Does information infrastructure and technological infrastructure reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the context of sustainable development? Examining spatial spillover effect

To cope with global climate change and realize sustainable development, China has invested heavily in the construction of information infrastructure and technological infrastructure (IT) in recent years. In this research, we first find out the effect of IT on CO2 emissions and how IT impacts CO2 emissions, considering an expanded endogenous growth model. Then, using the dynamic spatial lag model and the system generalized method of moments (SGMM), this study investigates the impact of IT on CO2 emissions and their mechanisms in 30 provinces of China from 2005 to 2019. The results are: (1) CO2 emissions have a spatial lag effect, a temporal lag effect, and a spatio‐temporal lag effect. (2) IT reduces local CO2 emissions. (3) IT promotes the decrease of CO2 emissions in local areas over the short and long terms. In the long term, IT promotes the decrease of CO2 emissions in the surrounding regions. Both in the short and long terms, the direct effect is greater than the indirect effect. (4) IT reduces CO2 emissions through optimizing the energy consumption structure (ENS) and enhancing the level of green technology innovation (GI). This study provides a theoretical basis for realizing the dual carbon goals of emissions peak and carbon neutrality.