The Impact of Infrastructure Stock Density on CO2 Emissions: Evidence from China Provinces

Infrastructure not only plays an import role in socioeconomic development, but also results in a remarkable increase of CO2 emissions. Based on a panel data analysis of 29 provinces in China from 1995 to 2013, we investigated the relationship between socioeconomic development and CO2 emissions with special focus on the impact of infrastructure stock density in both the country and regional scales. The results confirmed that a 1% increase of material stocks in infrastructure per built-up area would lead to a 0.11% decrease in CO2 emissions at the country level. The effect of infrastructure stock density on CO2 emissions varied across regions, for which elasticity was −0.34, 0.06, and 0.14 for the eastern, central, and western region, respectively. In order to achieve a low-carbon and sustainable development, it is crucial to improve the spatial compactness of infrastructure in the future. Policy implications include upgrading the economic structure to a low-carbon one for the eastern region, accelerating the development of renewable energy infrastructure, and constructing and utilizing infrastructure in an energy-efficient way for the central and western regions.