The impact of ICT industry on CO2 emissions: A regional analysis in China

The existing literatures mainly focus on the relationships between ICT and CO2 emissions in developed countries from the perspective of technology, but little attention has been paid to China. Concerning regional differences in China, this paper investigates the impact of ICT industry on CO2 emissions at the national and regional levels using the STIRPAT model and provincial panel data during the period 2000-2010. The results show that ICT industry contributes to reducing China's CO2 emissions and the impact of ICT industry on CO2 emissions in the central region is greater than that in the eastern region, while that in the western region is insignificant. The findings not only contribute to advancing the existing literature, but also deserve special attention from policymakers. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.