The impact of the digital economy on carbon reduction potential

Abstract

Since the Industrial Revolution, Massive energy consumption have led to a large amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, which resulted in many ecoenvironmental problems such as global warming, extreme weather, etc. In 2023, China's carbon dioxide emissions increased by 565 million tons, accounting for 35% of global carbon dioxide emissions [1], which is 2.6 times the peak carbon emissions of the European Union (4.85billion tons) and 2.1 times the peak carbon emissions of the United States (6.00 billion tons). However, in terms of GDP, excluding exchange rate fluctuations, China is only about 70% of the United States. In 2020, China exceeded the national emission reduction targets promised at the 2009 Copenhagen Climate Summit and clearly set goals for peaking carbon emissions before 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality before 2060. At the same time, the rapid development of information technology provided an environment for the growth of digital economy, which is gradually becoming the engine of economic growth and carbon reduction in China. In 2025, China will update its emission reduction targets and submit a national independent contribution towards 2035.