Title: Impact of green technology innovation on carbon emissions: evidence from China's 276 cities

Authors: Tao Hong; Xiyi Chen; Zongdi Toby Wang; Shujie Yao

Addresses: School of Economics and Business Administration, Chongqing University, No. 174 Shazhengjie, Shapingba, Chongqing 400044, China ' School of Economics and Business Administration, Chongqing University, No. 174 Shazhengjie, Shapingba, Chongqing 400044, China ' Business School, New York University, 101W15, Apt 515, NY 10011, USA ' Li Anmin Institute of Economic Research, Liaoning University, Shenyang, China

Abstract: Green technology innovation (GTI) is commonly seen as an essential way to decrease carbon emissions (CE). However, its advancement may result in the so-called carbon rebound effect which may offset its emission-reducing efficacy. This study examines the overall effect of GTI on CE using a fixed-effect model and a large panel dataset comprising China's 276 cities from 2007-2017. The main research findings include: 1) there exist inverted U-shaped relationships between GTI and per capita as well as total CE for the entire data sample; 2) regional heterogeneity exists regarding the relationships between GTI and CE (CE per capita). The empirical results have important policy implications on GTI to contain CE.

Keywords: green technology innovation; GTI; carbon emissions; carbon rebound effect; inverted U-shaped relationship.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTM.2024.137125

International Journal of Technology Management, 2024 Vol.95 No.1/2, pp.11 - 34

Received: 30 Jul 2022
Accepted: 12 Jan 2023

Published online: 01 Mar 2024 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article