The power of patent transfer: The impact of green technology acquisition on non-residential CO2 emissions under the intervention of government actions

Green technology acquisition solves the mismatch of innovation elements through transactions and realizes the rapid and reasonable allocation of green patents among enterprises with different technology levels. However, whether green technology acquisition can effectively reduce carbon emissions has not yet received the attention it deserves. Based on data of 153 Chinese cities from 2011 to 2019, this paper explores the impact direction and mechanism of green technology acquisition on non-residential CO2 emissions, and analyzes the moderating role of government actions in this process. The study finds that: (1) Green technology acquisition in China has formed a multi-core spatial distribution pattern based on urban agglomerations, among which the Yangtze River Delta, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and Pearl River Delta urban agglomerations constitute the main agglomeration areas for green technology acquisition. (2) Green technology acquisition can significantly reduce non-residential CO2 emissions, which is mainly achieved through the cleaner production effect and R&D innovation effect. (3) In terms of government actions, low-carbon advocacy can effectively moderate the mediating role of the cleaner production effect between green technology acquisition and non-residential CO2 emissions, and environmental incentives and environmental penalties can effectively moderate the mediating role of the R&D innovation effect between green technology acquisition and non-residential CO2 emissions, but the moderating paths are different. (4) There is a threshold effect of intellectual property protection in the impact of green technology acquisition on non-residential CO2 emissions. Only when the degree of intellectual property protection exceeds a certain threshold, green technology acquisition can effectively reduce non-residential CO2 emissions. This paper not only explains the key value of green technology for low-carbon development from the perspective of knowledge flow, but also provides a theoretical reference for the rational matching of government actions under the carbon neutrality target.