Can Digital Economy Promote Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction in Heavily Polluting Enterprises? Empirical Evidence from China

Rongwu Zhang, Wenqiang Fu () and Yingxu Kuang
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Rongwu Zhang: School of Management, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Wenqiang Fu: School of Management, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Yingxu Kuang: College of Business, University of Houston-Victoria, Victoria, TX 77901, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 16, 1-21

Abstract: This paper examines the impact of digital economy on corporate energy conservation and emission reduction (CECER) using China’s A-share listed heavily polluting enterprises from 2012 to 2019 as a sample. Our results show that: (1) Digital economy can significantly increase CECER, and this effect is significant for mining and manufacturing enterprises, and less significant for power, heat production and supply enterprises; (2) Mechanism research shows that digital economy promotes CECER through enhancing the green technology innovation capability, easing the financing constraints, and boosting market competition; (3) Heterogeneity research indicates that the promotion of digital economy to CECER is more significant in economically developed regions and regions with less financial pressure from local governments. This paper clarifies the factors influencing CECER and provides empirical evidence for achieving digital economy development and government goals for CECER.

Keywords: digital economy; corporate energy conservation and emission reduction; heavily polluting enterprises; green innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (15)

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