Can the Development of the Digital Economy Reduce Urban Carbon Emissions? Case Study of Guangdong Province

The digital economy plays an important role in the high-quality development of cities, and low-carbon urban development is an integral part of this evolution. Therefore, it is important to explore the impact of the development of the digital economy on urban carbon emissions. By considering 21 cities in Guangdong Province as the object of the research, this study measured the levels of the digital economy from 2011 to 2019 by using an entropy weight-based TOPSIS model, analyzed the spatiotemporal changes, and used geographically and temporally weighted regression to examine the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the impact of the digital economy on urban carbon emissions. The results showed the following: (1) The development of the digital economy in Guangdong Province in general exhibited a stable trend of growth, and the average level of its development in the 21 cities considered increased by 3.4 times during the study period. (2) The level of development of the digital economy in the Pearl River Delta was significantly higher than that in northern, western, and eastern Guangdong, with Shenzhen being the most developed city in this regard (0.8473), and Shanwei being the least developed (0.0633). (3) The impact of the development of the digital economy on carbon emissions had significant spatiotemporal heterogeneity. The benefits of the development of the digital economy in terms of a reduction in carbon emissions was the most significant in the Pearl River Delta, and regional differences were prominent. (4) The reductions in carbon emissions in cities with a highly developed digital economy were more significant than has been reported in past studies in the area. However, it had a negative effect on the urban carbon emissions in cities with a poorly developed digital economy. The results of this study can be used to guide policies related to the high-quality development of the urban digital economy.

Automated summary

This study measured the levels of the digital economy in 21 cities in Guangdong Province from 2011 to 2019 and analyzed their spatiotemporal changes. It also examined the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of the impact of the digital economy on urban carbon emissions. The results show significant variations in the impact of the development of the digital economy on carbon emissions.