Investigate the Effects of Industrial Agglomeration on Nitrogen Dioxide Pollution Using Spatial Panel Durbin and Panel Threshold Models

Zhao-Lin Gu,Cheng-Yu Han,Hexiang Yang

doi:10.3389/fenvs.2022.844479

Abstract

The degree of industrial agglomeration in China has contributed to the reduction of nitrogen dioxide pollution because of financial support, the allocation of environmental governance efficiency, and technological advantages. However, the intensity and scope of the spatial effect of this contribution needs to be studied in depth. Based on the influence mechanism and intermediate mechanism of the spatial pattern, this paper uses the panel data of 282 prefecture-level and above cities in China from 2015 to 2018, draws on the STIRPAT model, and uses the Spatial Panel Durbin and Panel Threshold models to investigate the effects of industrial agglomeration on nitrogen dioxide. The study finds that 1) industrial agglomeration has a significant spatial spillover effect on the reduction of nitrogen dioxide pollution, and the increase in the level of local industrial agglomeration can greatly reduce the concentration of nitrogen dioxide in the surrounding area. 2) This kind of spatial overflow has a threshold boundary. Within 100 km, it is a dense area of overflow and reaches the threshold boundary beyond 150 km. 3) Under the influence of the three intermediate mechanisms of industrial agglomeration, the increase in car ownership, and the level of economic development, the impact of industrial agglomeration on the reduction of nitrogen dioxide pollution has gradually increased. The above conclusion is still valid after various robustness tests.

Highlights

Xie et al (2019) adds a spatial autoregressive model to analyze the relationship between China’s PM2.5 and economic growth, and the results show that the problem of haze pollution is more accurately analyzed on the time and space scale
After analyzing the relationship between industrial agglomeration and nitrogen dioxide pollution, this article considers introducing a panel threshold model to test the industrial agglomeration under the constraints of the three threshold variables of industrial agglomeration, economic development level, and increase in urban car ownership
When the increase in car ownership is less than 8.75%, the impact of industrial agglomeration on the concentration of nitrogen dioxide is 0.0653, which is significant at the 5% confidence level; when the increase is between 8.75% and 12.56%, the positive impact increases to 0.1092, which is significant at the 5% confidence level

Summary

INTRODUCTION

The contradiction between economic construction and environmental protection has become more and more intense (Zhao et al, 2021). Investigating the spatial effect of industrial agglomeration on reducing the concentration of nitrogen dioxide and its spatial attenuation boundary and exploring the influence of some of the intermediate mechanisms have important theoretical and policy implications for China’s current nitrogen dioxide pollution. From a methodological point of view, the STIRPAT model is expanded spatially by using SDM, and by setting a matrix of multiple geographic distance thresholds, it examines the geographic distance limit of industrial agglomeration to reduce nitrogen dioxide pollution in adjacent areas. This paper calculates and analyzes the threshold number and specific values of some intermediate mechanism indicators through the panel threshold model and more finegrained use of how these specific numerical changes affect the relationship between industrial agglomeration and nitrogen dioxide pollution. This article supplements the specific relationship between China’s industrial development and the spatial pattern of nitrogen dioxide pollution and fills this gap

RESEARCH METHODS

CONCLUSION

Findings

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT