Towards low-carbon development: The role of industrial robots in decarbonization in Chinese cities

Abstract

Technological advancements have played a key role in improving energy efficiency and reducing emissions, and industrial robots are important carriers of intelligent manufacturing and industrial upgrading. Although various countries and regions are under pressure to reduce their carbon emissions, a consensus has not been reached on whether industrial robots can help. This study investigates how industrial robots affect carbon emissions by categorizing industry data from the International Federation of Robotics (IFR, 2010–2018) into city-level variables. The empirical finding revealed that cities' carbon emissions have been significantly reduced by the application of industrial robots. By using the penetration of robots in Chinese cities as an instrumental variable constructed through the combination of employment level and robot imports, the beneficial role of robots is further verified by a plausibly exogenous test. The mechanism analysis revealed that industrial robots contribute to cities' decarbonization by enhancing energy efficiency and green technology efficiency. The heterogeneity analysis showed that the effect of industrial robots on decarbonization is more pronounced in megacities, advanced manufacturing bases, and low-carbon pilot cities. This study empirically confirms the positive role of industrial robots in carbon emission reduction, provides evidence for industrial robots’ technical characteristics of decarbonization, and proposes novel ideas for achieving net-zero carbon emissions.