Study on the Heterogeneity of Air Pollution Control in the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Abstract

Environmental regulation is one of the most effective means of air pollution control. However, its heterogeneity is often neglected, which prevents in-depth study of the pollution control effects of environmental regulation and accurate and scientific control of air pollution. This paper studies the heterogeneity of the impact of environmental regulation on air pollution based on the data from 110 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt from 2011 to 2019. This includes pre-pollution environmental regulation, post-pollution environmental regulation, as well as the efficiency of controlling exhaust emission pollution and haze pollution. The study enhances the study of the impact of environmental regulation on air pollution. It is found that: (1) Environmental regulation presents a significant driving effect on the spatial transfer characteristics of air pollution, and pre-pollution environmental regulation is more effective in suppressing air pollution emissions. (2) The level of environmental regulation exhibits significant temporal and spatial stickiness, showing positive strategic interaction characteristics, and the degree of interaction of pre-pollution environmental regulation strategies is stronger. By studying the heterogeneity of the impact of environmental regulation on air pollution, this paper reveals the heterogeneity of environmental regulation for pollution control, including spatiotemporal heterogeneity and the impact of heterogeneous environmental regulation on different air pollutant types, which provides a reference for in-depth air pollution control in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.