The impact of internet development on carbon emission efficiency: Evidence from China

Modern information and communication technology presented by the Internet has become the significant driving force to promote the realization of "carbon peak and carbon neutrality" target in China. Taking China's 30 provinces over the period 2006-2019 as research object, this paper investigates the effect of Internet development on carbon emission efficiency (CEE) and its impact mechanism by using the dynamic spatial Durbin model (DSDM) and mediation effect model. The regression results indicate that: (1) Internet development can significantly improve the carbon emission efficiency in the region and its neighboring areas. (2) The positive effect of the Internet development on CEE in long-term is greater than that in short-term. (3) Internet development can directly improve CEE, as well as indirectly increase CO2 2 emission efficiency by promoting technological innovation and industrial structure upgrading, as well as reducing the level of labor and capital resource mismatch. The conclusions of this paper are reliable after multiple robustness checks. Finally, we have put forward several policy implications to be conducive to achieving carbon neutrality.