Enterprise Digital Transformation, Green Innovation, and Carbon Emissions: Evidence from China’s A-Share Listed Companies

Drawing on the ecological economic system theory, this paper constructs a theoretical model to analyze the impact of enterprise digital transformation on carbon emissions and the critical mechanism of green innovation therein. Empirical evidence based on data from China’s A-share listed companies from 2007 to 2024 indicates the following: First, enterprise digital transformation significantly reduces corporate carbon emissions. This conclusion remains robust after a series of robustness checks and endogeneity treatments. Second, digital transformation promotes carbon reduction primarily by increasing the quantity of green innovation, whereas the mediating role of green innovation quality has not yet manifested. Third, heterogeneity analysis confirms our theoretical deductions, revealing that this carbon reduction effect is significantly stronger in regions with high environmental regulation intensity and is predominantly manifested in highly polluting industries. Fourth, descriptive spatial analysis indicates that digital transformation is associated with reduced carbon emissions in surrounding areas, exhibiting broader regional environmental correlations as the geographic range expands. Finally, the implementation of policy instruments, represented by carbon trading and low-carbon city construction, reinforces the carbon reduction effect of digital transformation. By integrating internal technological processes, contextual heterogeneities, descriptive spatial observations, and macro-policy environments, this paper provides holistic insights into the synergistic evolution of enterprise digitalization and green transition.