Can industrial intelligence break the carbon curse of natural resources in the context of Post-Covid-19 period? Fresh evidence from China

Abstract

During the Post-Covid-19 era, the industrial industry is progressing towards technological innovation and intelligence. Industrial intelligence is anticipated to emerge as a significant determinant of carbon emissions. Additionally, the carbon curse of natural resources has impeded the region's progress towards green development. To address these challenges, industrial intelligence has emerged as a pivotal approach for achieving carbon emission reduction and mitigating the carbon curse. Based on panel data collected from 282 cities in China from 2006 to 2019, this study first investigate the validity of the carbon curse phenomenon of natural resources. Additionally, it explores the heterogeneity of this phenomenon. Furthermore, the study examines the nonlinear influence of natural resource dependence on carbon emission intensity in various stages of industrial intelligence development (namely, low, medium, and high stages) using a threshold effect model. The results show that: (1) Natural resource dependence can significantly promote carbon emission intensity. This conclusion remains robust even after employing endogenous treatment and conducting a series of rigorous tests. (2) Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the carbon curse phenomenon of natural resources exhibits significant variations due to urban resource endowment, policy development stage, and regional characteristics. (3) The threshold effect model demonstrates that if the level of industrial intelligence is below 0.022, it exacerbates the carbon curse of natural resources. When the industrial intelligence level is within the range of [0.022, 0.944], it has a mitigating effect on the carbon curse of natural resources. When the industrial intelligence level surpasses 0.944, the carbon curse of natural resources can be broken.