ICT development and maritime transport CO2 emissions: evidence from cross-country panel data

Maritime transport is a vital pillar of global trade, while its CO 2 emissions have become an increasingly pressing concern. ICT development may provide a new perspective for maritime decarbonization. Using cross-country panel data for 111 countries from 2019 to 2023, this study examines the impact of national ICT development on maritime transport CO 2 emissions and further investigates the nonlinear role of maritime transport scale. The results show that improvements in ICT development significantly reduce maritime transport CO 2 emissions. However, the emission-reduction effect of ICT gradually weakens as maritime transport scale expands and exhibits a significant threshold effect. When maritime transport scale remains below the threshold, ICT has a significant emission-reduction effect; once the threshold is exceeded, this effect declines. These findings indicate that digital infrastructure development can help reduce maritime transport CO 2 emissions, although its effectiveness is constrained by the scale of maritime activities. This study provides cross-country empirical evidence on the relationship between digital infrastructure and maritime transport CO 2 emissions and offers policy implications for incorporating ICT development into maritime decarbonization strategies.