The impact of income inequity on energy consumption: The moderating role of digitalization

Deep mitigation for trade-embodied carbon emissions among the Belt and Road Initiative countries

The frequent trade within and beyond the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has prospered the economy but has also expanded carbon emissions. Here, through a multi-regional environmental input-output analysis framework, we explore the patterns and inter-sectoral linkage of trade-embodied carbon emissions among BRI countries during 2015-2019. Then, a dynamic data envelopment analysis model considering carbon inequality as a non-discretionary input is constructed to assess the carbon emission efficiency of the identified key sector. We find that trade-embodied carbon emissions in the BRI steadily increased during 2015-2019. The manufacturing sector was identified as the key sector, exhibiting an overall efficiency of 0.6268 on average, with significant efficiency disparities. Moreover, we validate the positive role of efficiency enhancement in carbon emission mitigation, as well as the negative moderating effect of carbon inequality. Overall, this study provides optimal collaboration and initiatives to mitigate trade-embodied carbon emissions among BRI countries deeply.

Effects of human inequality and urbanization on ecological well-being performance: A System-GMM analysis

Enhancing the efficiency with which ecological consumption is transformed into human well-being is a necessary condition for achieving sustainable development. However, the current literature lacks systematic methods and applications for scientifically assessing Ecological Well-being Performance (EWP). How to value and index EWP is crucial to improve EWP. This study combines the Human Development Index (HDI), Life Satisfaction (LS), and Ecological Footprint (EF) to construct a new Index of Ecological Well-being Performance (IEWP). Meanwhile, human inequality and urbanization are two common and profound socio-economic phenomena with potential impacts on EWP. Therefore, this study uses panel data for 129 countries from 2010 to 2021 and applies the System-GMM approach to explore the impact of human inequality, urbanization, and the interaction between these two factors on EWP. Our results show that EWP has a cumulative effect in the long run. Human inequality has a negative effect on EWP, while the effect of urbanization is positive. Compared to developed countries, the negative impact of human inequality and the positive impact of urbanization are more pronounced in emerging and developing countries. This paper further reveals that the interaction term inhibits EWP, which indicates that urbanization exacerbates the negative effect of human inequality and that human inequality weakens the positive effect of urbanization. This paper contributes to understanding how human inequality and urbanization affect sustainable development from the perspective of EWP.

How do income inequality, poverty and industry 4.0 affect environmental pollution in South Asia: New insights from quantile regression

While many factors have been studied as potential causes of environmental degradation, the impact of poverty and inequality has been largely overlooked in the research. The Sustainable Development Goals are aligned with the intersection of poverty, inequality, and the environment. In addition, most previous research has used carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as a surrogate for pollution. These gaps are filled by this study, which uses ecological footprint (a comprehensive measure of pollution) and CO2 emissions to examine the effects of income disparity and poverty on environmental pollution in 13 nations. Dynamic panel Quantile regression methods are used in this study because of their resilience to various econometric problems that can crop up during the estimate process. The empirical results reveal that the whole panel's carbon emissions and ecological footprint rise when income disparity and poverty exist. When the panel is subdivided, however, we see that income inequality reduces carbon emissions and environmental footprint for the wealthy but has the opposite effect on the middle class. While high-income households see no impact from poverty on their carbon emissions, middle-income households see an increase in both. Overall, the results of this study suggest that income disparity and poverty are major factors in ecological degradation. Therefore, initiatives to reduce environmental degradation should pay sufficient attention to poverty and inequality to achieve ecological sustainability.

Can the digital economy empower urban energy resource transition? A natural gas perspective

The diffusion effect of the digital economy (DEN) has become increasingly prominent, but few scholars have investigated the energy transition effect of China's DEN. To this end, this study takes 207 cities in China as the research object to explore the potential role of DEN development in boosting energy resource transition (ERT). The endogeneity and asymmetry between variables are also analyzed. We find that (i) China's urban DEN and ERT show a synchronized fluctuating upward trend from 2006 to 2019; (ii) both DEN and ERT show significant positive nexus; put differently, the rapid evolution of DEN can significantly help enhance the strength of ERT; and (iii) substantial heterogeneity exists at different quantiles. In 10th and 90th quantiles, the impacts of DEN on ERT are insignificant, and both DEN and ERT exhibit significant positive linkage in 25th, 50th, and 75th quantiles. To this end, we put forward corresponding policy recommendations to boost ERT from the perspective of DEN.

Renewable energy, inequality and environmental degradation

The connection between income inequality and environmental degradation remains a topic of persistent debate, marked by inconsistencies in both theoretical and empirical studies. This study offers a novel contribution to this discourse by investigating the simultaneous influences of renewable energy and income inequality on environmental degradation. Utilizing data from 158 nations from 2000 to 2017, our research reveals a crucial moderating role of renewable energy in the nexus between income inequality and environmental degradation. The study's key finding is that the impact of income inequality on environmental degradation is contingent on the level of renewable energy development. In scenarios with limited renewable energy, income equality leads to increased environmental degradation. However, when renewable energy is more developed, income equality contributes to reducing environmental degradation. This novel insight suggests that renewable energy development can mitigate the trade-off between pursuing income equality and environmental sustainability, thereby enabling their simultaneous achievement. The research also highlights that a more equitable income distribution enhances the environmental benefits of renewable energy. Further analysis demonstrates the significant role played by household consumption behavior and social norms in shaping this phenomenon. By adding these new dimensions to the existing literature, the study significantly enriches the understanding of the complex interplay among economic factors, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability.

