Amidst climate change and the energy crisis worldwide, the synergy between smart city and environmental policies has become a key path to improving the green resilience of cities. This study examines the spatial effects of carbon emission trading (CET) policy on urban energy performance under the context of artificial intelligence (AI)-empowered smart cities. Using the spatial Durbin model (SDM) and analyzing data from 262 Chinese cities covering the period 2013–2021, the results reveal that: (1) smart cities significantly benefit from the institutional support of the local CET policy, resulting in an 8.55% reduction in energy consumption in the pilot city; (2) AI advancement contributes directly to reducing energy consumption in surrounding areas by 21.84% through spatial effects, and compensates for the imbalance of regional renewable energy caused by the “siphon effect” of CET policy. This study provides empirical evidence for developing countries to build green and resilient cities. This paper proposes the need to build a national CET market, strengthen government supervision, and make reasonable use of AI technology, transforming the green and resilient model of smart cities from Chinese experience to global practice.

As a key initiative to integrate economic growth and green development in the era of the digital economy, the environmental effects of China’s Cross-border E-commerce Comprehensive Pilot Zone (CBEC-PZ) policy are not yet clear. Based on city-level data from 2014 to 2021 in China and leveraging the CBEC-PZ policy as a quasi-natural experiment, this study reveals that the CBEC-PZ policy has significantly enhanced local air quality, with particularly pronounced effects in eastern regions. While the policy did not degrade air quality in surrounding areas, spatial correlations of air quality levels among regions were observed due to atmospheric circulation dynamics. These findings underscore the importance of emphasizing regional coordination in green development within urban governance frameworks. The CEBC-PZ promotes the transformation of the energy structure and the improvement of air quality through reverse innovation, an ecological competitive advantage, and an agile governance mechanism. It is recommended to help synergize sustainable development and high-quality development in terms of strengthening reverse innovation and institutional innovation, expanding cross-regional synergistic governance, and deepening digital-real integration.

As trade in services continues to play an increasingly important role in international trade, effectively integrating its advancement with green development has become a key issue for China in shaping a new development paradigm. This study treats the service trade pilot city policy as a quasi-natural experiment, employing the Difference-in-Differences (DID) method to investigate the policy’s impact on urban green energy use. The findings indicate that the policy significantly boosted green energy consumption in pilot cities. Heterogeneity analysis reveals more pronounced policy effects in eastern regions and provinces with smaller populations. Furthermore, synergistic effects emerge when this policy interacts with artificial intelligence (AI) technology policies and urban environmental policies, further amplifying green energy consumption outcomes. Consequently, this study proposes recommendations including strengthening institutional innovation in green services trade within pilot zones, establishing cross-regional green collaboration networks, and promoting multi-policy coordination. These findings offer valuable insights for developing countries seeking to achieve sustainable development through services trade liberalization.