Digital economy, industrial transformation and upgrading, and spatial transfer of carbon emissions: The paths for low-carbon transformation of Chinese cities

Global insights on the impact of digital infrastructure on carbon emissions: A multidimensional analysis

With the swift expansion of global digital infrastructure, understanding its impact on carbon emissions is essential for addressing global warming. This study develops a digital infrastructure indicator system. We use panel data from 83 countries spanning 2005 to 2021 to thoroughly examine the effects and underlying mechanisms of digital infrastructure on carbon emissions. Our findings indicate that digital infrastructure contributes to an increase in carbon emissions worldwide. Mechanism tests suggest that this increase is facilitated by capital agglomeration and fossil energy consumption. However, the impact of digital infrastructure on carbon emissions shows regional variations. In the Arab region, digital infrastructure development seems to reduce carbon emissions, a trend also observed, albeit potentially, in the CIS, Africa, and the Americas. In contrast, Europe and the Asia-Pacific experience a significant surge in carbon emissions due to digital infrastructure. Population density and the proportion of renewable energy emerge as critical threshold variables. Beyond a certain population density, the impact on carbon emissions intensifies, whereas an increase in renewable energy share beyond a specific point mitigates this effect. Robustness tests confirm that digital infrastructure elevates both per capita carbon emissions and carbon intensity, with digital markets and technologies notably amplifying carbon emissions.

From bits to green: Unraveling the digital economy's influence on natural resource efficiency

This study explores the impact of the digital economy (DE) on natural resource efficiency (NRE) across 275 Chinese cities between 2011 and 2021. Through a comprehensive empirical analysis, we find that the DE significantly positively affects NRE. A key moderating factor in this relationship is green technological innovation (GTI), focusing on the quality rather than the quantity of green technology. Our study also uncovers regional variations of moderating effect. Additionally, we identify several mechanisms through which the DE contributes to enhanced NRE, including the transformation of industrial structure and improvements in green total factor productivity. A detailed heterogeneity analysis shows that the DE's impact on NRE varies according to city-specific factors such as natural resource endowment, city size, environmental regulations, and administrative levels. These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of how the DE influences NRE at the urban level, contributing to the broader discourse on sustainable development in the digital age. Our research offers policy recommendations and potential pathways for cities to leverage the DE for greater natural resource efficiency.

Research on the carbon reduction effect of regional industrial transfer in China -- based on the perspective of factor flow

Industrial transfer plays a crucial role in regional carbon reduction efforts in China. This study conducted a systematic analysis of the carbon reduction impact of industrial transfer, focusing on factor flow, and performed empirical tests using Chinese provincial data from 2003 to 2019 with a spatial regression model. The key findings are as follows: (1) Industrial transfer significantly influences carbon emissions, with varying effects depending on the factor flow. Capital and technology flows contribute to carbon emission reduction, while labor flow generally has a negligible impact. (2) Over time, the environmental impact of capital and technology flows intensifies, whereas the influence of labor flow diminishes. (3) Regional variations exist in the impact of industrial transfer on carbon emissions based on the factor flow perspective.

Digital economy, resource distortion and low-carbon inclusive development-Evidence from the perspectives of a threshold effect and knowledge spillover effect

The low-carbon economy represents a global transformation that encompasses production methods, lifestyles, values, national interests, and the destiny of humanity. As a significant contributor to carbon emissions, China has made a momentous strategic decision on carbon peaking and neutralization, infusing momentum into the global effort to address climate change. The rapid growth of the digital economy offers a fresh approach to achieving the "double carbon" objective and advancing the development of low-carbon transformation. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China, this paper uses the least square method to investigate the impact of digital economy development on regional low-carbon inclusive development. It is found that there is a significant inverted U shape in the impact of the digital economy on low-carbon inclusive development and the mechanism is resource allocation and ecological inequality. The threshold test found that the role of the digital economy in promoting low-carbon inclusive development shows a marginal decreasing trend. The inverted U-shaped impact of the digital economy on low-carbon inclusive development in the eastern and coastal areas and areas with a low level of factor productivity is more significant. Based on the knowledge factor spillover perspective, we found that the impact of the digital economy on low-carbon inclusive development has a spatial spillover effect, and this effect is more obvious under the role of R&D personnel mobility.

