Digital economy, energy intensity and carbon emissions: new insights from the TIMG index

Based on the panel data of 96 countries from 2013 to 2020, this study innovatively adopts the TIMG index to measure global digital economy (DE) and examines the impact of DE on carbon emissions. We find that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between DE and carbon emissions, and energy intensity is the mediating channel. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that lower-middle-income countries can enter the 'carbon reduction dividend stage' of DE faster than high-income and upper-middle-income countries. Our findings provide empirical evidence and policy references for effectively utilizing DE for carbon reduction.