Can industrial intelligence promote carbon emission efficiency? --empirical research based on the Yangtze River Economic Belt

Abstract

The rapid development of intelligent technology characterized by robots under the fourth scientific and technological revolution provides a favorable opportunity for the accurate decision-making of urban pollution control and the effective achievement of the goal of carbon emission reduction in China. This research uses the robot penetration rate as a representative and characteristic index of industrial intelligence development, based on panel data from 108 cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YEB) from 2006 to 2020. It then uses panel quantile regression, spatial measurement, and threshold effect models to provide a more thorough theoretical and empirical discussion of the impact, mechanism, and spatial effect of industrial intelligence development on urban carbon emission efficiency (CEE). Urban CEE may be greatly increased with the use of industrial intelligence, and this finding remains true even after endogeneity and robustness tests are controlled; From an action mechanism perspective, industrial intelligence advances technology, optimizes industrial structure, and ultimately enhances regional CEE; There is a Matthew effect on the degree of development of carbon emission efficiency, and the impact of industrial intelligence on CEE is more pronounced in non-resource-based cities and the lower portions of YEB; Urban CEE increases positively with the spatial spillover impact of industrial intelligence development. The ability for regional sustainable development will be significantly increased if cross-regional cooperative prevention and control of environmental governance can be successfully achieved. This study verifies the enabling effect of industrial intelligence development on the improvement of urban CEE, and provides enlightenment for China to improve industrial intelligence development strategies and policies to achieve regional high-quality development.