The Impact of the Digital Economy on Carbon Emissions from Cultivated Land Use

Jie Li, Zhengchuan Sun, Jie Zhou, Yaya Sow, Xufeng Cui, Haipeng Chen and Qianling Shen ()
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Jie Li: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Zhengchuan Sun: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Jie Zhou: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Yaya Sow: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Xufeng Cui: School of Business Administration, Zhongnan University of Economics and Law, Wuhan 430073, China
Haipeng Chen: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Qianling Shen: College of Economics, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: Is digitalization conducive to promoting carbon reduction in cultivated land use while empowering high-quality socio-economic development and intelligent territorial spatial planning? Derived from China’s provincial panel data from the period 2011 to 2019, in this paper, we employ a fixed-effect model to study the impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions from cultivated land use and apply an intermediary-effect model to estimate the impact that the structure of the digital economy has on carbon emissions from cultivated land use. The results indicate the following: (1) The expansion of the digital economy can significantly decrease the carbon emissions caused by cultivated land use. This conclusion is still valid after considering endogenous issues and conducting a series of robustness tests. (2) Green technical renovation has played a significant intermediary role in the effect the digital economy has on the amount of carbon emissions from cultivated land use. (3) Digital economy development has significantly promoted innovation in green technology by increasing the size of green invention patent applications and authorizations, thus effectively curbing carbon emissions from cultivated land use and achieving the carbon emission reduction effect of the digital economy. However, some suggestions are put forward, including speeding up the deep integration of digital technology and cultivated land use planning, strengthening the application of green technical renovation achievements in the agricultural field, and enhancing the government’s function in the institutional guarantee of the growth of the digital economy.

Keywords: digital economy; carbon emissions; green technology innovation; cultivated land utilization; low-carbon transformation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:3:p:665-:d:1094767

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