiency (GEE) is crucial for building a sustainable economy. How can the rapidly advancing digital transformation contribute to this process? The paper empirically examines the direct and spatial spillover effects of digital transformation on cities' GEE in China. This study utilizes the National E-commerce Pilot City (NEPC) policy as a quasi-natural experiment of regional digital transformation and employs the staggered difference-in-differences (DID) method with heterogeneous effects. The findings reveal that (i) implementing the NEPC policy significantly increases urban GEE by 2.6%, corresponding to a 16% increase in the mean of GEE. This effect is particularly pronounced in non-resource-based cities and cities with high Internet penetration. (ii) The mechanism test shows that the pilot policy positively affects GEE by promoting green structural transformation, enhancing green innovation, and strengthening public environmental concerns. (iii) The study highlights a positive spatial spillover effect of the NEPC policy on the GEE of nonpilot cities. (iv) The adoption of the NEPC plays a pivotal role in advancing energy use and carbon emission efficiency. This paper expands the existing knowledge on the green development effects of the digital economy while offering valuable policy insights for building an "Inclusive Green Economy". [Display omitted] • The staggered differences-in-differences method is employed to examine the direct and spatial spillover effects of NEPC on cities' GEE in China. • This paper uses NEPC as a quasi-experiment for digital transformation. • NEPC significantly improves green economic efficiency by 2.6%. • Green structural transformation, innovation, and environmental concerns are main channels. • Positive spillover effect of NEPC on green economy efficiency in non-pilot cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 21st century, the world has increasingly focused on the issue of sustainable development, and the green transformation issues have become a new hot topic worldwide. Green and low-carbon transformation has become an international consensus. Urban agglomerations are important connections between urban development and regional coordination, as well as important spatial carriers for economic activities. They are not only the main source of carbon emissions, but also the main battlefield for energy conservation and emission reduction. As an important field for carbon reduction, the green transformation of cities is crucial for achieving the "dual carbon" goals. This article focuses on 48 cities in the three most mature and influential urban agglomerations in China from 2011 to 2019, namely, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration, the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, and the Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration. The three-stage DEA model and Malmquist index model are used to measure the green transformation efficiency of the three urban agglomerations from both dynamic and static perspectives, and a Tobit regression model is constructed to explore the influencing factors of green transformation efficiency in urban agglomerations. Research has found that: 1) From a static perspective, the overall efficiency of green transformation in the three major urban agglomerations is at a high level, but from a temporal perspective, it shows a downward trend. The Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration is known for its green development, with the highest average efficiency of green transformation, followed by the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration. The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration has the lowest level of green transformation; 2) From a dynamic perspective, technological progress is the main driving factor for improving the efficiency of green transformation in the three major urban agglomerations. Therefore, the government should pay special attention to the progressiveness of technology when formulating relevant policies to promote urban green transformation; 3) From the perspective of spatiotemporal differences, there are significant differences in the spatiotemporal characteristics of green transformation among the three major urban agglomerations, and there are significant differences in green transformation strategies among different urban agglomerations. Eliminating environmental factors and random interference is necessary for accurately measuring the efficiency of green transformation in urban agglomerations; 4) From the perspective of influencing factors, factors such as industrial structure upgrading, green innovation level, and environmental regulation intensity jointly affect the efficiency of green transformation in urban agglomerations. Based on this, we should pay attention to the differences between urban agglomerations and implement policies tailored to local conditions; Strengthen the network system of urban agglomerations and avoid conflicts between cities; Encourage green technology innovation, accelerate industrial structure upgrading, and so on. This article focuses on the issue of green transformation in urban agglomerations, and conducts research from three perspectives: efficiency measurement, influencing factors, and implementation mechanisms. A relatively systematic theoretical framework for green transformation in urban agglomerations is formed, and an evaluation index system for green transformation efficiency in urban agglomerations is constructed and optimized. The composition mechanism of the five dimensional evaluation system for transformation efficiency is analyzed, and the bottleneck and breakthrough direction of the three major urban agglomerations in China in the development process are grasped. It has a good demonstration effect on the green transformation of other urban agglomerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper explores the effect of green finance on SDGs. • GFPZ significantly promotes SDGs. • Green finance indirectly affects SDGs through technological innovation. • The impact of green finance on SDGs exhibits heterogeneity. In pursuit of actively advancing energy transformation, ensuring the attainment of carbon peak and carbon neutrality objectives, and fostering sustainable development, China has dedicated substantial efforts. This article treats the Green Finance Reform and Innovation Pilot Zones (GFPZ) as a quasi-natural experiment, thereby constructing an analytical framework for evaluating the impact of green finance on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We empirically investigate this impact by analyzing data from 316 cities in China spanning the period from 2011 to 2020, employing a difference-in-differences (DID) model. The study suggests a gradual improvement in the level of sustainable development in China. Moreover, green finance contributes to SDGs, and the conclusion is robust. Further investigation reveals that green finance improves sustainable development by fostering technological innovation. Heterogeneity results indicate that the influence is notably more pronounced in western regions and locales characterized by stringent environmental regulations. This article offers fresh perspectives on achieving SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of the current ecologicalization of social policies, the National Marine Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration Zone led by the Chinese government is not only a carrier of marine ecological civilization construction, but also a test field for building a maritime power and promoting the sustainable development of the marine economy and society. This paper considers the establishment of the demonstration zones as a "quasi-natural experiment". Utilizing panel data from 53 prefecture-level and above cities in China from 2006 to 2020, a time‑varying difference‑in‑difference model is applied to examine whether this ecological policy can promote the elevation of green development levels of the marine economy, aiming to achieve a harmonious balance between "clear waters and green mountains" and "mountains of gold and silver". The results indicate that the establishment of the demonstration zones significantly enhances the level of green development of the marine economy. Technological innovation and industrial structure are identified as two crucial mechanisms influencing green development of the marine economy, both exhibiting positive mediating effects. The impact of the establishment of the demonstration zones on the promotion of green development of the marine economy is more pronounced in the East China coastal region and the Central-south coastal region compared to the North China and Northeast coastal regions. Additionally, this policy effectively stimulates green development of the marine economy in medium and small cities and non-resource-based cities. Finally, corresponding policy recommendations are proposed from the perspectives of differentiated strategies, industrial structure adjustments, and technological innovation mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eradicating poverty and improving human well-being are pivotal objectives for achieving global sustainable development. Sustainable agriculture, as a key domain, plays a crucial role in addressing poverty. However, to date, there remains insufficient research on the specific impact of agricultural green development on poverty. To bridge this gap, we utilize panel data from 273 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2022 to explore how agricultural green development affects poverty based on constructing a regional multidimensional poverty index and an index of green agriculture. Our study reveals that agricultural green development effectively reduces poverty, particularly in regions of deep poverty and the eastern part of China. Further mediating analysis indicates the alleviation of poverty by agricultural green development through the infrastructure, the industrial structure, and the green technology innovation effect. Our findings offer valuable insights for informing policies on agricultural green development and poverty reduction, as well as for improving government resource allocation and strengthening resilience in impoverished areas. By deepening our understanding of the link between green agriculture and poverty, this research significantly contributes to global agricultural sustainability and expedites poverty eradication worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]