Empirical study on the impact of digital economy on carbon emission intensity--based on the mediating role of technological innovation

Under the background of carbon peak and carbon neutralization, it is vital to study the impact of digital economy on carbon emission reduction. Based on a provincial panel data from 2013 to 2019, this paper establishes a dynamic panel model, a dynamic spatial autoregressive model, and a dynamic threshold model to study the impact of digital economy on carbon emission intensity. Our findings show that digital economy has a significant inhibitory effect on carbon emission intensity. Results of regional heterogeneity show that the central region can transform the impact of digital economy on carbon emission reduction more efficiently. After adding the time lag term of carbon emission intensity, the impact coefficient of digital economy is still significant. Carbon emission intensity has obvious spatial effect, and the carbon emission of adjacent areas will significantly inhibit local carbon emission reduction activities. Under the threshold of innovation and environmental regulation, the emission reduction effect of digital economy is different. For regions with low technological level, digital economy is difficult to give full scope to its emission reduction advantages. At the same time, stricter environmental regulations can cooperate with digital economy to accelerate regional carbon emission reduction. Therefore, China should continue to improve the construction of digital infrastructure and promote the reform and innovation of enterprise digital technology in order to release the carbon emission reduction effect of digital economy.

With the in-depth advancement of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei coordinated development strategy, establishing a new mechanism for coordinated development in regional coordinated development is an important measure to realize the green, low-carbon and sustainable development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration. At present, there are significant differences in carbon emission intensity among different cities in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, which poses a significant obstacle to the synergistic development goals of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. Therefore, studying the carbon emissions of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration is of great significance for achieving synergistic development in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region and achieving China’s dual carbon goals. Based on the above practical background, this study focuses on the carbon emissions of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, using the gravity model, the social network analysis method, and the synergistic effects of carbon emission reductions model to analyze the general characteristics of the carbon emission spatial network, individual characteristics of the carbon emission spatial network, and synergistic effects of carbon emission reduction in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration. The study found that the carbon emission spatial network of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration presents a typical core–periphery structure. From the perspective of the general characteristics of the spatial network, the ranking structure of carbon emissions among cities in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei is strict, and the network stability is good; from the perspective of individual characteristics of the spatial network, Beijing and Tianjin are the centers of the carbon emission spatial network of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, playing an important role of “betweenness” and “bridge”, while cities in Hebei Province are in a weak position in this regard. From the perspective of the measurement result of synergistic effects of carbon emission reduction, there is significant room for improvement in the synergistic effects of carbon emission reductions in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration, and there are significant differences in the synergistic effects of carbon emission reduction among various cities. In general, at this stage, the core–periphery structure of the spatial network of carbon emissions in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration is still solid, and the synergistic effects of carbon emission reduction between cities are weak. Establishing a sound synergistic mechanism of regional carbon emission reduction is the key to solving the carbon emission problem of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration. Therefore, this study proposes countermeasures and suggestions to improve the synergistic mechanism of the reduction in carbon emissions in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration from three levels—the formation layer, the implementation layer, and the guarantee layer—in order to promote synergistic emission reduction, ecological and environmental governance, and sustainable development of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration.

Achieving the goals of carbon peak and carbon neutrality is crucial for the balance of global economic development with carbon emissions reduction and ecological environment protection, which are essential for the sustainability of human development. Digital inclusive finance (DIF), as an emerging force capable of promoting economic growth and technological innovation, plays a significant role in curbing carbon emissions. By using the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2021 and employing the panel vector autoregression (PVAR) model, this study empirically investigates the impact of DIF on total carbon emissions (TCE) and carbon emission intensity (CEI) from the perspective of technological innovation. The results show that DIF significantly reduces TCE and CEI and can further decrease TCE and CEI by promoting the level of technological innovation. The results of the impulse response function (IRF) reveal that technological innovation has a more significant and volatile impact on CEI compared to its effect on TCE. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis suggests that the impact of DIF on the reduction in carbon emissions is characterized by regional heterogeneity, with the impact of DIF on TCE in the central regions being the most pronounced, significantly influenced by the spillover effects from the eastern regions. Further research finds that the western regions exhibit a more significant impact of technological innovation levels on CEI compared to the eastern regions, with a discernible trend towards the convergence of inter-provincial disparities in CEI in the process of development.

Heterogeneous effect of digital economy on carbon emission reduction

The digital economy is an important driving force for China’s economic transformation and upgrading, while ‘carbon peak and carbon neutrality’ is the target vision to be achieved in China. As an important support area for the rise of central China, it is an urgent question to investigate whether the development of the digital economy in Jiangxi Province can contribute to the realization of carbon emission reduction. Based on the panel data of 11 urban areas in Jiangxi Province from 2011 to 2020, the article empirically investigates the impact of the digital economy on regional carbon emissions and its mechanism of action by using the two-way fixed-effect model, mediated-effect model, and panel threshold-effect model. The study shows that, firstly, the digital economy has a significant carbon emission reduction effect, and the conclusion still holds after a series of endogeneity and robustness tests. Second, the carbon emission reduction effect of the digital economy differs among different regions, and the carbon emission reduction effect of the digital economy is more obvious in northern Ganzhou and regions with high carbon emission levels. Again, the intermediary effect suggests that the digital economy can promote carbon emission reduction by strengthening the control of foreign investment introduction. Finally, the panel threshold effect analysis with urbanization as the threshold variable shows that there is a non-linear correlation between the effects of the digital economy on carbon emissions. The findings of this paper provide a feasible path and policy reference for Jiangxi Province’s digital economy to contribute to carbon emission reduction goals.

