Decarbonization Through Data: The Impact of Public Data Openness on Regional Carbon Emissions

Utilizing the progressive rollout of public data open platforms as a quasi-natural experiment, this study applies a staggered difference-in-differences (DID) method to investigate the effect of public data openness on regional carbon emissions. The empirical analysis demonstrates a significant decarbonization effect induced by public data openness, and this conclusion survives a battery of robustness tests. Mechanism analyses confirm that the decarbonization effect of public data openness is driven by enhanced industrial upgrading, green technological innovation, green financial development, and environmental regulation. Heterogeneity analyses reveal that the decarbonization effect is statistically significant mainly in Central China, and in provinces characterized by high marketization and advanced digital infrastructure. Furthermore, public data openness demonstrates a substantial capacity for abating environmental pollutants such as sulfur dioxide and dust, thereby validating a synergistic governance effect. Overall, this study demonstrates the positive role of public data openness in reducing regional carbon emissions, thereby theoretically broadening the literature on its environmental consequences while expanding practical pathways for decarbonization.