IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reveco/v86y2023icp604-615.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Blockchain: A carbon-neutral facilitator or an environmental destroyer?

Author

Listed:
  • Qin, Meng
  • Su, Chi-Wei
  • Lobonţ, Oana-Ramona
  • Umar, Muhammad

Abstract

Analysing the effect of digital technology on carbon emissions is crucial for China to achieve carbon neutrality. This exploration utilises the bootstrap full- and sub-sample techniques to investigate the connection between the blockchain market and carbon neutrality, which further evidences whether blockchain is a carbon-neutral facilitator or an environmental destroyer. The conclusions present that the blockchain index (BCI) exerts positive and negative influences on the carbon neutral index (CNI), which is following the STIRPAT model. The positive effects suggest that the rapid progress of blockchain technology accelerates the process of carbon neutrality and vice versa, underlining that blockchain is a carbon-neutral facilitator in China. But this view could not be supported by the negative impacts, primarily due to the public health event and national carbon policy helping to raise CNI even during the periods with low BCI. Conversely, CNI has a positive effect on BCI, revealing that achieving carbon neutrality in China requires the support of blockchain technology, which in turn promotes the development of the blockchain market. Under the new round of scientific and technological revolution, practical implications for China can be put forward to achieve carbon neutrality based on the above conclusions.

