Catalyzing co-benefits: how cross-regional coordination accelerates pollution and carbon reduction in China’s Yangtze river economic belt

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Background China faces the dual challenge of pollution control and carbon reduction amid rapid urbanization and industrialization, while traditional environmental policies struggle to meet the demands of cross-regional coordinated governance. Methods Using the Outline of YREB as a policy context, this study systematically evaluates the co-benefits and mechanisms of cross-regional coordination policies on pollution and carbon reduction. Based on panel data from 259 Chinese prefecture-level cities (2014–2019), we employ a coupling coordination model and a difference-in-differences approach to assess policy effectiveness. Results The findings reveal that: (1) Cross-regional coordination policies significantly enhance pollution-carbon synergy in YREB cities through structural integration effects, with the impact strengthening over time and remaining robust across tests; (2) The policy facilitates long-term pollution-carbon synergy governance through three key pathways—industrial green transition (structural), clean energy system co-construction (technological), and cross-regional low-carbon technology diffusion (knowledge-based)—driving a shift in environmental governance from policy-driven external enforcement to development-driven endogenous demand. Conclusion This study highlights that cross-regional coordination is not only a tool for spatial economic integration but also a structural driver of sustainable environmental governance, providing a novel policy pathway for China’s dual-carbon goals and contributing to global climate governance.