Can industrial intellectualization reduce carbon emissions? — Empirical evidence from the perspective of carbon total factor productivity in China

Using the data of 281 representative cities of China, this study designs industrial intellectualization indicators from three dimensions of regional information intelligence, production intelligence, and intelligent innovation. Then the mixed distance EBM-DEA model that includes undesired outputs is employed to calculate the carbon total factor productivity. Further, we examine the impacts, mechanisms and constraints of industrial intellectualization on the regional carbon total factor productivity. The results show that: (1) Industrial intellectualization has a positive effect on carbon total factor productivity, that is, if the level of industrial intellectualization increases by 1 unit, carbon total factor productivity will increase by 0.03 units. (2) Technological progress and industrial structure upgrading are two main channels of the industrial intellectualization affecting carbon total factor productivity, and the impact of industrial intellectualization on carbon total factor productivity is heterogeneous in different regions. Specifically, the carbon total factor productivity effect of industrial intellectualization is significantly positive in the eastern and western regions, positive but not significant in the central region, and significantly negative in the northeastern region. (3) Whether industrial intellectualization can increase carbon total factor productivity is subject to three constraints, namely, the level of information technology, workers' skills, and resource dependence. • Industrial intellectualization indicators are designed to explore the impacts of industrial intellectualization on CTFP. • Industrial intellectualization has a significant increasing effect on CTFP. • Differences in industrial intellectualization and CTFP vary across regions, showing a polarization trend. • The scale of big data and skilled labors are constraints on the performance of industrial intellectualization on CTFP.