Impact and transmission mechanism of digital economy on agricultural energy carbon emission reduction

The digital economy is a powerful driver for accelerating economic growth and an innovative approach to promoting high-quality agricultural development. Utilizing panel data encompassing 30 provincial-level administrative regions in China from 2011 to 2021, this paper quantifies the development level of digital economy and agricultural energy carbon emission intensity, and examines the impact and mechanism of digital economy on agricultural energy carbon emission intensity. The results reveal that: (1) Distinct regional disparities exist in both the development level of the digital economy and the carbon emission intensity of agricultural energy across China from 2011 to 2021, although an overall decreasing trend is observed; (2) The development of digital economy has a significant inhibitory effect on agricultural energy carbon emission intensity, and this conclusion remains robust after a series of tests; (3) Digital economy development can mitigate agricultural energy carbon emission intensity by alleviating misallocation of agricultural capital and promoting green technology innovation. In addition, there are significant regional differences in the impact of the digital economy on the carbon intensity of agricultural energy. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the environmental governance implications of the digital economy in agriculture and offer valuable guidance for the effective application of digital technologies towards achieving agricultural emission reduction goals.