Spatio-temporal evolution and driving factors of green innovation efficiency in the Chinese urban tourism industry based on spatial Markov chain

Green innovation in the tourism industry is a sustainable development concept for resource conservation and environmental optimization. The effective measurement of green innovation efficiency in the tourism industry and an accurate understanding of its spatial relationship was significantly important for promoting its sustainable development. Using the SBM-undesirable model, kernel density estimation, and a spatial Markov chain, we explored the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing mechanisms of urban tourism green innovation efficiency (TGIE) in China between 2000 and 2020. We found that (1) the temporal and spatial changes of TGIE were generally at a lower than medium level and fluctuated throughout country, with a transition in the east, collapse in the middle, and stagnation in the northeast. (2) The dynamic evolution of TGIE always exhibited polarization, but regional coordination was gradually enhanced with strong stability, although it was difficult to achieve leap-forward development. The cities with spatial upward transfer were concentrated mainly in the central and western region and while there were few cities with a downward adjustment, there were obvious asymmetrical spatial spillover effects. (3) The driving factors of TGIE were the overall economic level, industrial structure, government regulation, and education level. These factors had a significant positive relationship with TGIE, while the degree of opening up to the outside world has no significant effect, but the degree of influence, mechanism, and conditions of each factor were strongly regional.

How population aging promotes carbon emission reduction in Chinese cities: The chain mediating role of industrial upgrading and energy conservation

High carbon emissions and population aging are two obstacles to China's development as an emerging economy. It is urgent to scientifically examine the impacts of population aging on carbon emissions to discover new pathways for urban carbon emission reduction. However, existing studies face challenges in terms of focusing on and methodology for accurately capturing the role of industrial production and energy consumption in the environmental effects of population aging. This paper constructs a chain mediation analytical framework and systematically examines the intrinsic linkages between population aging and carbon emissions in Chinese cities from 2000 to 2020 using a two-way fixed effects model. This paper has three main findings. (1) The positive correlation between urban population aging and carbon emissions development is generally low, with coupling coordination degree values of 0.4233, 0.4458, 0.4220, 0.4715, and 0.4665 for each yearly cross-section. (2) For every 1% increase in the population aging rate, carbon emissions decrease by 0.3478% on average. The carbon reduction effect of population aging is significantly greater in low-emissions cities and high-income cities than in other cities. (3) The industrial upgrading (IU) path, energy conservation (EC) path and chain mediation (CM) path account for 72.43%, 7.23% and 20.34%, respectively, of the indirect effects. If the causal link between IU and EC is not considered, the EC effect will be overestimated by 281.16%. The results of the study suggest that properly coping with population aging and reducing carbon emissions are not completely opposed to each other, a conclusion that passes both endogeneity exclusion and robustness check. This paper advocates replacing the one-size-fits-all approach in carbon emissions management and investing more in policy preferences to support carbon emission reduction in both high-emissions and low-income cities.

Promoting sustainable development: Revisiting digital economy agglomeration and inclusive green growth through two-tier stochastic frontier model

In the global wave of digitization, digital economic agglomeration, as an emerging model, profoundly impacts the economy, environment, and society. Countries worldwide are formulating strategies and policies to promote the development of digital economic agglomeration, yet they also face challenges of widening digital divide and environmental sustainability. Existing research primarily focuses on the positive effects of the digital economy, with limited assessment of the dual effects of digital economic agglomeration on sustainable development. This study utilizes panel data from 282 Chinese cities between 2011 and 2021, employing a two-tier stochastic frontier model. It reexamines the dual impacts and intrinsic mechanisms of digital economic agglomeration, attempting to capture regional and temporal variations in the dual effects to address this research gap. The study shows that: (1) The positive effect of digital economy agglomeration is much more than the negative effect, resulting in a positive net effect that shows an overall increasing trend with significant regional disparities. (2) Digital economic agglomeration has a significant negative spatial spillover effect, promoting local inclusive green growth while inhibiting inclusive green growth in neighboring cities. (3) Regarding the mediating mechanisms, industrial structure, technological innovation and resource allocation efficiency have positive indirect effects on inclusive green growth, while environmental regulation intensity has a negative indirect effect, and it has a nonlinear effect under the threshold constraint of the mediating mechanisms. This study provides policy insights for promoting inclusive green growth, emphasizing the need to consider regional differences in resource distribution, ecological environment, and social demands. It advocates for the organic integration of the digital economy across different regions, reducing polarization effects, and enhancing diffusion effects.

