数字经济的节能减排效应

Effects of Digital Economy on Energy Saving and Emission Reduction

随着互联网等数字技术和电子商务等数字产业的发展,数字经济已成为中国经济转型升级的新力量,为环境治理、节能减排带来了新的视角。基于2004~2019年中国30个省份的数据,分别从数字产业化和产业数字化两个维度构建数字经济指数,探讨了数字经济对中国能源消费强度和碳排放强度的影响和传导机制。研究结论显示:数字经济与能源消费强度和碳排放强度之间均存在典型的“倒U”型关系,换言之,数字经济发展达到一定阈值后才能实现节能与减排的双重红利,并且这一效应也存在于高碳排放区、低碳排放区和东中部地区。此外,数字经济的两个不同维度也呈现一定的差异性,数字产业化的节能减排红利效应要先于产业数字化实现。进一步地,数字经济能够通过技术进步、人力资本积累、劳动生产率和金融发展水平等途径间接影响能源消费强度和碳排放强度。

With the development of digital technologies such as the Internet and digital industries such as e-commerce,the digital economy has become a new force in China's economic transformation and upgrading,which has brought forth a new perspective for environmental governance,energy conservation,and emission reduction.Based on the data of 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2019,this paper constructs the digital economy index from the two dimensions of digital industrialization and industrial digitization,and discusses the impact and transmission mechanism of digital economy on China's energy consumption intensity and carbon emission intensity.The results show that digital economy present a typical inverted U-shaped relationship with energy intensity and carbon intensity respectively.In other words,when the digital economy reaches a certain threshold,the double dividend of energy saving and emission reduction can be achieved,and this effect also exists in high-carbon emission areas,low-carbon emission areas and eastern and central regions.In addition,the two different dimensions of the development level of digital economy also show some differences.The dividend effect of energy conservation and emission reduction of digital industrialization should be realized before industrial digitization.Further,the development of digital economy affects energy consumption and carbon emissions through technological innovation,human capital accumulation,labor productivity,and financial development.