IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i16p12623-d1221413.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Impact of Digital Inclusive Finance on Urban Carbon Emission Intensity: From the Perspective of Green and Low-Carbon Travel and Clean Energy

Author

Listed:
  • Zhi Su

    (School of Statistics and Mathematics, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing 100081, China)

  • Ruijie Cao

    (School of Statistics and Mathematics, Central University of Finance and Economics, Beijing 100081, China)

Abstract

This paper uses the non-balanced panel data of 285 prefecture-level cities in China from 2011 to 2017 and the Peking University Digital Inclusive Finance Index to examine the impact of the development of digital inclusive finance on urban carbon emission intensity. The results show that the development of digital inclusive finance has a significantly negative impact on urban carbon emission intensity. By using the spherical distance between various cities and Hangzhou as an instrumental variable to deal with the potential endogeneity problem, the results still hold. Mechanism analysis shows that digital inclusive finance can reduce urban carbon emission intensity by promoting green and low-carbon travel modes of public transport and the use of clean energy. Compared with other regions, the effect of digital inclusive finance in reducing urban carbon emission intensity is more significant in the western region and in cities with low economic development. Against the background of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals, we find that accelerating the development of digital inclusive finance can effectively promote the green and low-carbon transition of cities.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhi Su & Ruijie Cao, 2023. "Impact of Digital Inclusive Finance on Urban Carbon Emission Intensity: From the Perspective of Green and Low-Carbon Travel and Clean Energy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-16, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:16:p:12623-:d:1221413
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12623/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12623/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yin, Zhichao & Gong, Xue & Guo, Peiyao & Wu, Tao, 2019. "What Drives Entrepreneurship in Digital Economy? Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 66-73.
    2. Raghuram G. Rajan & Luigi Zingales, 1998. "Power in a Theory of the Firm," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(2), pages 387-432.
    3. Greenwood, Jeremy & Jovanovic, Boyan, 1990. "Financial Development, Growth, and the Distribution of Income," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(5), pages 1076-1107, October.
    4. Ross Levine & Norman Loayza & Thorsten Beck, 2002. "Financial Intermediation and Growth: Causality and Causes," Central Banking, Analysis, and Economic Policies Book Series, in: Leonardo Hernández & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel & Norman Loayza (Series Editor) & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel (Se (ed.),Banking, Financial Integration, and International Crises, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 2, pages 031-084, Central Bank of Chile.
    5. Robert G. King & Ross Levine, 1993. "Finance and Growth: Schumpeter Might Be Right," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 108(3), pages 717-737.
    6. El-Morsi, Mohamed, 2015. "Energy and exergy analysis of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) as a drop in replacement for R134a in domestic refrigerators," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 344-353.
    7. Jingrong Li & Bowen Li, 2022. "Digital inclusive finance and urban innovation: Evidence from China," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(2), pages 1010-1034, May.
    8. Qin-Lei Jing & Han-Zhen Liu & Wei-Qing Yu & Xu He, 2022. "The Impact of Public Transportation on Carbon Emissions—From the Perspective of Energy Consumption," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-18, May.
    9. Sun, Yang & Tang, Xinwei, 2022. "The impact of digital inclusive finance on sustainable economic growth in China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    10. Li, Jie & Wu, Yu & Xiao, Jing Jian, 2020. "The impact of digital finance on household consumption: Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 317-326.
    11. Raslavičius, Laurencas & Keršys, Artūras & Mockus, Saulius & Keršienė, Neringa & Starevičius, Martynas, 2014. "Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) as a medium-term option in the transition to sustainable fuels and transport," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 513-525.
    12. Anna Irimiás & Ariel Mitev, 2020. "Change Management, Digital Maturity, and Green Development: Are Successful Firms Leveraging on Sustainability?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-13, May.
    13. Mahmood Ahmad & Abdul Majeed & Muhammad Asif Khan & Muhammad Sohaib & Khurram Shehzad, 2021. "Digital financial inclusion and economic growth: provincial data analysis of China," China Economic Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 291-310, September.
    14. Long Xue & Xuemang Zhang, 2022. "Can Digital Financial Inclusion Promote Green Innovation in Heavily Polluting Companies?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-14, June.
    15. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Wang, Fuhao, 2022. "How does digital inclusive finance affect carbon intensity?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 174-190.
    16. Xiuxiu Jiang & Xia Wang & Jia Ren & Zhimin Xie, 2021. "The Nexus between Digital Finance and Economic Development: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-17, June.
    17. Brakewood, Candace & Ziedan, Abubakr & Hendricks, Sara J. & Barbeau, Sean J. & Joslin, Ann, 2020. "An evaluation of the benefits of mobile fare payment technology from the user and operator perspectives," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 54-66.
    18. Acheampong, Alex O. & Amponsah, Mary & Boateng, Elliot, 2020. "Does financial development mitigate carbon emissions? Evidence from heterogeneous financial economies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    19. Rijia Ding & Fenfen Shi & Suli Hao, 2022. "Digital Inclusive Finance, Environmental Regulation, and Regional Economic Growth: An Empirical Study Based on Spatial Spillover Effect and Panel Threshold Effect," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-25, April.
    20. Fan, Ying & Liu, Lan-Cui & Wu, Gang & Tsai, Hsien-Tang & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2007. "Changes in carbon intensity in China: Empirical findings from 1980-2003," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(3-4), pages 683-691, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chen, Yan & Zhang, Ruiqian & Lyu, Jiayi & Ma, Xin, 2024. "The butterfly effect of cloud computing on the low-carbon economy," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 204(C).
    2. Qi He & Hongli Jiang, 2024. "Digital Inclusive Finance, Digital Technology Innovation, and Carbon Emission Intensity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-26, July.
    3. Linlin Wang & Zixin Zhou & Yi Chen & Liangen Zeng & Linlin Dai, 2024. "How Does Digital Inclusive Finance Policy Affect the Carbon Emission Intensity of Industrial Land in the Yangtze River Economic Belt of China? Evidence from Intermediary and Threshold Effects," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-17, July.

