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Analysis of the Nonlinear and Spatial Spillover Effects of the Digital Economy on Carbon Emissions in the Yellow River Basin

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  • Ruiyuan Dong

    (School of International Business, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China)

  • Xiaowei Zhou

    (School of International Business, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi’an 710119, China)

Abstract

Low-carbon development of the Yellow River Basin (YRB) is an inherent requirement for implementing ecological protection and high-quality development strategies in the YRB and an important way to achieve China’s carbon peak and neutrality goals. However, utilization of the newly emerging digital economy to reduce carbon emissions in the YRB remains a largely unexplored topic. Based on panel data obtained from 56 cities in the YRB from 2011 to 2019, the nonlinear and spatial spillover effects of the digital economy on carbon emissions were studied using spatial econometric and multiple threshold effect models. The results showed that: (1) The digital economy had an inverted U-shaped relationship with carbon emissions, initially increasing and subsequently decreasing, with a more prominent impact intensity in upstream cities; (2) The digital economy had distinct negative spatial spillover effects on carbon emissions, with more significant effects observed in the midstream and downstream; (3) The digital economy had a nonlinear threshold effect on carbon emissions. When the optimization level of the industrial structure was above a certain threshold, the digital economy reduced carbon emissions. Based on these results, we propose suggestions for accelerating the healthy growth of the digital economy while promoting carbon emission reductions across the YRB.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruiyuan Dong & Xiaowei Zhou, 2023. "Analysis of the Nonlinear and Spatial Spillover Effects of the Digital Economy on Carbon Emissions in the Yellow River Basin," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-18, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:6:p:5253-:d:1098597
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Wenjing Zhang & Bin Sun & Zaijun Li & Suleman Sarwar, 2023. "The Impact of the Digital Economy on Industrial Eco-Efficiency in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) Urban Agglomeration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-19, August.
    3. Congqi Wang & Rui Zhang & Haslindar Ibrahim & Pengzhen Liu, 2023. "Can the Digital Economy Enable Carbon Emission Reduction: Analysis of Mechanisms and China’s Experience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-20, June.
    4. Yihua Zhang & Xinxin Hong & Yuan Wang, 2023. "Study on the Coupled and Coordinated Development and Evolution of Digital Economy and Green Technology Innovation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-23, May.
    5. Yihui Chen & Minjie Li, 2024. "How does the digital transformation of agriculture affect carbon emissions? Evidence from China’s provincial panel data," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-17, December.

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