Research on the impact and mechanism of China's digital infrastructure construction on air pollution

Reducing air pollution is a major goal of digital infrastructure construction, which is the embodiment of the “new infrastructure construction” strategy in the era of smart economy. This paper systematically summarizes the mechanism by which digital infrastructure construction affects air pollution and empirically analyzes the impact of digital infrastructure construction on air pollution based on Chinese provincial panel data from 2011 to 2023. The study finds that the digital infrastructure construction can exert a significant inhibitory effect on air pollution. The analysis of the moderating effect indicates that environmental policies and regulations positively moderate the relationship between digital infrastructure construction and air pollution. The mechanism analysis shows that digital infrastructure reduces air pollution by promoting technological innovation and driving industrial upgrading. The heterogeneous analysis indicates that the emission reduction effect of digital platform construction is more significant. Meanwhile, the construction of digital infrastructure in central and western regions, resource-based regions, and regions with high environmental regulation intensity has a stronger inhibitory effect on air pollution. Further analysis shows that the construction of digital infrastructure not only improves local air quality, but also has a significant mitigating effect on air pollution in neighboring areas. Meanwhile, digital talents reinforce this spatial impact. Finally, according to the research conclusions, the corresponding policy suggestions are put forward.