Suggested Citation

  • Qin, Meng & Su, Chi-Wei & Lobonţ, Oana-Ramona & Umar, Muhammad, 2023. "Blockchain: A carbon-neutral facilitator or an environmental destroyer?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 604-615.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:86:y:2023:i:c:p:604-615
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2023.04.004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105905602300120X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iref.2023.04.004?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Weiwei & Gao, Pengpeng & Wang, Jiahaoran, 2023. "Nexus among digital inclusive finance and carbon neutrality: Evidence from company-level panel data analysis," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    2. Pan, Lei & Mishra, Vinod, 2018. "Stock market development and economic growth: Empirical evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 661-673.
    3. Su, Chi-Wei & Pang, Lidong & Umar, Muhammad & Lobonţ, Oana-Ramona & Moldovan, Nicoleta-Claudia, 2022. "Does gold's hedging uncertainty aura fade away?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Su, Chi-Wei & Qin, Meng & Tao, Ran & Umar, Muhammad, 2020. "Financial implications of fourth industrial revolution: Can bitcoin improve prospects of energy investment?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    5. Su, Chi-Wei & Pang, Li-Dong & Tao, Ran & Shao, Xuefeng & Umar, Muhammad, 2022. "Renewable energy and technological innovation: Which one is the winner in promoting net-zero emissions?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    6. Pesaran, M. Hashem & Timmermann, Allan, 2005. "Small sample properties of forecasts from autoregressive models under structural breaks," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 129(1-2), pages 183-217.
    7. Sarkodie, Samuel Asumadu & Ahmed, Maruf Yakubu & Leirvik, Thomas, 2022. "Trade volume affects bitcoin energy consumption and carbon footprint," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    8. Andrews, Donald W K & Ploberger, Werner, 1994. "Optimal Tests When a Nuisance Parameter Is Present Only under the Alternative," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 62(6), pages 1383-1414, November.
    9. Zeng, Qing & Ma, Feng & Lu, Xinjie & Xu, Weiju, 2022. "Policy uncertainty and carbon neutrality: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PB).
    10. Qin, Meng & Su, Chi-Wei & Pirtea, Marilen Gabriel & Dumitrescu Peculea, Adelina, 2023. "The essential role of Russian geopolitics: A fresh perception into the gold market," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    11. Qin, Meng & Su, Chi-Wei & Tao, Ran, 2021. "BitCoin: A new basket for eggs?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 896-907.
    12. Hua, Weiqi & Jiang, Jing & Sun, Hongjian & Wu, Jianzhong, 2020. "A blockchain based peer-to-peer trading framework integrating energy and carbon markets," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 279(C).
    13. Hamed Amini & Maxim Bichuch & Zachary Feinstein, 2021. "Decentralized Payment Clearing using Blockchain and Optimal Bidding," Papers 2109.00446, arXiv.org, revised Jan 2022.
    14. Qin, Meng & Zhang, Xiaojing & Li, Yameng & Badarcea, Roxana Maria, 2023. "Blockchain market and green finance: The enablers of carbon neutrality in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    15. Anwer, Zaheer & Farid, Saqib & Khan, Ashraf & Benlagha, Noureddine, 2023. "Cryptocurrencies versus environmentally sustainable assets: Does a perfect hedge exist?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 418-431.
    16. Son, Bumho & Jang, Huisu, 2023. "Economics of blockchain-based securities settlement," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    17. Zhou, Haonan & Lu, Xinjie, 2023. "Investor attention on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and stock market volatility: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    18. Sims, Christopher A, 1980. "Macroeconomics and Reality," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(1), pages 1-48, January.
    19. Baur, Dirk G. & Oll, Josua, 2022. "Bitcoin investments and climate change: A financial and carbon intensity perspective," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 47(PA).
    20. Hansen, Bruce E, 2002. "Tests for Parameter Instability in Regressions with I(1) Processes," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, American Statistical Association, vol. 20(1), pages 45-59, January.
    21. Andrews, Donald W K, 1993. "Tests for Parameter Instability and Structural Change with Unknown Change Point," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 61(4), pages 821-856, July.
    22. Ma, Qiang & Tariq, Muhammad & Mahmood, Haider & Khan, Zeeshan, 2022. "The nexus between digital economy and carbon dioxide emissions in China: The moderating role of investments in research and development," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    23. Qin, Meng & Su, Chi-Wei & Umar, Muhammad & Lobonţ, Oana-Ramona & Manta, Alina Georgiana, 2023. "Are climate and geopolitics the challenges to sustainable development? Novel evidence from the global supply chain," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 748-763.
    24. Sadawi, Alia Al & Madani, Batool & Saboor, Sara & Ndiaye, Malick & Abu-Lebdeh, Ghassan, 2021. "A comprehensive hierarchical blockchain system for carbon emission trading utilizing blockchain of things and smart contract," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    25. Vuong, Giang Thi Huong & Nguyen, Manh Huu & Huynh, Anh Ngoc Quang, 2022. "Volatility spillovers from the Chinese stock market to the U.S. stock market: The role of the COVID-19 pandemic," The Journal of Economic Asymmetries, Elsevier, vol. 26(C).
    26. Lee, Chi-Chuan & Zhang, Jian & Hou, Shanshuai, 2023. "The impact of regional renewable energy development on environmental sustainability in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    27. Balcilar, Mehmet & Ozdemir, Zeynel Abidin & Arslanturk, Yalcin, 2010. "Economic growth and energy consumption causal nexus viewed through a bootstrap rolling window," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(6), pages 1398-1410, November.
    28. Yang, Lu & Hamori, Shigeyuki, 2021. "The role of the carbon market in relation to the cryptocurrency market: Only diversification or more?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    29. Kai-Hua Wang & Jia-Min Kan & Cui-Feng Jiang & Chi-Wei Su, 2022. "Is Geopolitical Risk Powerful Enough to Affect Carbon Dioxide Emissions? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-16, June.
