Abstract:In order to study whether environmental regulation can promote the upgrading of industrial structure in coastal areas, Starting with the study of the nonlinear relationship between formal environmental regulation and industrial structure upgrading and the direct impact of informal environmental regulation, This paper constructs an econometric model using dynamic panel data from 33 cities in coastal areas from 2007 to 2016, and uses the system generalized moment estimation method to test. The research results show that there is a U-shaped relationship between environmental regulation and industrial structure upgrading in coastal cities, and the inflection point is 0.4452.When the environmental regulation is less than the inflection point value, the industrial structure is upgraded, and the industrial structure is promoted when the environmental regulation crosses the inflection point value. Environmental regulation throughout the coastal area has crossed the inflection point. However, the inflection point values of environmental regulation in different regions are different, and the inflection point value of environmental regulation in the eastern coastal areas is the highest. Per capita income level and human capital in informal environmental regulation can significantly promote the upgrading of coastal industrial structure. Population density has a negative effect on industrial structure upgrading, and its distinctiveness has regional differences. Technological innovation has effectively promoted the upgrading of coastal industrial structure; foreign investment has hindered the upgrading of coastal industrial structure, and the obstacles to the northern and eastern coastal areas are the most obvious; the trade level has a significant negative impact on the southern and eastern coastal areas.