The impact of digital economy development on air pollutant emissions from 30 Chinese provinces

The arrival of the digital economy brings effects not only on air pollutant emissions but also on the movement towards a greener economic and societal transformation. However, the link between these two aspects is still not deeply studied. In this research, an evaluation index system for the digital economy was built, and its indicators were measured across 30 provinces in China over the period from 2013 to 2022. Through different models, the impact and mechanism of the digital economy development on air pollutant emissions are explored. The results show that: (1) the digital economy development has significantly reduced regional air pollutant emissions; (2) as public concern for air quality increases and government focus on digitization intensifies, the impact of digital economy development on reducing air pollutant emissions becomes more pronounced. Green technology innovation level can positively regulate the impact of digital economy development on air pollutant emissions; (3) the intensity of environmental regulation can have a positive effect on the influence of digital economy development regarding smoke (dust) emissions and PM2.5 concentration. However, this regulatory impact is not significantly evident for sulfur dioxide. (4) The digital economy's environmental advantages are more pronounced in the eastern and western regions, as well as in areas characterized by higher marketization levels. Finally, this study offers several policy implications for the digital economy development and environmental pollution governance.