ABSTRACT: This paper matches Chinese city data with several micro databases, and uses regression discontinuity design （RDD）to separate the causal relationship between air pollution and urban innovation based on a natural experiment of centralized heating in northern winters, and its mechanisms are discussed from the perspective of human capital. The results show that: air pollution significantly reduces the innovation vitality of cities, specifically, a 1% increase in PM2.5 concentration will significantly reduce the innovation vitality of cities by 1.414%; Compared with non-invention patents, air pollution has a more obvious inhibitory effect on invention patents with higher innovation capacity requirements and technology content. A series of robustness tests prove that the core findings of this paper are credible. In terms of the impact mechanism, air pollution may undermine urban innovation vitality by increasing the emigration of high-skilled from cities and by impairing human psychological health. The study reveals the importance of environmental governance and provides empirical evidence that the government should actively implement the development concept of " Lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets ", attract and retain high-skilled human capital by protecting the environment, improve the local level of healthy human capital, and build innovative cities.
 

Air Pollution; City Innovation; Migration of High-skilled; Mental Health; PM2.5