    30. Ghazi Shukur & Panagiotis Mantalos, 2000. "A simple investigation of the Granger-causality test in integrated-cointegrated VAR systems," Journal of Applied Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(8), pages 1021-1031.
    31. Li, Qingying & Ma, Manqiong & Shi, Tianqin & Zhu, Chen, 2022. "Green investment in a sustainable supply chain: The role of blockchain and fairness," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    32. Naeem, Muhammad Abubakr & Karim, Sitara, 2021. "Tail dependence between bitcoin and green financial assets," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    33. Meng Qin & Tong Wu & Ran Tao & Chi-Wei Su & Stefea Petru, 2022. "The inevitable role of bilateral relation: a fresh insight into the bitcoin market," Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 35(1), pages 4260-4279, December.
    34. Lee, Chi-Chuan & Tang, Huayun & Li, Ding, 2022. "The roles of oil shocks and geopolitical uncertainties on China’s green bond returns," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 494-505.
    35. Ren, Yi-Shuai & Ma, Chao-Qun & Chen, Xun-Qi & Lei, Yu-Tian & Wang, Yi-Ran, 2023. "Sustainable finance and blockchain: A systematic review and research agenda," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    36. Mehmet Balcilar & Zeynel Ozdemir, 2013. "The export-output growth nexus in Japan: a bootstrap rolling window approach," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 44(2), pages 639-660, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Qin, Meng & Su, Yun Hsuan & Zhao, Zhengtang & Mirza, Nawazish, 2023. "The politics of climate: Does factionalism impede U.S. carbon neutrality?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 954-966.
    2. Su, Chi Wei & Shao, Xuefeng & Jia, Zhijie & Nepal, Rabindra & Umar, Muhammad & Qin, Meng, 2023. "The rise of green energy metal: Could lithium threaten the status of oil?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    3. Zhao, Qian & Ding, Longfei & Pirtea, Marilen Gabriel & Vǎtavu, Sorana, 2023. "Does technological innovation bring better air quality?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 978-990.
    4. Sun, Yanpeng & Song, Yuru & Long, Chi & Qin, Meng & Lobonţ, Oana-Ramona, 2023. "How to improve global environmental governance? Lessons learned from climate risk and climate policy uncertainty," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1666-1676.
    5. Wang, Xinghua & Lee, Zhengzheng & Wu, Shuang & Qin, Meng, 2023. "Exploring the vital role of geopolitics in the oil market: The case of Russia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PB).
    6. Qin, Meng & Hu, Wei & Qi, Xinzhou & Chang, Tsangyao, 2024. "Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages? Exploring the role of artificial intelligence in renewable energy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    7. Kong, Fanna & Gao, Zhuoqiong & Oprean-Stan, Camelia, 2023. "Green bond in China: An effective hedge against global supply chain pressure?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    8. Li, Zheng Zheng & Su, Chi-Wei & Moldovan, Nicoleta-Claudia & Umar, Muhammad, 2023. "Energy consumption within policy uncertainty: Considering the climate and economic factors," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 567-576.
    9. Qin, Meng & Su, Chi-Wei & Pirtea, Marilen Gabriel & Dumitrescu Peculea, Adelina, 2023. "The essential role of Russian geopolitics: A fresh perception into the gold market," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    10. Wang, Kai-Hua & Wen, Cui-Ping & Liu, Hong-Wen & Liu, Lu, 2023. "Promotion or hindrance? Exploring the bidirectional causality between geopolitical risk and green bonds from an energy perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PB).
    11. Qin, Meng & Zhang, Xiaojing & Li, Yameng & Badarcea, Roxana Maria, 2023. "Blockchain market and green finance: The enablers of carbon neutrality in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(C).
    12. Su, Chi-Wei & Wang, Dan & Mirza, Nawazish & Zhong, Yifan & Umar, Muhammad, 2023. "The impact of consumer confidence on oil prices," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    13. Zhang, Xiaojing & Chang, Hsu-Ling & Su, Chi-Wei & Qin, Meng & Umar, Muhammad, 2024. "Exploring the dynamic interaction between geopolitical risks and lithium prices: A time-varying analysis," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    14. Qin, Meng & Zhu, Yujie & Xie, Xin & Shao, Xuefeng & Lobonţ, Oana-Ramona, 2024. "The impact of climate risk on technological progress under the fourth industrial era," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    15. Qin, Meng & Su, Chi-Wei & Tao, Ran, 2021. "BitCoin: A new basket for eggs?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 896-907.
    16. Su, Chi-Wei & Wang, Xiao-Qing & Tao, Ran & Chang, Hsu-Ling, 2019. "Does money supply drive housing prices in China?," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 85-94.
    17. Chi-Wei Su & Jiao-Jiao Fan & Hsu-Ling Chang & Xiao-Lin Li, 2016. "Is there Causal Relationship between Money Supply Growth and Inflation in China? Evidence from Quantity Theory of Money," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(3), pages 702-719, August.
    18. Kai-Hua Wang & Jia-Min Kan & Cui-Feng Jiang & Chi-Wei Su, 2022. "Is Geopolitical Risk Powerful Enough to Affect Carbon Dioxide Emissions? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-16, June.
    19. Xiao-lin Li & Mehmet Balcilar & Rangan Gupta & Tsangyao Chang, 2016. "The Causal Relationship Between Economic Policy Uncertainty and Stock Returns in China and India: Evidence from a Bootstrap Rolling Window Approach," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 52(3), pages 674-689, March.
    20. Su, Chi-Wei & Qin, Meng & Tao, Ran & Umar, Muhammad, 2020. "Financial implications of fourth industrial revolution: Can bitcoin improve prospects of energy investment?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Blockchain; Carbon neutrality; Causal relation; Dynamic;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q54 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Climate; Natural Disasters and their Management; Global Warming
    • Q55 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environmental Economics: Technological Innovation
    • C32 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes; State Space Models

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:86:y:2023:i:c:p:604-615. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620165 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.