The Digital Economy “Empowers” Carbon Productivity—Empirical Evidence from Chinese Cities

Yu Zhang

doi:10.62177/apemr.v3i3.1419

Authors

Yu Zhang Xi’an Shiyou University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62177/apemr.v3i3.1419

Keywords:

Digital Economy, Carbon Productivity, Digital Infrastructure

Abstract

In the context of building a new development pattern, the digital economy plays an increasingly prominent role in promoting the "dual carbon" goal. Based on the urban panel data from 2011 to 2022, this paper deeply explores the impact and mechanism of digital economy on urban carbon productivity. The results show that: (1) The digital economy can promote the improvement of urban carbon productivity, which is still valid after a series of robustness tests. (2) From the perspective of mechanism path, the digital economy can improve urban carbon productivity through two channels: promoting technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading. (3) From the heterogeneity analysis, it can be seen that the promotion effect of digital economy on urban carbon productivity is more obvious in non-resource cities and peripheral cities. This study provides empirical evidence and policy reference for the digital economy to promote green development and achieve the "dual carbon" goal.

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