This study employs panel data encompassing a time frame from 2012 to 2020, collected from 30 provinces in China. By employing a geographic Durbin model and introducing green technological innovation as an intermediary variable, the study explores the relationship between green funds and PM2.5 levels on a spatial scale. The research takes a spatial perspective to explore the links between green finance and PM2.5 emissions, with a specific focus on the intermediary role played by green technology innovation. The findings offer comprehensive insights into enhancing air quality in China, promoting the country's transition towards sustainability, improving the overall human living environment, and generating novel ideas for tackling air pollution challenges. The findings of this study are as follows: (1) The progress of green finance proves to be an effective means of reducing local PM2.5 emissions. Additionally, it generates spillover effects on neighboring regions, promoting the growth of green finance and consequently leading to a decrease in PM2.5 emissions in adjacent areas. (2) In the study exploring the relationship between green financing and PM2.5, green technological innovation plays a crucial mediating role. By efficiently allocating financial resources during China's pivotal green revolution phase, green finance offers funding support to enterprises for the advancement of green technology. This, in turn, contributes to the reduction of PM2.5 emissions. As a consequence, this leads to a decline in energy consumption, pollution emissions, and PM2.5 levels. Additionally, with the continuous improvement in green technological innovation, the reverse effect between green finance and PM2.5 is becoming stronger and stronger. (3) The relationship between the two has obvious regional heterogeneity between the north and south regions of China.

The growth in carbon emissions poses a severe challenge to global sustainable development, making it imperative to explore the impacts of economic restructuring and technological progress on Carbon Emission Performance (CEP). However, existing studies often lack an integrated analysis of economic restructuring and technological progress, while giving limited attention to the indirect role of Environmental Regulation (ER). This study constructs a multidimensional theoretical framework, breaking down economic restructuring into four dimensions—industrial structure, factor input, ownership, and new-type urbanization (NTU), and refining technological progress into technological innovation and energy efficiency. It uncovers the complex interplay among CEP, economic restructuring, technological progress, and ER. The findings reveal critical insights: (1) industrial structure suppresses CEP, whereas adjustments in factor input and ownership structure significantly enhance it; (2) the relationship between NTU and CEP exhibits a non-linear pattern; (3) compared to the technological innovation, energy efficiency provide a more substantial boost to CEP; and (4) ER positively moderates the impacts of factor input, ownership structure, and NTU. Finally, the study proposes recommendations for holistic economic restructuring and diversified ERs.

As a measuring tool of industrial sustainable development, industrial eco-efficiency works as a link between economic benefit and environmental pressure. Industrial agglomeration and energy have always been considered an important influence factor on industrial eco-efficiency. The Chinese government is facing the challenge of reaching a Carbon Peak by the 2060s, within this context, it is critically important to explore the relationship between industrial agglomeration and industrial eco-efficiency, moreover, energy intensity may play a key role between them, which should not be ignored. Therefore, based on the STIRPAT model, this paper constructs a spatial autocorrelation model (SAC model) to analyze the provincial panel dataset from 2009 to 2018, and it is found that: First, the industrial agglomeration has an inverted N-shaped relationship with industrial eco-efficiency, and industrial eco-efficiency indeed have a positive spatial spillover effect. Second, energy intensity plays a mediating role, industrial agglomeration would affect industrial eco-efficiency through energy intensity. Therefore, it is suggested that the government should introduce differentiated industrial agglomeration policies as well as energy-saving policies. In addition, this paper suggests that policymakers should adhere to consistent industrial sustainable development policies.

Currently, nations worldwide are actively promoting various environmental movements to address the ecological crisis. Among these, the most prominent is the Green New Deal (GND). However, during the development of the GND, some scholars have i...