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The development of urbanization has brought new challenges to the ecological environment, and the promotion of green technology innovation and development is widely recognized as an essential method to achieve cities' economic benefits and environmental protection. This paper examines whether the new urbanization pilot policies (NUP) increase green technology innovation (GTI) from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. This paper examines the impact of new urbanization on GTI by analyzing data from 285 cities in China between 2010 and 2021, using the multi-period DID model with the implementation of NUP as an exogenous policy shock. The study results indicate that NUP significantly affects GTI, and the conclusion still holds after the parallel trend test, placebo test, and other robustness tests. Heterogeneity analysis shows that the NUP significantly enhances GTI in low environmental pollution, non-resource-based, Medium-sized, and Central Region cities. The test of moderating effect shows that NUP has a "linkage effect" with the government's environmental attention, financial investment in innovation, and regional talent pooling. The findings of this paper provide empirical evidence and decision-making reference for promoting NUP and sustainable development of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental pollution has become a pressing global issue, severely threatening human health and ecosystems. As an emerging driver of economic development in countries worldwide, the digital economy (DE) has the potential to enhance resource utilization efficiency and promote the development of clean technologies, thereby reducing environmental pollution. Based on the panel data of 267 cities in China from 2012 to 2021, the spatial econometric model is used to test the impact of DE on environmental pollution. The mediating effect model is used to explore the transmission mechanism of DE affecting environmental pollution. The panel threshold model is used to examine the threshold effect of marketization. The results are as follows: (1) DE can significantly reduce environmental pollution. The conclusion is still valid after conducting robustness tests such as selecting historical data as instrumental variables and the "Broadband China" pilot as a quasi-natural experiment. (2) From the perspective of transmission mechanism, DE can reduce environmental pollution through green technology innovation and industrial structure upgrading. (3) From the perspective of spatial spillover effect, DE can reduce the environmental pollution level of surrounding cities. (4) From the perspective of threshold effect, DE has obvious market-oriented single threshold effect on environmental pollution. When the marketization level crosses the threshold of 11.6611, the emission reduction effect of DE is significant. (5) From the perspective of heterogeneity, DE has a heterogeneous impact on environmental pollution in cities with different geographic locations, resource endowments and administrative level. Regarding geographical heterogeneity, DE can effectively reduce environmental pollution in eastern and central regions, but has no significant impact on environmental pollution in western regions. Regarding the heterogeneity of resource endowment, compared to non-resource-based cities, resource-based cities suffer more from the negative effects of DE on their environment. Regarding the heterogeneity of administrative levels, compared with non-central cities, the DE of central cities has a greater emission reduction effect. Based on empirical results, this paper proposes strategic recommendations in areas such as enhancing the application of DE in emission reduction, upgrading industrial structures, promoting green technology innovation, and improving the level of marketization. This study not only enriches the research of DE and environmental pollution, but also provides a reference for the formulation of environmental pollution control policies. [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]

Environmental public interest litigation (EPIL) is a significant part of the judicial system; it is aimed at strengthening judicial protections and safeguarding public interests. Based on the quasi-natural experimental setting of China's EPIL pilot project, this study examines the impact of EPIL on the country's urban land green use efficiency (ULGUE). The findings show that effectively implementing EPIL enhances ULGUE. Specifically, this policy has led to a 6.6% increase in ULGUE in pilot cities, and its impact has grown stronger over time. Mechanism analysis results show that EPIL mainly enhances ULGUE by strengthening environmental supervision and law enforcement, by increasing public participation in environmental governance, and by promoting green innovation and industrial structure upgrades. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis revealed that the positive effects of this policy implementation are more pronounced in resource-based cities, cities with open environmental information, and cities with high marketization. This paper provides empirical evidence for the effectiveness of environmental governance via EPIL. [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]