Spillover effect of technological innovation on CO2 emissions in China’s construction industry

Abstract Given the leading role of the construction industry in fossil fuel consumption, it is essential to identify the drivers responsible for carbon emission in that sector. Based on the panel data of 30 provinces in China in the period between 2000 and 2015, this study estimated the spatial distribution and driving innovation factors of construction carbon emissions (CCE) by using Moran’s I index and spatial econometric models as underlying methods. The empirical results show that there were significant spatial dependence and clustering characteristics in provincial CCE. The net value of machinery and equipment, labor productivity, technical renovation input, construction gross domestic product, and the total construction profit prohibit greater emission reductions. Specifically, the economy related performance indicators cause smaller positive impacts on emission growth than the machinery- and labor-related factors. In addition, it is also noted that proportion of technical personnel and the ratio of technical equipment have significantly positive effects on CCE abatement. The findings of this study would be beneficial for local government to adopt stratified and effective emission reduction methods in the provincial construction industry.