Impact of digitization on carbon productivity: an empirical analysis of 136 countries

Enhancing carbon productivity (CP) is key to achieving carbon reduction goals while maintaining economic growth. Digital technology plays a significant role in improving CP. Based on panel data from 136 countries worldwide from 2000 to 2020, this study empirically examines the impact of digitalization on CP and its mechanisms using fixed-effects and mediation models. The conclusions are as follows: (1) Overall, digitalization significantly enhances CP. (2) In terms of the mechanism, digitalization primarily improves CP through technological innovation and mitigating income inequality. (3) In terms of the quantile regression results, as the quantile level of CP increases, the promoting effect of digitalization on CP gradually strengthens. (4) From the perspective of heterogeneity among regions, income levels and human capital levels, digitalization has the greatest promotion effect on carbon productivity in European countries, high-income countries and high human capital countries. This study provides a reference for policymakers worldwide to use digital technology in achieving carbon emission reduction targets.

The effects of carbon inequality on economic growth: new evidence from MENA region

This study emphasizes the impact of carbon inequality on the economic growth of Middle East-North African (MENA) economies from 1995 to 2019. By employing the panel cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lags method (Chudik and Pesaran 2015), we explored the effect of the carbon footprint of top-income classes on economic performance in both the short and long term. The empirical results assume that carbon inequality indicators boost economic growth in the short and long run. In other words, economic growth may be slowed when carbon inequality is reduced. Our study has important implications for climate policy in the MENA region. In this context, relying on a carbon tax can increase business costs and reduce investment incentives leading to a decline in growth. Governments should adopt a more comprehensive approach incorporating other policy instruments such as nudging techniques, financial incentives, and public awareness campaigns. As a result, wealthy people will be encouraged to promote sustainable choices and behaviors that guarantee the progressive transition to low-carbon activities without hurting economic growth.

Does human capital matter for energy consumption in China? Evidence from 30 Chinese provinces

The impact of human capital on energy consumption is an important economic and environmental issue, especially in a country like China with a strong energy demand and continuously improving education levels. This study uses panel data from 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2020 to explore the impact of human capital on energy consumption. Empirical research shows that human capital can not only reduce local energy consumption but also reduce energy consumption in surrounding areas, through structural, technological, and knowledge spillover effects. The impact of human capital on energy consumption exhibits a U-shaped curve, decreasing first and then increasing, when economic growth reaches a threshold level. As industrial structure and urbanization develop, the impact of human capital on energy consumption increases. This study inform policy by demonstrating the energy conservation and emission reduction effects of human capital and provide insights for investors and policymakers.

Digitalization, income inequality, and public health: Evidence from developing countries

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the awareness and demand of public health worldwide. Based on the panel data of 81 developing countries from 2002 to 2019, this study probes into the effect of digitalization on public health and explores the mechanism through which digitalization affects public health from the perspective of income inequality. The results show that digitalization significantly enhances public health in developing countries, and this conclusion still holds after the robustness test. The heterogeneity analysis based on geographic location and income level indicates that the enhancing effect of digitalization on public health is most evident in Africa and middle-income countries. A further mechanism analysis suggests that digitalization can positively impact public health through the intermediary channel of suppressing income inequality. This study enriches the research on digitalization and public health and provides insights for comprehending public health needs and the powerful empowering effects of digitalization.

Can artificial intelligence achieve carbon neutrality? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment

Introduction

As the global climate crisis worsens, carbon neutrality has attracted the attention of various nations.

Methods

Based on panel data from 282 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2008 to 2019, this research considers the execution of the artificial intelligence strategy as a quasi-natural experiment. It uses the difference-in-differences (DID) model to evaluate the effect of artificial intelligence construction on carbon emission reduction.

Results

The findings indicate that implementing the artificial intelligence strategy into practice can lower carbon emissions and advance carbon neutrality, and this conclusion still passes after various robustness tests. The mediating effects reveal that developing green technologies and upgrading the industrial structure are crucial mechanisms for achieving carbon neutrality. The implementation effect varies with time, geographical location, natural resource endowment, and city level.

Discussion

This article examines the influence of artificial intelligence on urban carbon neutrality at the city level, adding to the notion of urban carbon neutrality and providing research support for urban development transformation.

Research on the Effect of Digital Economy on Carbon Emissions under the Background of "Double Carbon"

(1) Background: In light of the global economy's digitalization and the "double carbon" target constraint, the digital economy is essential to fostering scientific and technological innovation, green growth, and lowering energy emissions. (2) Methods: This paper measures the digital economic index and carbon emission intensity and analyzes their characteristics in spatial and temporal dimensions using 282 Chinese urban panel data by improving various statistical methods of panel data, such as the entropy method, fixed effect model, multi-period DID model, moderating effect model and intermediary effect model. This paper examines the extent and mechanism of the digital economy's impact on urban carbon emissions. (3) Results: During the sample period, the overall trend of the digital economy in China was one of constant growth, showing an unbalanced distribution pattern of "high in the eastern regions, lower in the central regions and lowest in the western regions" in the spatial dimension. Carbon emissions can be significantly decreased by the digital economy, which has a dynamic effect and an inverted U-shaped trend in its influence. The digital economy plays a significant role in reducing carbon emissions through the rational layout of industrial structures. The transmission mechanisms for the digital economy's goal of reducing carbon emissions include environmental regulation and green technology innovation. (4) Conclusion: The research findings provide a reference for multiple decision makers to better formulate carbon emission policies and realize carbon emission decrease in the digital economy.