With the super SBM-Undesirable model, this study evaluates the air pollution emission efficiency in 108 cities of the Yangtze River economic belt from 2007 to 2017. The relationship between the industrial structure evolution and the urban air pollution emission efficiency is confirmed by using the coupling coordination degree model and the Tobit model. The findings are as follows:(1) Only 6 cities reach the efficiency frontier of the average air pollution emission efficiencies. The regions in terms of the average air pollution emission efficiency from high to low are in this order:the downstream region, the midstream region and the upstream region; (2) The coupling coordination of the air pollution emission efficiency and the industrial structure rationalization, the air pollution emission efficiency and the industrial structure upgrading in the midstream and upstream cities are significantly lower than those of the downstream cities; (3) The industrial structure rationalization and the industrial structure upgrading are conducive to the improvement of the air pollution emission efficiency in cities of the Yangtze River economic belt. For the cities that have not achieved the coupling coordination of the air pollution emission efficiency and the industrial structure, the integrated development strategy of the industrial structure development and the environmental protection should be formulated.

the Yangtze River economic belt  /  air pollution  /  emission efficiency  /  industrial structure