Spatial connection network of the co-benefits of reducing pollutants and carbon emissions in the Yangtze River Delta urban cluster

Abstract

Clarifying the spatial connections of the co-benefits of reducing pollutants and carbon emissions (RPCE) is important for promoting collaborative urban governance and achieving sustainable development. This study examines the overall and individual evolutionary characteristics of spatial connection network (SCN) of the co-benefits of RPCE in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) urban cluster in China from 2011 to 2021, and employs the exponential random graph model (ERGM) to analyze its formation mechanisms in depth. The results demonstrate that this network is becoming increasingly cohesive and stable, exhibiting a typical “core-periphery” structure. A few cities (e.g., Nanjing) play a dominant role in the network, serving as the primary controllers and mediators of resource and information transmission, which requires more attention. The analysis of the formation mechanisms indicates that cities are more likely to form simple chain or bilateral connections in collaborative governance for RPCE. Meanwhile, factors such as the level of opening up, industrial structure upgrading, green technology innovation capacity, digital economy development, environmental regulation intensity, energy intensity, and fiscal capacity all have varying influences on the formation and direction of network connections. Moreover, network connections are also constrained by geographic distance, administrative boundaries and the differences in industrial specialization.