Has Information Infrastructure Reduced Carbon Emissions? —Evidence from Panel Data Analysis of Chinese Cities

Abstract

Human activities have increased greenhouse gas emissions since the Industrial Revolution, and “emission peaking” and “carbon neutrality” have become serious concerns at this point. The role of information infrastructure in reducing carbon emissions is a critical issue that has received little attention and needs to be addressed. Using panel data from 289 cities in China between 2011 and 2017, this research empirically explores the impact of information infrastructure on urban carbon emission intensity and the mechanism behind this effect. We discover that the construction of information infrastructure significantly reduces urban carbon emissions, and this finding holds true after a series of robustness tests. The mechanism is optimization of industrial structure, agglomeration of producer service industries, and innovation of green technologies. According to the heterogeneity test, the carbon emission reduction is greater in mega cities with higher technological levels and larger urban scales, as well as large cities with better traditional infrastructure. The present work’s findings give empirical support for promoting green and low-carbon development and mitigating global warming.