Study on the impact of industrial digitization on carbon emissions: evidence from China’s Logistics Industry

Abstract

Digitization of the industrial sector is critical to combat climate change and reduce carbon emissions. The application of digital technology in traditional high-carbon emission industries can improve energy use efficiency and provide an essential technological path for carbon reduction. This study uses a coupled coordination degree model to measure the degree of integration between China’s logistics industry and the digital economy. An environmental Kurtzwarts curve (EKC) panel and a non-linear mediation model was then constructed to analyse the impact of digitization of China’s logistics industry on carbon emissions and its driving mechanisms using panel data from 30 regions in China from 2011 to 2020. The empirical results show that: (1) The level of integration between the logistics industry and digital economy led to an evident characteristic of ‘high in the east and low in the west.’ However, the regional differences are gradually decreasing over time. (2) The influence of the integration between the logistics industry and digital economy on carbon emission is in an inverted U-shape when the integration degree of the two exceeds the inflection point value of 0.76 to play the role of carbon At present, only in Guangdong, the degree of integration crosses the inflection point and plays an environment-friendly digital role. (3) As a crucial external environmental condition affecting carbon emissions, the degree of integration between logistics and digital economy will play an early role in carbon emission reduction under environmental regulation. (4) The degree of integration of the logistics industry and digital economy achieves carbon emission reduction through strengthening energy use efficiency and technological progress, in which the mediating effect of energy consumption intensity accounts for 23.05% of the total effect, ranging from 18.82% to 31.68%; the mediating effect of technological progress accounts for 13.25% of the total effect, ranging from 12.67% to 14.40%.