How does the Chinese pilot policy on information consumption affect carbon emissions?

The information consumption pilot policy deeply integrates information technology and traditional consumption, providing a strong impetus for China to achieve the strategic goal of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality." Based on panel data from 280 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2019, this paper explores the effect of the information consumption pilot (ICP) policy on carbon emissions in China using a difference-indifferences method. The results indicate that: (1) the ICP policy can significantly reduce total carbon emissions and carbon intensity, and this finding remains valid after a series of robustness tests. Furthermore, (2) the results of mechanism analysis show that the ICP policy primarily reduces carbon emissions by promoting technological innovation, empowering industrial transformation, and upgrading. Additionally, (3) heterogeneity analysis reveals that the ICP policy exhibits more pronounced inhibitory effects on carbon emissions and intensity in regions characterized by high levels of network infrastructure development, cities located in the eastern and central, and experiencing high-pollution levels. Conversely, the impact of the ICP policy is not significant in regions with low levels of network infrastructure development, cities situated in the western, and those with lower pollution levels. Finally, (4) there are spatial spillover effects of the ICP policy and policy linkage effects with broadband China policy and big data comprehensive experimental zone policy. This paper's discoveries provide a new perspective for developing countries to achieve carbon emission reduction.