Study on the Effects of Scale and Structural Factors on Carbon Emission Reduction in Land Transport Under Internet Economy

The rise of Internet economy has provided an opportunity for the development of China’s transport industry and a new possibility for reshaping the mode of transport economy. With the development of Internet, scale and structural factors have changed the energy structure, freight structure and carbon emissions. The scales of logistics economy, credit loan and transport infrastructure can inhibit the carbon intensity of land transport, but Internet access scale has no inhibiting effect. Different impacts of energy structure and freight structure coexist. The energy structure of land transport tends to increase the use of electricity and has the inhibition, while the freight structure promotes the carbon intensity of land transport due to the absolute prepondering of road freight volume and the large use of fuel vehicles to undertake the huge amounts of transportation tasks. The interaction mechanisms of scale factors show negative spillover effects, especially between Internet access scale and transport infrastructure, as well as between credit loan scale and transport infrastructure, which can further help reduce carbon emissions. Heterogeneity varies across the eastern, central and western regions. These findings highlight the significance of scale and structural factors on low-carbon transport under the background of China’s dual-carbon strategy.