The Impact of Digital Environmental Governance on Green Transformation: Theoretical Mechanism and Empirical Test from China

In the era of digitalization, digital environmental governance has gradually emerged as a new driving force for promoting economic green transformation. Taking China’s 30 provinces as the research sample, on the basis of the theoretical analysis, this paper explores the influence, mechanism, and threshold effects of digital environmental governance on green transformation by using a panel fixed model, a two-step mechanism test model, and a threshold model, respectively. The spatial Durbin model is further employed to discuss the spatial spillover effects of the digital environmental governance’s influence. The results indicate that the following: (1) Digital environmental governance can effectively enhance green transformation, with a pronounced impact observed in central and western regions and high-pollution areas. (2) Mechanism analysis reveals that the intermediary pathway for achieving green transformation through digital environmental governance lies in strengthening environmental regulation intensity. Meanwhile, this enabling effect is constrained by the development level of regional digital economy, showing an “increasing marginal utility” characteristic along with the digital economy. (3) The digital environmental governance’s influence shows a spatial spillover effect, which not only enhances local green transformation but also significantly contributes to promoting surrounding green transformation. Therefore, it is necessary to expedite the integrated application of digital technology in the field of environmental governance, prioritize tailored enabling strategies based on local conditions, and reinforce the supportive role played by the digital economy through multiple avenues to effectively harness the benefits of this new opportunity presented by digital environmental governance.