The influence of digital economy development on urban carbon emission intensity in the Yangtze River Economic Belt: Mediating mechanism and spatial effect

The iterative upgrading of digital technology and the implementation “carbon-peaking carbon neutrality” national strategy provide an opportunity for synergistic integration economy green in China, thus, whether development can curb urban emission intensity (CEI) remains to be answered. Based on panel data 110 cities Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) region from 2011 2020, this paper investigated impact CEI by using dual fixed-effect model, mediating mechanism model spatial Durbin model. main results are as follows: (1) YREB lower down CEI, promote rationalization industrial structure, improve cities’ innovation capacity; (2) was reduced through intermediary effect structure optimization innovation; (3) Digital shows a significant positive correlation, exerts spillover reducing surrounding with obvious heterogeneity; (4) has stronger inhibitory downstream within agglomerations; (5) In addition infrastructure, remaining components economy, directly indirectly, diminish CEI. At last, according research findings, suggestions put forward.