Hao Zeng, Ruiqi Liu

Hao Zeng

31 May, 2024

Digital economy, Carbon emissions, Carbon emission intensity, Carbon emission reduction effect.

In the context of digital transformation, conducting in-depth research on the relationship between the digital economy and carbon emissions is of significant importance for achieving green and high-quality development. This study, based on panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2013 to 2021, establishes a digital economy evaluation index system and uses the entropy method to calculate the level of digital economy development in each province. The study employs a double fixed-effects model to empirically analyze the carbon emission reduction effects of the digital economy. The results indicate: (1) There are significant regional differences in the level of digital economy development in China, with the eastern region having a higher level compared to the central and western regions. (2) The digital economy significantly reduces both carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity. (3) The impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions and carbon emission intensity shows regional heterogeneity, with the central region benefiting the most in terms of carbon emission reduction. Based on these findings, it is suggested to tailor digital economy development strategies to specific regional conditions, enhance regional cooperation, achieve the integration of digital economy and low-carbon economy development, and fully leverage the carbon emission reduction effects of the digital economy.

© 2024, the Authors. Published by ISCCAC

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license