From Digital Clusters to Urban Environmental Sustainability

New Mechanisms and Spillover Effects

Bibliographic Data

ID12307391
AuthorsMiaomiao Tao (0000-0003-0052-7219, Energy Centre, Department of Economics, Business school The University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand, corresponding author), Marcus Jude P San Pedro (0009-0008-8467-9159, Energy Centre, Department of Economics, Business school The University of Auckland Auckland New Zealand), David Roubaud (0000-0003-3827-6187, Department of Finance Montpellier Business School France), Aviral Kumar Tiwari (0000-0002-1822-9263, Department of Economics Indian Institute of Management Bodh Gaya (IIMBG) Bodh Gaya Bihar India)
Year2025
Volume33
Issue5
Pages7363-7386
Publication date2025-05-13
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSustainable Development (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0968-0802 • E-ISSN: 1099-1719
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1002/sd.3523
OpenAlexW4410332113
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited104

The burgeoning concentration of digital industries has garnered considerable scholarly interest as a catalyst for economic dynamism and technological innovation. However, its environmental ramifications—particularly regarding pollutant emissions—remain insufficiently examined. This study probes the ecological consequences of digital industry agglomeration, specifically emphasizing sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) emissions, drawing upon a comprehensive city‐level dataset from China. Empirical findings reveal that digital agglomeration markedly suppresses SO 2 emissions, with the most pronounced effects observed in eastern municipalities, non‐resource‐dependent urban locales, and cities situated beyond conventional industrial corridors. Mediation analyses elucidate that enhanced supply chain resilience (SCR) is a key conduit for emission abatement. Nevertheless, inefficiencies arising from capital and labor misallocation partially offset these gains. Furthermore, spatial econometric analysis confirms the existence of positive spillover effects, whereby emission reductions extend beyond the agglomerated city to adjacent regions. Our analysis also uncovers a non‐linear moderating role of human capital in shaping the environmental efficacy of digital agglomeration, indicating that augmenting human capital stock is pivotal for amplifying green dividends. These insights underscore the necessity for region‐specific and capability‐sensitive policy frameworks to harness the environmental co‐benefits of digital industrial clustering fully

Biology · Business · Economics · Microeconomics · Spillover effect · Sustainability · Urban Sustainability · Energy, Environment, Economic Growth · Environmental Science · Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth · Innovation Diffusion and Forecasting · Ecology

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