    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. Boou Chen & Chunkai Zhao, 2021. "Poverty reduction in rural China: Does the digital finance matter?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(12), pages 1-27, December.
    2. Shen, Hongshan & Qin, Mengyao & Li, Tianyi & Zhang, Xuan & Zhao, Yang, 2024. "Digital finance and industrial structure upgrading: Evidence from Chinese counties," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 95(PB).
    3. Yangjie Liao & Xiaokun Zhou, 2023. "Can Digital Finance Contribute to Agricultural Carbon Reduction? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Haiyang Qiu & Xin Li & Long Zhang, 2023. "Influential Effect and Mechanism of Digital Finance on Urban Land Use Efficiency in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-21, October.
    5. Sun, Yanan & You, Xiaotong, 2023. "Do digital inclusive finance, innovation, and entrepreneurship activities stimulate vitality of the urban economy? Empirical evidence from the Yangtze River Delta, China," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    6. Dongjing Chen & Xiaotong Guo, 2023. "Impact of the Digital Economy and Financial Development on Residents’ Consumption Upgrading: Evidence from Mainland China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(10), pages 1-25, May.
    7. Bangake, Chrysost & Eggoh, Jude C., 2011. "Further evidence on finance-growth causality: A panel data analysis," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 176-188, June.
    8. Kristina Spantig, 2015. "The role of the financial sector in enhancing economic growth in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic," Asia-Pacific Development Journal, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), vol. 22(1), pages 67-98, June.
    9. Rosen Azad Chowdhury & Dilshad Jahan & Tapas Mishra & Mamata Parhi, 2023. "A Quality Dimension? A Re-appraisal of Financial Development and Economic Growth Nexus in a Quality-Quantity Setting," Working Papers 2023-02, Swansea University, School of Management.
    10. Diego Comin & Ramana Nanda, 2019. "Financial Development and Technology Diffusion," IMF Economic Review, Palgrave Macmillan;International Monetary Fund, vol. 67(2), pages 395-419, June.
    11. Wang, Wei & Yang, Haoxi & Wang, Xi, 2023. "Financial development and wage income: Evidence from the global football market," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    12. Skare, Marinko & Gavurova, Beata & Sinkovic, Dean, 2023. "Regional aspects of financial development and renewable energy: A cross-sectional study in 214 countries," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 1142-1157.
    13. Matthias Hartmann & Helmut Herwartz & Yabibal M. Walle, 2012. "Where enterprise leads, finance follows. In-sample and out-of-sample evidence on the causal relation between finance and growth," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 32(1), pages 871-882.
    14. Hondroyiannis, George & Lolos, Sarantis & Papapetrou, Evangelia, 2005. "Financial markets and economic growth in Greece, 1986-1999," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 173-188, April.
    15. J. François Outreville, 2013. "The Relationship Between Insurance and Economic Development: 85 Empirical Papers for a Review of the Literature," Risk Management and Insurance Review, American Risk and Insurance Association, vol. 16(1), pages 71-122, March.
    16. Xiaoqiang Cheng & Hans Degryse, 2010. "The Impact of Bank and Non-Bank Financial Institutions on Local Economic Growth in China," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 37(2), pages 179-199, June.
    17. Yongfu Huang, 2011. "Private investment and financial development in a globalized world," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 43-56, August.
    18. W.N.W Azman‐Saini & Peter Smith, 2011. "Finance And Growth: New Evidence On The Role Of Insurance," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 79(2), pages 111-127, June.
    19. Sylviane Guillaumont Jeanneney & Kangni Kpodar, 2006. "Développement financier, instabilité financière et croissance économique," Economie & Prévision, La Documentation Française, vol. 0(3), pages 87-111.
    20. Beck, Thorsten & Levine, Ross & Loayza, Norman, 2000. "Finance and the sources of growth," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(1-2), pages 261-300.

    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:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:16:p:12623-:d:1221413. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.