Can Grassroots Governments’ Environmental Attention Effectively Improve Air Pollution? Empirical Evidence from Satellite Remote Sensing Technology

Abstract

Air pollution poses a global challenge, prompting governments worldwide to implement environmental policies aimed at its mitigation. However, grassroots management is key to the effectiveness of pollution management. Traditional air monitoring, ranging from a specific point to broader areas, has inherent limitations. In contrast, satellite remote sensing technology offers extensive spatial and temporal coverage, enabling real-time monitoring of data transmission. Can the amalgamation of grassroots governance and satellite remote sensing technology significantly enhance air pollution control? This article leverages satellite remote sensing data and county-level economic and social data from China spanning the period 2008 to 2019 to empirically explore the impact and mechanism of government environmental constraints on air pollution in grassroots areas. The following results were found: (1) Grassroots government environmental constraints exert a significant inhibitory effect on air pollution, and this conclusion remains valid after a series of robustness tests. (2) Mechanism tests reveal that grassroots government environmental constraints reduce county-level air pollution by fostering urbanization, enhancing industrial structures, and promoting innovation in green technologies. (3) There exists heterogeneity in the inhibitory effect of grassroots environmental constraints on air pollution, with a more pronounced impact in areas focusing on environmental protection, facing no economic constraints, large-scale, and located in central and western regions. The green governance awareness of a higher-level government shows an interaction effect on the reduction in environmental constraints at the grassroots government level, collectively contributing to the decrease in regional air pollution. The conclusion of this article underscores the vital role of satellite remote sensing technology in pollution control and provides insights into the direction of environmental regulation.