The impact of digital economy on carbon total factor productivity: A spatial analysis of major urban agglomerations in China

Amid global climate imperatives and intensified economic competition, pivoting from China's conventional growth paradigms to innovative economic catalysts emerges as pivotal for its transformative agenda. Drawing on panel data from 141 principal urban conglomerates spanning 2011-2021, this investigation delves into the intricate nexus between the digital economy and carbon total factor productivity. Our empirical analysis unveils a U-shaped trajectory characterizing the digital economy - carbon total factor productivity interplay, accompanied by a congruent spatial spillover dynamic. While digital economy fortifies environmental governance mechanisms through amplified data and media channels, such regulatory frameworks, albeit efficacious in emission abatement, may inadvertently impede economic vitality, thus attenuating carbon total factor productivity. Progressing from digital economy's foundational phase to its comprehensive deployment, its reverberations on capital productivity manifest in a U-shaped curve, invigorating local carbon total factor productivity while potentially undermining adjacent regions. This digital economy - carbon total factor productivity interrelation is accentuated in advanced, non-resource-reliant metropolises with subdued innovation propensities. This discourse proffers nuanced policy implications for sculpting digital economy trajectories and bolstering carbon total factor productivity in a sustainable context.

Vertical decentralization, environmental regulation, and enterprise pollution: An evolutionary game analysis

Achieving sustainable economic development and mitigating climate change require effective green transformation management. This study builds an evolutionary game model for industrial enterprises, local governments, and the central government, analyzing the dynamic interactions among vertical decentralization, environmental regulation, and enterprise pollution. Our research reveals that increasing environmental taxes can incentivize industrial enterprises to adopt green transformation practices and promote governments at all administrative levels to supervise and enforce environmental regulations. Moreover, in the context of vertical decentralization, financial incentives provided by the central government to local governments become critical drivers for promoting green transformation. Furthermore, the additional social benefits resulting from local government supervision and governance are key factors in green transformation management, while the negative social effects of industrial enterprises not rectifying their actions are noteworthy. Our study emphasizes the need for an integrated framework incorporating these critical elements for successful green transition management. The findings of this research provide valuable insights for developing nations seeking to enhance their governance capacity throughout the green transformation process.

Can digital economy development contribute to carbon emission reduction? Evidence from China

With the rapid growth of the digital economy, it is essential to understand its impact on carbon emissions reduction. This study uses provincial panel data from China during 2011-2019 to construct a moderating mediating effect model and a spatial panel Durbin model to examine the relationship between the digital economy and carbon emissions reduction. This study analyzes the mediating effect of the energy structure on the digital economy's impact on carbon emission reduction, and the spatial effect and regional heterogeneity of the digital economy's impact on carbon emission reduction. The findings indicate that the development of the digital economy can effectively promote regional carbon emission reductions, both directly and indirectly, with a significant spatial spillover effect. Second, the energy structure plays a significant mediating role in promoting carbon emission reduction in the digital economy, and the industrial structure has a positive moderating effect. Third, the impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions reduction has significant regional heterogeneity, and the inhibitory effect of the digital economy is more effective in the central and western provinces. This study provides a theoretical reference for achieving high-quality development of the digital economy while promoting carbon emissions reduction.

Does digital economy curb carbon intensity? New insights from China

China is in the period of vigorously developing the "digital economy" and "low-carbon economy," facing the double pressure of realizing the "dual-carbon" target and maintaining stable economic growth. This paper tests the role of the digital economy (DIEC) in the process of carbon emission reduction for the advancement of low carbon economy based on this issue from the perspective of carbon intensity (CI) by constructing a fixed effects and mediation effects model using data from 30 areas from 2011 to 2021. The study results show that at the national level, the advancement of DIEC significantly inhibits CI, and the conclusion still holds after various robustness tests. From the geographic region level, the suppression of CI by digital economic advancement has the most substantial impact in the central region. Although the eastern and western areas have similar results, the significance level is higher in the east region. When considering the economic development level, the impact of DIEC on CI is more significant in areas with lower economic development than those with higher economic growth. In analyzing the path of the DIEC affecting CI, it is found that the DIEC mainly inhibits CI by promoting technological advancement and reducing energy consumption intensity.