Research on the Coordinated Development of Digital Economy, Green Technology Innovation, and Ecological Environment Quality—A Case Study of China

Abstract

Based on panel data from 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2019 to 2023, the synergistic effects of the digital economy, green technology innovation, and ecological environment quality were analyzed. First, using the entropy method, the measurement dimensions of the indicators of the digital economy, green technology innovation, and ecological environment quality were obtained. Second, employing a neural network model with these measurements as input variables, the interactive relationship among the digital economy, green technology innovation, and ecological environment quality was explored. Finally, based on the calculation results of the neural network model, the importance and impact of each input parameter on ecological environment quality were determined using weight analysis methods. The research findings indicate: (1) Utilizing the entropy method, the measurement dimensions of the indicators of the digital economy, green technology innovation, and ecological environment quality were obtained. Analysis of each indicator measurement reveals that environmental pressure has a significant impact on ecological environment quality, with significant differences in environmental pressure among different regions. Industrial digitization emerges as the core factor influencing the digital economy, being the most significant driving effect, followed by digital industrialization. Green technology innovation is crucial for promoting environmental protection and achieving high-quality green economic development. (2) Based on the neural network model, the interactive relationship among the digital economy, green technology innovation, and ecological environment quality was revealed. The results indicate that the digital economy has a direct impact on improving ecological environment quality. The relationship between the digital economy and the ecological environment exhibits nonlinear effects, with the rate of change in environmental pressure and environmental status measurements initially increasing significantly and then gradually slowing down as the measurement levels of digital industrialization and industrial digitization increase. Improvement in digital governance and data value measurement levels will contribute to enhancing environmental status and environmental governance levels. (3) Through weight analysis, it was found that in terms of direct effects, industrial digitization, and digital industrialization have the most significant impact on environmental pressure, with importance coefficients of 0.45 and 0.3, respectively, while data valorization has the least impact. Regarding intermediary effects, industrial digitization and green technology innovation have the most significant impact on environmental pressure, while digital governance and green technology innovation have a relatively clear impact on environmental status and environmental governance. These results lay the foundation for promoting the coordinated cooperation between the digital economy and green technology innovation and for advancing the establishment of a win–win situation between economic development and environmental protection.