Impact of digital trade on regional carbon emissions

In the context of the dual carbon targets, digital trade brings new impetus to China's economic development to achieve low-carbon emission reduction. This article uses panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2020, and uses a two-way fixed effect model to empirically investigate the impact of digital trade development on regional carbon emissions and its heterogeneity. The results show that the development of digital trade significantly reduces regional carbon emissions, and the conclusion is still valid after conducting the robustness tests. Digital trade can reduce regional carbon emissions by exploiting its effects of expanding economic scale, upgrading industrial structure, and promoting green technology innovation. In addition, the carbon reduction effect of digital trade varies due to differences in regions, trade openness, and carbon emission intensity. The carbon reduction effect of digital trade in central and western regions is larger than that in eastern regions, and the effect in inland regions is greater than that in coastal regions. As the degree of trade liberalization increases and carbon intensity decreases, the carbon reduction effect of digital trade will also weaken. The research conclusions have profound practical significance for achieving the carbon neutrality target, effectively addressing climate change, and promoting high-quality economic development.