Liu Xin, Chen Liang, Lu Yifu, Chang Ming, Xiao Yi, Yang Haonan, Kong Deyuan, Zhang Lili
School of Finance and Accounting, Chengdu Jincheng College, Chengdu, 610097, Sichuan, China.
State Key Laboratory of GeoHazard Prevention and GeoEnvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, Sichuan, China.
Sci Rep. 2025 Jan 27;15(1):3416. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-87098-1.
China's digital economy is currently thriving, with the "dual carbon" targets representing a significant pursuit of economic development. The role of the digital economy in achieving these targets warrants detailed discussion. Using urban panel data from China spanning 2011 to 2021, this paper empirically examines the impact of the digital economy on urban carbon emissions. The findings reveal several key points: Firstly, the digital economy significantly reduces urban carbon emissions and enhances efficiency, a conclusion that remains valid after a series of robustness checks. Secondly, there is a notable structural effect, with different dimensions of the digital economy exhibiting varying impacts on urban emission reduction and efficiency enhancement. Thirdly, green economic efficiency and green technological innovation are crucial mechanisms through which the digital economy facilitates urban carbon emission reduction and efficiency improvement, operating through green development and innovation channels. Fourthly, industrial structure upgrading is a key nonlinear factor reducing the digital economy's impact on carbon reduction, while the digital economy's effect on urban carbon efficiency shows a U-shaped pattern. Lastly, the impact of the digital economy on urban carbon emissions displays significant heterogeneity across cities of different locations, tiers, and characteristics.
中国数字经济目前蓬勃发展，“双碳”目标是经济发展的重要追求。数字经济在实现这些目标中的作用值得详细探讨。本文利用2011年至2021年中国城市面板数据，实证检验了数字经济对城市碳排放的影响。研究结果揭示了几个关键点：第一，数字经济显著降低城市碳排放并提高效率，这一结论在一系列稳健性检验后依然成立。第二，存在显著的结构效应，数字经济的不同维度对城市减排和效率提升呈现出不同影响。第三，绿色经济效率和绿色技术创新是数字经济促进城市碳排放减少和效率提高的关键机制，通过绿色发展和创新渠道发挥作用。第四，产业结构升级是降低数字经济对碳减排影响的关键非线性因素，而数字经济对城市碳效率的影响呈U形模式。最后，数字经济对城市碳排放的影响在不同位置、层级和特征的城市间表现出显著的异质性。
