Clarifying how industrial digital-real integration (IDRI) drives the synergistic control of environmental pollution and carbon emissions (SCPC) is critical for advancing digital ecological civilization and implementing China's “Dual Carbon” goals. Using panel data for 285 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2014 to 2022, this study employs panel regression models to estimate the impact of IDRI on SCPC. The results show that SCPC improved steadily across the sample period, while IDRI exhibited an “N”-shaped evolution, with substantial regional heterogeneity in both variables. IDRI is found to significantly enhance SCPC, and this effect remains robust after addressing endogeneity and conducting a battery of robustness tests. Mechanism analysis indicates that IDRI promotes SCPC through green technological innovation (GTI) and improved ecological governance capacity (EGC). Further, the vitality of environmental governance (VEG) positively moderates the IDRI–SCPC relationship. This study offers important policy implications for developing countries aiming to build a green and intelligent digital ecological civilization.