Spatial Distribution and Dynamic Evolution of Heterogeneous Air Pollution: Evidence from China

Lipei Li, Xiaohui Yang, Zhenhua Zhang, Shengxin Zhang and Qiong Shen

Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, 2025, vol. 61, issue 15, 4727-4755

Abstract: With the advancement of environmental governance, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics, and regional disparities of air pollution in China have attracted significant attention. This study systematically analyzes the temporal evolution trends, dynamic transition characteristics, and spatial distribution patterns of air pollutants in China from 2014 to 2021 using a series of econometric techniques. The findings reveal significant disparities in air pollution control across regions. Air pollutants exhibit strong spatial autocorrelation, with high-pollution areas demonstrating a clustering effect (especially the central and western regions), and local pollution fluctuations exerting a considerable impact on overall regional disparities. Furthermore, the distribution of air pollutants is right-skewed, and their dynamic evolution follows a pattern of “stable at both ends, variable in the middle” and club convergence. This study underscores the importance of a stratified governance strategy and advocates for enhanced collaborative governance between governments and enterprises to achieve sustainable development. The findings provide valuable insights for pollution control efforts in other emerging economies.

Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/1540496X.2025.2502156 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:mes:emfitr:v:61:y:2025:i:15:p:4727-4755

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.tandfonline.com/pricing/journal/MREE20

DOI: 10.1080/1540496X.2025.2502156

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Emerging Markets Finance and Trade from Taylor & Francis Journals
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Chris Longhurst ().