The Carbon Emission Reduction Effect of Digital Economy : An Empirical Study Based on China National Big Data Comprehensive Experimental Zone

Abstract: The digital economy is progressively emerging as the new driving force behind Chinese economic and social advancement. Whether the digital economy can drive the green transformation development still requires further exploration. Drawing on the data of 275 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2019, we employ the time-varying difference-in-differences (DID) method to investigate the influence of the digital economy on regional carbon emissions. By considering the China National Big Data Comprehensive Experimental Zone (NBDCEZ) as a quasi-natural experiment for the development of regional digital economies, we aim to shed light on the potential relationship between these two sectors and their impact on environmental sustainability. The results reveal that the construction of NBDCEZ reduces regional carbon emissions by about 14.4% on average, and the value of emission reduction achieved is about 8.5*107 USD. The mechanism analysis indicates that the construction of NBDCEZ achieves the emission reduction target by stimulating green innovation, mobilizing public environmental participation, and cutting energy consumption. Heterogeneity analysis suggests that NBDCEZ exhibits a notable effect on reducing carbon emissions in the eastern regions, non-resource-based cities and large cities. The findings of this paper provide empirical insights for strengthening the NBDCEZ strategy to facilitate the green transformation of the economy to achieve the goal of energy saving and emission control