ICT development and maritime transport CO2 emissions: evidence from cross-country panel data

Maritime transport is a vital pillar of global trade, while its CO2 emissions have become an increasingly pressing concern. ICT development may provide a new perspective for maritime decarbonization. Using cross-country panel data for 111 countries from 2019 to 2023, this study examines the impact of national ICT development on maritime transport CO2 emissions and further investigates the nonlinear role of maritime transport scale. The results show that improvements in ICT development significantly reduce maritime transport CO2 emissions. However, the emission-reduction effect of ICT gradually weakens as maritime transport scale expands and exhibits a significant threshold effect. When maritime transport scale remains below the threshold, ICT has a significant emission-reduction effect; once the threshold is exceeded, this effect declines. These findings indicate that digital infrastructure development can help reduce maritime transport CO2 emissions, although its effectiveness is constrained by the scale of maritime activities. This study provides cross-country empirical evidence on the relationship between digital infrastructure and maritime transport CO2 emissions and offers policy implications for incorporating ICT development into maritime decarbonization strategies.