Enhancing Urban Sustainability Through E-Commerce Transformation: Insights on Energy Conservation and Emission Reduction

Yan Zhang, Kan Lu () and Hong Chen
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Yan Zhang: Xinyang Agriculture and Forestry University
Kan Lu: Jingzhou University
Hong Chen: University of Science and Technology of China

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2025, vol. 16, issue 1, No 145, 4146-4160

Abstract: Abstract Amid escalating global concerns over environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality, the role of technological innovation, particularly e-commerce transformation, in fostering energy conservation and emission reduction within urban landscapes has garnered substantial attention. This study leverages a quasi-natural experiment involving the establishment of national e-commerce demonstration cities to explore the implications of urban e-commerce transformation for energy saving and emission curtailment. Utilizing a multi-temporal double-difference (DID) method, our findings elucidate a significant negative correlation between e-commerce transformation and carbon emission intensity, with emission reductions manifesting from the second year of policy implementation onward. The research highlights the differential impacts of e-commerce transformation across various city types, with pronounced benefits observed in provincial capitals, non-resource-dependent cities, and those with higher levels of digital economic development and innovation capacity. Mechanistic analysis reveals that the primary channel through which e-commerce transformation facilitates emission reduction is through a decrease in energy intensity, serving as a critical mediator in the process. This study contributes to the discourse on the knowledge economy by underscoring the potential of digital innovation and e-commerce as pivotal drivers of environmental sustainability and economic transformation. It calls for policies that further harness the power of digital transformation to achieve broader societal goals of energy conservation and emission reduction, thereby advancing the knowledge economy towards sustainable development.

Keywords: E-commerce transformation; Urban sustainability; Energy conservation; Emission reduction; Digital economy; Environmental policy; Quasi-natural experiment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s13132-024-02163-w

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