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This paper delineates the impact of digital infrastructure construction (DIC) on carbon emission efficiency (CEE) within the ambit of China's "Broadband China" pilot policy (BCP). A quasi-natural experimental framework reveals direct effects, indirect influences, non-linear relationships, and spatial heterogeneity of DIC on CEE. The research distills several pivotal insights: (1) DIC exerts a markedly positive impact on CEE, as evidenced by comprehensive robustness analyses. (2) The digital service industry agglomeration and green technology innovation act as key mechanisms through which DIC influences CEE. (3) The intensity of BCP exhibits an "inverted U-shaped" relationship with CEE. As the level of CEE increases, the impact of DIC on CEE gradually rises, demonstrating a marginal increasing effect. (4) The spatial spillover effects of DIC on CEE vary with increasing distance, revealing a dichotomy: an "agglomeration shadow" within 200 km of policy pilot cities and a pronounced stimulative effect on CEE within a 200–300 km radius. (5) The efficacy of DIC in enhancing CEE is augmented by proximity to central cities, with the optimal radius of influence for central cities determined to be 200 km, beyond which a diminishing gradient effect is observed, forming a "core-peripheral" spatial pattern. The findings endorse the strategic augmentation of digital infrastructure as a lever for economic and environmental co-benefits, steering towards carbon neutrality and equitable regional development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to evaluate empirically the main implications of digital technology (DT) on carbon emissions (CE). Our sample focuses on 283 cities of China over the period from 2003 to 2019, and the effect of DT on CE is examined with a threshold spatial effect model. Empirical results show that DT has a negative impact on carbon emissions and the transmission mechanism contains both a direct impact on local region and a spillover effect across regions. There is empirical evidence of a threshold effect in the relationship between DT and CE, with stronger carbon reduction effect for DT values larger than the established threshold. Moreover, CE reduction effect of DT appear to be amplified by the level of marketization. Regions with a higher level of marketization thus show a more significant manifestation of CE reduction effect attributed to DT. Our results provide empirical evidence that DT development may contribute to achieving carbon neutrality at least partially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital technologies are a key driver of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. However, as the physical foundation supporting digital technology, how digital infrastructure affects carbon emissions is unclear. Based on the panel data from 2008 to 2019, this paper examines the impact of the Broadband China Policy on carbon emissions by adopting a multi-period difference-in-differences (DID) method. The empirical findings indicate that, first, digital infrastructure development plays a significant role in reducing carbon emissions in China. Second, the Broadband China Policy significantly reduces carbon emissions especially in China's low-carbon emission regions, high-level digitization regions, and non-resource-cursed regions. Third, the implementation of the Broadband China Policy facilitates carbon emissions reduction through the promotion of green technology progress, optimization of industrial structures, green transformation of residents' lifestyles, and electrification of energy mix. Finally, the Broadband China Policy has a positive spatial spillover effect on the carbon intensity in the surrounding regions of pilot cities, but it has no significant effect on the total carbon emissions and per capita carbon emissions in the surrounding regions. The results provide important insights for digital infrastructure construction to achieve a win-win situation for economic development and emission reduction. • It explores the impact of Broadband China Policy on carbon emissions reduction. • Digital infrastructure development has positive impact on reducing carbon emissions. • The reduction effect is heterogeneous in regions with different characteristics. • Carbon emissions can be reduced at both industrial and individual levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]