The digital economy has great potential to boost innovation and social productivity, and it plays an important role in helping to achieve carbon peak and carbon neutrality. This study focuses on analyzing and testing the role of the digital economy in promoting carbon reduction in Chinese cities. Based on panel data of 282 cities in China from 2011 to 2019, this study measured the development level of the digital economy and carbon emission intensity by constructing a digital economy development level evaluation index system and a carbon emission inversion model, respectively. It was found that the digital economy can significantly reduce urban carbon emissions by promoting industrial structure upgrading and green innovation, and the digital economy will have a more obvious promotion effect on urban carbon emission reduction over time. This conclusion was found to be valid after we performed robustness tests such as the instrumental variable method, quasi-experimental analysis, and placebo test. Furthermore, heterogeneity analysis showed that eastern, regenerative, and provincial capital cities are better able to promote carbon emission reduction under the development of the digital economy. This study provides new empirical evidence at the city level for developing the digital economy to reduce urban carbon emissions and acts as a useful reference for developing countries to realize “smart carbon emission reduction”.

Global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions seriously threatens a region’s sustainable environmental and socioeconomic development. Promoting industrial restructuring and strengthening technological innovation have become an important path to achieving pollution and carbon reduction as well as the green transformation of economic structure. This paper explored the mechanism of the mediating effect of technological innovation on industrial restructuring and carbon reduction while accounting for the direct effect of industrial restructuring on carbon emissions. Then, based on China’s provincial panel data from 2001 to 2019, we estimated the carbon emission intensity using the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s methods and analyzed its spatiotemporal evolution characteristics. Finally, we constructed a fixed-effect model and a mediating effect model to empirically analyze how industrial restructuring and technological innovation affect carbon emission intensity. The results are as follows: (1) From 2001 to 2019, China’s carbon emission intensity showed a continuous downward trend, with a pronounced convergence trend; there were obvious differences in carbon emission intensity between eastern, central, and western regions (western region > central region > eastern region) due to the unbalanced industrial structure. (2) In terms of direct effects, industrial restructuring can significantly reduce carbon emission intensity. The intensity of the effect is inversely proportional to the level of industrial restructuring, and the results of sub-regional tests are similar. Nevertheless, there is an obvious regional difference in the size of the carbon emission reduction effect of industrial restructuring in the east, central, and western regions. (3) In terms of indirect effects, industrial restructuring can reduce carbon emission intensity by enhancing technological innovation, and it acts as a mediating variable in the process of industrial restructuring to reduce carbon emission. Finally, we put forward recommendations for promoting industrial restructuring, strengthening green technological innovation, and properly formulating carbon reduction measures to provide a reference for countries and regions to achieve the goals of carbon neutrality, carbon peaking, and high-quality economic development.

Achieving “peak carbon” and “carbon neutrality” and designing energy conservation and emission reduction policies in China require giving full play to the effect of green technology innovation. This paper uses annual data from 1993 to 2020 in China, including the number of green invention patents and green utility model patents, and tests the long-term and short-term effects of green innovation on carbon emission intensity by constructing an ARDL model. The results show that the effect of green invention patents and green utility model patents on CO2 emission intensity is different. Specifically, green invention patents contribute to reducing carbon emission intensity in the short term but act as a barrier in the long term. Green utility model patents suppress carbon emission intensity in the short and long terms. In addition, adjustment of the industrial structure characterized by “shrinking the secondary sector and developing the tertiary sector” has the most excellent effect on reducing carbon emission intensity in the short term. The relative energy price’s carbon emission reduction effect is weaker than the industrial structure. Foreign direct investment and non-fossil energy consumption increase carbon emission intensity in the short term. In the long term, increasing the proportion of non-fossil energy is crucial to reducing carbon emission intensity. The carbon emission reduction effect of energy price is insignificant, and foreign direct investment is not conducive to carbon emission reduction. Finally, this paper analyzes the policy implications of the empirical results and proposes recommendations for reducing China’s CO2 emission intensity accordingly.

