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Does Internet Development Put Pressure on Energy-Saving Potential for Environmental Sustainability? Evidence from China

Author

Listed:
  • Siyu Ren

    (School of Economics, Nankai University, Tianjin, China)

  • Zhiyuan Liu

    (Carey Business School, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, USA)

  • Rinat Z hanbayev

    (Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Cyprus International University, Mersin, Turkey)

  • Mingyue Du

    (School of Economics, Beijing Technology and Business University, Beijing, China)

Abstract

With the development of information technology and its application in environmental governance, the role of the internet in improving energy efficiency and reducing energy-saving potential (ESP) has attracted more attention. In this study, the slack-based model (SBM) and the unexpected model, along with the entropy method, were applied to measure China's energy-saving potential and internet development. Further, we empirically analyzed the direct effect, mediating effect, threshold effect, and regional heterogeneity of the internet on ESP. Our conclusion shows that there is a significant spatial correlation between internet penetration and ESP. Internet penetration has become an important tool for reducing ESP, but this effect shows regional heterogeneity. Human capital accumulation, financial development, and industrial upgrading are important influencing mechanisms, but indirect effects are weaker than direct effects. The impact of internet penetration on ESP is non-linear, and for improving human capital accumulation, financial development, and industrial upgrading, the role of internet popularization in energy conservation is more obvious.

Suggested Citation

  • Siyu Ren & Zhiyuan Liu & Rinat Z hanbayev & Mingyue Du, 2022. "Does Internet Development Put Pressure on Energy-Saving Potential for Environmental Sustainability? Evidence from China," Journal of Economic Analysis, Anser Press, vol. 1(1), pages 49-65, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:bba:j00001:v:1:y:2022:i:1:p:49-65:d:12
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Price, Lynn & Wang, Xuejun & Yun, Jiang, 2010. "The challenge of reducing energy consumption of the Top-1000 largest industrial enterprises in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(11), pages 6485-6498, November.
    2. Siyu Ren & Yu Hao & Haitao Wu, 2022. "How Does Green Investment Affect Environmental Pollution? Evidence from China," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 81(1), pages 25-51, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Juan Tan & Jinyu Wei, 2024. "Balancing Growth and Sustainability: a Regional Analysis of Industrial Carbon Efficiency in China," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(3), pages 13946-13978, September.
    2. Yu Bai & Afnan Hassan & Xing Niu & Abdelmohsen A. Nassani, 2025. "How Renewable Energy, Environmental Policy Stringency, Trade Diversification Index, Impact Environmental Sustainability in G‐7 Nations," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 49(1), pages 911-925, February.
    3. Xiaowei Song & Muhammad Irfan & Ibrahim Alnafrah & Yu Hao, 2024. "Economic policy uncertainty and carbon neutrality in China: Do sustainable energy and eco‐innovation make a difference?," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 4057-4070, August.
    4. Zhang, Zhenya & Chang, Zheren & Gan, Yufei & Li, Jiayan, 2025. "Renewable energy, innovation, and stock markets: Machine learning perspectives on environmental sustainability," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).

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