Ziyuan Kexue (Apr 2024)
The enabling effect of intelligent manufacturing on China’s urban low-carbon development: From the perspective of industrial robots
Abstract
[Objective] Taking cities as the main agent to promote carbon emission reduction is essential for achieving the “dual carbon” goals. The significance of intelligent manufacturing for green development is increasingly apparent, and evaluating its impact on carbon emissions provides a scientific foundation for low-carbon economic and social development. [Methods] Based on the panel data of 274 cities in China from 2006 to 2019, this study comprehensively employed the fixed-effects model and mediation effects test to examine the impact of industrial robots on carbon emissions in Chinese cities and its mechanism. [Results] (1) Industrial robots can reduce urban carbon emissions, and this conclusion remains valid after robustness tests. (2) Industrial robots can help cities reduce carbon emissions by promoting technological innovation, empowering industrial upgrading, and facilitating digital transformation. (3) The carbon emission reduction effect of industrial robots is more prominent in resource-based cities, non-national smart city pilots, and cities with better political and business relations. [Conclusion] This study identified the positive role of industrial robots in urban carbon emission reduction, providing empirical evidence for achieving a mutually beneficial goal of low-carbon development and establishing a manufacturing powerhouse. To this end, the government should further enhance the depth and breadth of intelligent manufacturing technologies, strengthen the institutional design of core technology research and development, industrial intelligent upgrading, and digital transformation of urban governance and enterprise management, in order to enhance the new driving power of green productivity development in the new era.
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