The tourism economy is regarded as an effective way to realize regional sustainable development. Hence, it is of great significance to explore whether and how tourism economy can alleviate regional carbon emission intensity. To this end, a structural equation model (SEM) reflecting the multiple pathways of the carbon emission reduction effect of tourism economy was constructed based on 92 tourism-dependent cities in China, and the existence and formation mechanism of the carbon emission reduction effect of tourism economy were empirically tested. The main findings are as follows: (1) The tourism economy has a significant carbon emission reduction effect in China. Although the direct impact of tourism economy on carbon emission intensity is significantly positive, the indirect impact is significantly negative and stronger than the direct impact. (2) The carbon emission reduction effect of tourism economy presents multiple pathways characteristics. There are single intermediary pathways such as Tourism Economy → Environmental Regulation → Carbon Emission Intensity, Tourism Economy → Opening-Up → Carbon Emission Intensity, and dual intermediary pathways such as Tourism Economy → Opening-Up → Industrial Development → Carbon Emission Intensity, Tourism Economy → Opening-Up → Innovation Capacity → Carbon Emission Intensity. (3) The formation mechanism of the carbon emission reduction effect of tourism economy presents obvious spatial heterogeneity.

Under the background of "dual-carbon" target, digital economy, as a rapidly developing economic form, can play a certain role in promoting carbon emission reduction. This paper utilizes the panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2012 to 2020 to empirically investigate the impact of digital economy on carbon emission intensity. The empirical results show that the digital economy has a significant inhibitory effect on carbon emission intensity; the heterogeneity analysis shows that the inhibitory effect of the digital economy on carbon emission intensity is more significant in the central region, the region with a lower level of green carbon sinks, and the region with a higher level of development of digital infrastructure; and the analysis of the moderating effect shows that the level of industrialization and the degree of government intervention have a negative and positive moderating effect, respectively, on the inhibitory effect of the digital economy on carbon emission intensity. The analysis of the regulating effect shows that the level of industrialization and the degree of government intervention have negative and positive regulating effects on the digital economy's suppression of carbon emission intensity, respectively. Therefore, we should vigorously develop the digital economy, strengthen the construction of digital infrastructure, and promote the digital economy to play the role of carbon emission reduction.

To cope with huge carbon emission pressure, China has implemented a carbon emissions trading pilot policy that aims to provide reasonable suggestions for the smooth operation of the national carbon market. This paper selects the provincial panel data in China from 2005 to 2019 and uses the propensity score matching-difference in difference (PSM-DID) method to evaluate the carbon emission policy’s reduction effect. Based on carbon emissions (CE) and carbon emission intensity (CI), provinces and cities are divided into four regions, and each region is verified by spatial difference analysis. Furthermore, the mediating effects of carbon emission reduction through the dual aspects of technological progress and industry structure are also discussed. Results verified that, (1) under the carbon emission trading policy, regional carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity are both significantly reduced. (2) Technological progress helps to reduce carbon emissions, while industrial structure shows no obvious contribution. (3) The four regions all show ideal emission reduction effects, of which the High CE-High CI region shows the best, but is greatly restricted by techniques. The industrial structure of the High CE-Low CI region needs to be further optimized for carbon reduction. In the Low CE-High CI region, the carbon emissions brought by economic development fail to effectively improve per capita GDP. The Low CE-Low CI region contributes greatly to carbon emission reduction with technical advantages.

The digital economy, industrial structure upgrading, and carbon emission intensity —— empirical evidence from China's provinces

Currently, China is moving towards the era of the digital economy, which is gradually becoming a new engine of high-quality development. In the "double carbon" strategy context, the digital economy is characterized by low carbon emissions and high permeability, making it essential for carbon emission reduction. There needs to be more empirical research on the digital economy and carbon emissions. Given this, this study empirically examines the impact of digital economy development on carbon emissions intensity and its mechanisms in a multidimensional way based on the panel data of 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2011 to 2019, utilizing a fixed-effects model, a mediated-effects model, a spatial Durbin model, and other methods. The study results show that (1) the digital economy can significantly reduce carbon emissions intensity. (2) The digital economy can indirectly affect the intensity of carbon emissions through industrial structure, energy structure, and environmental regulation. (3) The development of the local digital economy has a positive spillover effect on the carbon emissions intensity of neighbouring places. However, the overall effect is negative. This paper reveals some new features of the digital economy and carbon emissions intensity, which provides a reference for advancing the country's construction and realizing China's "double carbon" goal.

Does GVC embedding reduce carbon emissions? Empirical evidence from 218 Chinese cities

Carbon emissions have become a global challenge that threatens human development. Governments have taken various measures to reduce carbon emissions, and green finance is an important and innovative way to realize carbon emission reductions. This paper uses data on a prefecture-level city in China to explore the impact of green finance on carbon emission intensity from both theoretical and empirical perspectives, and analyzes the mechanisms by which green finance affects carbon emission intensity. On this basis, this paper further analyzes the impact of green finance on carbon emission efficiency. In addition, this paper introduces variables related to the digital economy to perform a comprehensive examination of the moderating effect of digital economy development on the relationship between green finance and both carbon emission intensity and efficiency. The results indicate that green finance reduces carbon emission intensity and that green innovation, green total factor productivity and the transformation and upgrading of industry are important mediating mechanisms. Meanwhile, analysis shows that green finance improves carbon emission efficiency. This paper also finds that the digital economy significantly enhances the role of green finance in reducing carbon emission intensity and promoting carbon emission efficiency, and makes a positive contribution to promoting carbon emission reduction. The findings will contribute to strengthening the government’s capacity for environmental protection, developing green finance, and reducing carbon emissions.