Abstract
The carbon reduction effect of technological innovation in the transportation industry is conducive to China’s anticipated realization of carbon neutrality. Therefore, we evaluated carbon emission reduction effect of technological innovation in the transportation industry in China. Based on the panel data of 30 sample provinces in China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Tibet) from 2012 to 2018, using the Moran’I index and Getis-Ord Gi index, this paper analyzes the evolutionary trend and spatial autocorrelation of carbon emission in the transportation industry, and analyzes the impact of technological innovation on carbon emission levels of the transportation industry and its spatiotemporal differences by using the geographical and temporal weighted regression (GTWR) model by using ArcGIS 10.4 software. The conclusions are as follows: The carbon emission level of China’s transportation industry generally has been rising steadily, showing a spatial distribution pattern of high emissions in the east and low emissions in the west. The cold spots are concentrated in the western region, and the hot spots are situated in the central and eastern regions. Technological innovation has a carbon reduction effect on the transportation industry in the eastern and north-eastern regions, while the effect in other regions is not obvious. However, there is an obvious “inverted U-shaped” relationship between technological innovation and the transportation industry’s carbon emissions. The technological innovation in the transportation industry will have a significant carbon reduction effect after breaking through the technical pain points. This carbon reduction effect has a higher effect on the western region than on the eastern region. In addition, the economic development level, the fiscal expenditure proportion of the transportation industry, the higher education level, and the proportion of fixed asset investment in the transportation industry have played a positive role in reducing carbon in the transportation industry, but the spatial heterogeneity of this carbon reduction effect is relatively strong. Therefore, during the “14th Five-Year Plan” development period in China, it is necessary to continuously promote the low-carbon development of the transportation industry with technological innovation, while highlighting the differentiated carbon reduction governance, and consolidating the role of talents and fiscal support.
Highlights
As the constant growth of China’s economic development, the exponential growth of transportations associated with Internet-based shopping, and the continuously increasing use of private cars, the growth rate of energy consumption in the transportation industry has risen ceaselessly [1,2]
The average carbon emission levels of China’s transportation industry in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 were 20.71 t, 21.38 t, 23.39 t, and 24.389 t, respectively; the highest value of carbon emissions of the transportation industry in the sample provinces increased from 64.2 t in 2012 to 69.82 t in 2018, and the carbon emission level of China’s transportation industry is showing an upward trend
The results indicate that technological innovation in the transportation industry has not yet taken effect on carbon emissions in the transportation industry in most regions in China, while the areas where carbon reduction occurs are mainly gathered in the eastern and northeastern regions
Summary
As the constant growth of China’s economic development, the exponential growth of transportations associated with Internet-based shopping, and the continuously increasing use of private cars, the growth rate of energy consumption in the transportation industry has risen ceaselessly [1,2]. The increasing demand for transportation has led the carbon emission problem to become increasingly serious, and the transportation industry has become the third largest energy consuming industry of China [3]. It is a key factor for China to achieve and promote the transformation towards green and low-carbon development. Exploring the effect of technological innovation on carbon emission reduction in the transportation industry has significant practical values for the green development of China’s transportation industry
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