Exploring the nexus between rural economic digitalization and agricultural carbon emissions: A multi-scale analysis across 1607 counties in China

Rural economic digitalization has emerged as a critical driver for reducing agricultural carbon emissions, playing a pivotal role in achieving China's "carbon peak" and "carbon neutrality" targets. Despite its importance, research on the spatial heterogeneity of rural economic digitalization's impact on agricultural carbon emissions remains limited. This study utilizes county-level data from 1607 counties in China to explore the spatial patterns of rural economic digitalization and agricultural carbon emissions. By employing the Multi-scale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) method, this research uncovers the spatial variations and scale effects of rural economic digitalization on agricultural carbon emissions. Key findings include: (1) From 2018 to 2019, the spatial clustering of rural economic digitalization increased, while agricultural carbon emissions exhibited a decreasing trend; (2) Per capita agricultural carbon emissions were highest in the Northeast region and lowest in the Southwest region, with most regions showing a declining trend; (3) Rural economic digitalization has a suppressive effect on agricultural carbon emissions, characterized by a clear "north-south" spatial differentiation, with more substantial effects in the southern regions. The paper proposes specific approaches to decrease agricultural carbon emissions in the northern regions by enhancing rural economic digitalization. These findings provide valuable insights into sustainable agricultural development and regional environmental management.