Promoting the development of marine low carbon through the digital economy

As a new strategy to combat global climate change and achieve sustainable development, a marine low-carbon economy has gradually gained attention in recent years. A variety of reasons are fueling the creation of a marine low-carbon economy. The digital economy (DE) has demonstrated a significant new thrust in the low-carbon production and consumption sectors. This study measures the effect of the DE on the marine low carbon (MLC) level using the mediation effect model and spatial Durbin model in 11 marine provinces of China from 2007 to 2018. The empirical results show that the impact of regional heterogeneity of the DE on MLC presents a U-shaped relationship. The mediation effect shows that the DE can affect MLC through industrial structure updates and innovation efficiency. After considering the geographic, economic, and spatial distance matrix, the DE has a positive spatial spillover effect on MLC in the adjacent areas. Therefore, this study has a depth implication for promoting MLC by the DE with its spatial spillover driving through the marine industry updates and innovation efficiency.