Mitigating nitrogen dioxide air pollution: The roles and effect of national smart city pilots in China

The impacts of smart city policy on environmental efficiency and pollution are widely studied. However, we know very little about the roles and effect of smart city policy in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) air pollution. Using Chinese city-level panel data, we investigate the impact of national smart city pilots on satellite-derived ground level NO2 concentrations by Difference-in-Differences method. The results show that the smart city policy is conductive to mitigating the NO2 concentrations in pilot cities, especially for the cities with large population, high administrative hierarchies and located in eastern China. In particular, the mitigation effect of first round smart city pilots is greater than the second and third rounds. The mechanisms of smart city policy mitigating NO2 concentrations is to optimize energy structure and advance treatment technology, rather than directly reduce fossil energy consumption. Therefore, smart city policy may be a win-win choice for developing countries to break the trade-off between air pollution and economic development.

Automated summary

This study investigates the impact of national smart city pilots on nitrogen dioxide air pollution in Chinese cities. The findings suggest that the smart city policy helps to mitigate NO2 concentrations, especially in cities with larger populations, higher administrative hierarchies, and located in eastern China. The mechanisms behind this mitigation effect are optimizing energy structure and advancing treatment technology, rather than directly reducing fossil energy consumption. Thus, smart city policy could be a win-win choice for developing countries to address the trade-off between air pollution and economic development.