The impact of ecological environment pressure on renewable energy technology innovation: evidence from China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt

The ecological environment forms the essential basis for human society's survival and progress. However, the growing pressure exerted on it by human economic activities also hinders scientific advancement and energy efficiency. To examine the influence of ecological environment pressure (EEP) on renewable energy technology innovation (RETI), this study developed an EEP indicator system encompassing the pressure, status, and response dimensions across 108 cities within China’s Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB). Spatial autocorrelation was introduced to analyze the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of EEP and RETI from 2011 to 2021. Geographical detector and multi-scale geographically weighted regression model were utilized to reveal the mechanisms by which EEP impacts RETI. The study found that: (1) between 2011 and 2021, there was a notable decline in the average EEP, dropping from 0.2996 to 0.2162. This reduction was characterized by higher pressures in the western YEB than in the eastern YEB, with a strengthening trend in the spatial correlation of these pressures. Concurrently, the average RETI indicator demonstrated an escalating tendency, increasing from 27.80 to 45.03. This growth is evidenced by a significant enhancement in the innovation performance of the eastern YEB compared to that of the western YEB, with a weakening trend in the spatial correlation of innovation levels. (2) The influence of EEP on RETI, as measured by explanatory power, diminished over the decade, decreasing from 0.3169 in 2011 to 0.2568 in 2021. Interactions between EEP and other factors can increase this explanatory power. The spatial heterogeneity of EEP's impact on RETI remains largely stable, showing a positive impact in the eastern regions while exhibiting a negative effect in the western regions.