Driving Force or Barrier? The impact of climate change on the progress of green technologies

Facing the challenge of global climate change, exploring its impact on the progress of urban green technologies is of great significance for human beings. This article explores the impact of climate change on green technology progress based on panel data from 273 cities in China from 2006 to 2020. The results show that climate change has a negative effect on urban green technology progress. Rising temperatures have a negative impact on green technology progress, while temperature drops below −6 °C can also have a negative impact on green technology progress, but this effect is not statistically significant; mechanism analysis shows that climate change inhibits green technology progress by reducing financial development, energy utilization efficiency and the degree of government intervention. The negative impact of high temperature on the progress of green technology only exists in cities with high population density and cities with high levels of transportation infrastructure. This may be due to the complex infrastructure of the city, and high population density make the heat island effect more severe, further amplifying the adverse effects of climate change. This article provides an empirical reference for Chinese cities to respond to climate change and promote the continued progress of green technologies.