Impact of digital infrastructure inputs on industrial carbon emission intensity: evidence from China’s manufacturing panel data

Zhang, Wei; Li, Hangyu; Wang, Shaohua; Zhang, Ting

doi:10.1007/s11356-023-26931-4

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…The third viewpoint is that the relationship between digital transformation and carbon emissions follows a U-shaped pattern [58][59][60]. On the one hand, digital transformation will continuously increase CO 2 emissions because of factors such as digital device production [61], increases in energy consumption [62], and electronic waste recycling [63]. On the other hand, digital transformation can decrease carbon emissions by developing more intelligent cities [64], transportation systems [65], smart grids [66], and energy-efficient devices [67].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Induced Effects of Carbon Emissions for China’s Industry Digital Transformation

et al. 2023

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Studying the carbon emissions resulting from digital transformation can provide a reference for the realization of the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in the era of the digital economy. This study calculated the value added to the digital economy and carbon emissions for 97 industry divisions from 1997 to 2018. Using the input–output model, we estimated the carbon emissions induced by the digital transformation of different industries, and used the structural decomposition analysis (SDA) to identify their driving factors. The results show that the carbon emissions induced by the digital economy in agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery decreased in 2010, those from mining increased year by year, and those from scientific research and technical services showed a decreasing trend from 2011 to 2015. The induced rate of digital economy carbon emissions for production and supply of electricity, heat, gas, and water has persistently remained high. At present, digital economy labor productivity has not shown a promoting effect on carbon emission reduction. China should strengthen the construction of a digital platform for ecological and environmental governance and build a green and low-carbon industrial chain and supply chain to promote the realization of the goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Induced Effects of Carbon Emissions for China’s Industry Digital Transformation

et al. 2023

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“…A number of studies have assessed carbon emissions produced by digital infrastructure at the regional level (Ahmed and Le 2021) or industrial level (Zhang et al 2023b), as well as at the city (Wang et al 2023) and household (Xu et al 2024;Zhang et al 2024a) levels. However, most overlooked the fundamental role of data centers, which provide computing resources for nearly every device.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Greening China’s digital economy: exploring the contribution of the East–West Computing Resources Transmission Project to CO2 reduction

Xie,

Han,

Tan

2024

Humanit Soc Sci Commun

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China’s East–West Computing Resources Transmission Project (EWCRT Project) is a unique and innovative path toward developing China’s green digital economy. The EWCRT Project consists of building transregional digital infrastructure, including eight data center hubs and 10 data center clusters across China. Our estimations indicate that the EWCRT Project could result in a reduction of 2125 metric tons (Mt) of CO2 between 2020 and 2050. Combined with other improvement measures, such as an increase in power usage effectiveness (PUE) and a boost in the use of green electricity in these data centers, the project could result in a reduction of 9500 Mt of carbon emissions over the next three decades. Recognizing the heterogeneous makeup of data centers in general, it is crucial to identify diverse strategies that can transform each into “green engines” for the digital economy. Therefore, in this study, we use fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to characterize the complex conditions of different data center configurations. By doing so, we highlight differentiated strategies for data centers to support the greening of the digital economy.

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“…The expansion of the digital economy has reduced carbon emissions intensity through pathways such as enhancing green innovation capabilities, promoting economic agglomeration, and upgrading industrial structure 10,11,12 . From the perspective of the industrial chain, carbon emissions from China's digital economy are mainly driven by exports and investments, primarily concentrated in energy-intensive sectors upstream of the industrial chain and digital-intensive sectors downstream 13 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analyzing Carbon Emission Reduction Driven by Digital Transformation: Evidence from China's Northwest Region Using GTWR-BP Neural Network Model

Tao,

2024

Preprint

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This study is based on panel data from 30 prefecture-level cities in Northwest China from 2011 to 2021, providing an in-depth analysis of the impact of digital transformation on carbon emissions, with a detailed examination from a spatial perspective. The research findings indicate that digital transformation plays a significant role in curbing regional carbon emissions, exhibiting notable spatiotemporal heterogeneity. Specifically, the average value of the carbon reduction effect of digitalization decreased from -5.0792 to -3.05602 over time, indicating a gradual weakening of the carbon reduction effect. However, neural network predictions suggest a potential rebound in the digital carbon reduction effect from 2022 to 2024, with an expected value of -0.14617 in 2022, eventually reaching -0.5063 in 2024. Despite the relatively weak foundation for digital development in Northwest China, which has led to a diminished carbon reduction effect, the ongoing advancement of digital transformation is expected to overcome technical lags, reduce energy consumption, and lower carbon emissions. The study highlights that the improvement in the level of digital transformation primarily operates through two mechanisms: industrial structure upgrading and economic level enhancement, promoting the transition of traditional industries towards low-carbon directions, while simultaneously increasing production and consumption efficiency, thereby reducing resource and energy consumption. These findings provide important references for formulating relevant policies, suggesting the enhancement of infrastructure construction and the promotion of digital transformation to achieve the "dual carbon" goals and foster sustainable economic development.

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Impact of digital infrastructure inputs on industrial carbon emission intensity: evidence from China’s manufacturing panel data

Cited by 11 publications

References 66 publications

The Induced Effects of Carbon Emissions for China’s Industry Digital Transformation

The Induced Effects of Carbon Emissions for China’s Industry Digital Transformation

Greening China’s digital economy: exploring the contribution of the East–West Computing Resources Transmission Project to CO2 reduction

Analyzing Carbon Emission Reduction Driven by Digital Transformation: Evidence from China's Northwest Region Using GTWR-BP Neural Network Model

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