Urban Decarbonization Pathways of Digital Infrastructure

This chapter explores the relationship between DI and environmental governance by examining the influence of DI on urban CEI, based on data from 275 prefecture-level cities during 2011–2019. The results reveal that a one-standard-deviation increase in DI corresponds to a 1.9% reduction in CEI. The heterogeneity analysis highlights that the effect of DI is particularly significant in cities north of the Qinling–Huaihe Line, east of the Hu Huanyong Line, as well as in eastern, central, and resource-dependent cities. Mechanism analysis further indicates that DI reduces CEI by promoting industrial upgrading, decreasing resource dependence, and stimulating green innovation. In addition, the study uncovers a negative spatial spillover effect, suggesting that the expansion of DI in one city can indirectly contribute to reductions in CEI in neighboring cities.