Critical paths and sectors for upstream and downstream carbon emissions of digital industry: A case study of Beijing, China

With the rapid development of the digital industry, its carbon emissions have become one of the important issues for cities to deal with climate change. However, existing research lacks an exploration of the mechanism from the industry chain perspective. This study uses Structural Path Analysis and Betweenness-based methods to explore the key transmission paths and responsible sectors for upstream and downstream carbon emissions of Beijing's digital industry chain from 2017 to 2020. The results show that: (1) Carbon emissions from digital industries in Beijing show an upward trend, and the induced carbon emissions driven by the upstream and downstream of the industrial chain are the main contributors; (2) The upstream carbon emission path of the digital industry chain is mainly driven by high-energy-consuming industries supporting the digital industry development, while the downstream carbon emission path is mainly driven by the service industry's demand for digital products; (3) From a production perspective, the key sectors for carbon emissions include transportation, warehousing and postal services, leasing and business services, and electricity and heat production and supply industries; from a consumption perspective, the key sectors for carbon emissions include public administration, social security and social organization industries, finance and integrated technology services. These sectors also serve as crucial intermediary hubs in the carbon emission paths of the digital industry chain. The research provides a theoretical basis for the collaborative transformation of digitization and greening in Beijing and the policy formulation of urban climate governance.