Impacts On Environmental Quality And Required Environmental Regulation Adjustments: A Perspective Of Directed Technical Change Driven By Big Data

Big data applications, from its inception have experienced unprecedented changes in technological revolution and development. The need of the hour is to use big data to break through the incompatible bottleneck of environment protection and development. Therefore, this paper constructs a theoretical model to evaluate the changes of relative benefits big data have on R&D through "substitution effects", "complementary effects", and further lead to directed technical change and its impact on the environmental quality. For better understanding the role of big data, we compare different impacts on environmental quality both by considering the big data application and by ignoring it. In addition, we analyze the required environmental regulation policy adjustments under the influence of big data. The results show that: (1) By improving the relative benefits of clean technology R&D, the application of big data further enhances the quality of the environment. (2) Mere relying on the application of big data alone cannot prevent environmental disasters, but it must be supplemented with conducive environmental regulation policy to achieve the best results. (3) The application of big data can reduce the "subsidy" for clean technology R&D to avoid environmental disasters, while the impact of big data on "environmental taxes" varies with the development of clean technology levels. The results of this research will help to clarify the positive effects of big data on environmental quality and implement reasonable environmental regulation policy. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.