The Effects of Digitization and EnvironmentalRegulation on Energy Consumption in China

The optimization of energy consumption structure and the mitigation of carbon emissions are crucial for developing countries to achieve high-quality economic development and green transformation.Utilizing prefecture-level panel data, this study investigates the impact of environmental regulation on energy consumption and carbon emissions in China within the framework of digitization.The findings indicate that interacted effects of digitization and environmental regulation result in a significant reduction in high-carbon energy consumption and associated carbon emissions.Besides, as digitization progresses, higher levels of environmental regulation can enhance the positive effects of digitization on low-carbon energy consumption and its carbon emissions.Mechanism analyses suggest that digitization development, coinciding with environmental regulation, plays a vital role in regulating energy consumption in high-carbon and low-carbon energy sectors by fostering investment in energy equipment.The impact of interactions on clean energy consumption shows a double threshold effect of both digital development and environmental regulation.However, an excessively high scale of digitization beyond the second threshold is also found to reduce clean energy consumption.