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Regional Differences, Distribution Dynamics, and Convergence of Air Quality in Urban Agglomerations in China

Author

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  • Yuting Xue

    (College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China)

  • Kai Liu

    (College of Geography and Environment, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China
    Collaborative Innovation Center of Human-Nature and Green Development in Universities of Shandong, Shandong Normal University, Jinan 250358, China)

Abstract

The urban agglomeration (UA), with a high concentration of population and economy, represents an area with grievous air pollution. It is vital to examine the regional differences, distribution dynamics, and air quality convergence in UAs for sustainable development. In this study, we measured the air quality of ten UAs in China through the Air Quality Index (AQI). We analyzed regional differences, distribution dynamics, and convergence using Dagum’s decomposition of the Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and the convergence model. We found that: the AQI of China’s UAs shows a downward trend, and the index is higher in northern UAs than in southern UAs; the differences in air quality within UAs are not significant, but there is a gap between them; the overall difference in air quality tends to decrease, and regional differences in air quality are the primary contributor to the overall difference; the overall distribution and the distribution of each UA move rightward; the distribution pattern, ductility, and polarization characteristics are different, indicating that the air quality has improved and is differentiated between UAs; except for the Guanzhong Plain, the overall UA and each UA have obvious σ convergence characteristics, and each UA presents prominent absolute β convergence, conditional β convergence, and club convergence.

Suggested Citation

  • Yuting Xue & Kai Liu, 2022. "Regional Differences, Distribution Dynamics, and Convergence of Air Quality in Urban Agglomerations in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-20, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:12:p:7330-:d:839436
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    2. Bongsuk Sung & Yu-Cheng Lin & Sang-Do Park, 2025. "Industrial Robots and Green Productivity: Evidence from Global Panel Data on High-Quality Economic Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(16), pages 1-26, August.

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