Internet development has changed Chinese people’s consumption behavior, gradually expanding from survival consumption (SC) to development and enjoyment consumption (DEC) trends. Consumption is the new engine driving China’s economic growth and the terminal of carbon emissions. Simultaneously, China is undergoing a profound change toward the “double carbon” goal, the space for carbon emission reduction in traditional fields is gradually compressed. Therefore, it is necessary to explore carbon emissions from the perspective of consumption terminals. Based on provincial panel data, we use the fixed effects model and mediating effects model to explore the relationship between Internet development, consumption upgrading, and carbon emissions in a unified research framework. The findings show that: (1) Internet development leads to an increase in carbon emissions. A finding remains significant after using instrumental variables to mitigate endogeneity; (2) Internet development promotes consumption upgrading, reflected in development and enjoyment consumption expenditure; (3) Internet development contributes to increasing carbon emissions through consumption upgrading. Heterogeneity analysis shows that Internet development in eastern China significantly contributes to carbon emissions through consumption upgrading, while it is insignificant in central and western regions. The Internet development leading region contributes to an increase in carbon emissions through consumption upgrading. In comparison, the lagging region is insignificant. This study can provide a reference for policymakers in China or other countries to formulate energy-saving and emission-reduction policies in the Internet industry and provide a scientific basis for advocating people’s low-carbon consumption behavior and achieving carbon emission reduction at the consumption terminal.

Carbon emissions from transportation account for an increasing proportion of total carbon emissions, and daily travel carbon emissions are an essential part of carbon emissions from transportation. Urban form influences the transportation network layout, so the degree of influence of urban transportation development on daily travel carbon emissions varies according to urban form. This paper uses panel data from 254 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2019 to explore the impact of urban transportation development on daily travel carbon emissions based on the moderating effect of urban form. The results show that urban transportation development plays a pivotal role in significantly reducing daily travel carbon emissions. The urban form further amplifies the impact of carbon emission reductions. Specifically, polycentric urban structures enable residents to meet their daily travel needs through short-distance trips, thereby alleviating traffic congestion. The impact of urban transportation development on daily travel carbon emission intensity exhibits heterogeneity. In both low-carbon pilot cities and large cities, urban transportation development markedly decreases daily travel carbon emission intensity. Additionally, it is observed that cities with lower economic development levels exhibit more pronounced effects in carbon emission reduction compared to their more economically developed counterparts. This paper provides empirical support for rational planning of urban transportation systems and low-carbon development of daily travel.