Digital Economy and Environmental Sustainability: Analysis of Cross-Country Coordination

Ling Gao () and Hui Wen
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Ling Gao: School of Economics and Management, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030031, China
Hui Wen: School of Economics and Management, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030031, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 5, 1-32

Abstract: This paper calculates the level of digital economy development and the degree of economic and ecological integration in 100 countries from 2009 to 2022 using the entropy weight method and equal weight method. It empirically tests the impact, influencing mechanisms, and spatial effects of the digital economy on the integration of economy and ecology. Furthermore, it analyzes the coordination degree of the digital economy and economic–ecological integration across different continents using coupling coordination analysis. The research results are as follows: First, the digital economy has promoted the integrated development of economy and ecology in various countries, with a more significant effect in high-income and upper-middle-income countries. Countries with higher levels of digital economy development show a more pronounced promoting effect. Second, the digital economy can reduce energy consumption, promote the efficient utilization of clean energy, lower carbon emissions, and thus facilitate the integrated development of economy and ecology through industrial structure optimization and driving technological innovation. Third, a country’s digital economy has a positive spillover effect on the economic and ecological integration development of its neighboring countries. The coupling coordination analysis reveals that Europe has the highest coupling coordination degree of the digital economy and economic–ecological integration, with significant spatial autocorrelation. This is followed by the Americas, Asia, and Africa. Therefore, countries should actively promote digital economy development, strengthen digital economic cooperation, jointly address international environmental and climate issues, and promote the integration of economy and ecology.

Keywords: digital economy; economic–ecological integration development; spatial effects; coupling coordination (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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