IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v322y2025ics036054422501240x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Path to environmental justice: How does the digital economy narrow environmental inequality?

Author

Listed:
  • Yang, Senmiao
  • He, Xiaohui
  • Jiang, Qingzhe
  • Wang, Jianda

Abstract

Environmental equity plays a crucial role in promoting social equity and actualizing sustainable development; it also prescribes an avenue to achieve environmental justice. Based on county-level PM2.5 grid data and provincial panel data in China from 2006 to 2019, this paper empirically explores the digital economy-environmental inequality nexus, further analyzing the internal mechanism and asymmetry. Findings postulate that: (1) the digital economy (DE) can mitigate environmental inequality in China; (2) the DE indirectly affects environmental inequality by promoting technological innovation, enhancing infrastructure construction, and strengthening environmental regulation; and (3) the negative impact of the DE appears more prominently in areas in northern China, areas with high levels of environmental inequality, and areas with low economic development. We also conclude with policy recommendations to support China in achieving environmental justice.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang, Senmiao & He, Xiaohui & Jiang, Qingzhe & Wang, Jianda, 2025. "Path to environmental justice: How does the digital economy narrow environmental inequality?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 322(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:322:y:2025:i:c:s036054422501240x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.135598
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S036054422501240X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2025.135598?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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yu, Binbin, 2022. "The Impact of the Internet on Industrial Green Productivity: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    2. You, Wanhai & Lv, Zhike, 2018. "Spillover effects of economic globalization on CO2 emissions: A spatial panel approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 248-257.
    3. Zihanxin Li & Nuoyan Li & Huwei Wen, 2021. "Digital Economy and Environmental Quality: Evidence from 217 Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-20, July.
    4. Boyce, James K. & Zwickl, Klara & Ash, Michael, 2016. "Measuring environmental inequality," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 114-123.
    5. Michael Ash & James K. Boyce & Grace Chang & Helen Scharber, 2013. "Is Environmental Justice Good for White Folks? Industrial Air Toxics Exposure in Urban America," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 94(3), pages 616-636, September.
    6. Amavilah, Voxi & Asongu, Simplice A. & Andrés, Antonio R., 2017. "Effects of globalization on peace and stability: Implications for governance and the knowledge economy of African countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 91-103.
    7. Thomas Wiedmann & Manfred Lenzen & Lorenz T. Keyßer & Julia K. Steinberger, 2020. "Scientists’ warning on affluence," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-10, December.
    8. Pan, Wenrong & Xie, Tao & Wang, Zhuwang & Ma, Lisha, 2022. "Digital economy: An innovation driver for total factor productivity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 303-311.
    9. Senmiao Yang & Dongyang Li & Jianda Wang, 2024. "Is information policy conducive to carbon emission efficiency? A quasi-natural experiment approach," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(57), pages 7653-7668, December.
    10. Zhang, Yimeng & Wang, Feng & Zhang, Bing, 2023. "The impacts of household structure transitions on household carbon emissions in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    11. Wang, Jianda & Lyu, Weijian & Chen, Xi & Yang, Senmiao & Dong, Xiucheng, 2024. "Navigating total-factor carbon emission efficiency in the digital era: A case study from industry structure, environmental regulations, and trade spillover," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 260-277.
    12. Alastair Iles, 2004. "Mapping Environmental Justice in Technology Flows: Computer Waste Impacts in Asia," Global Environmental Politics, MIT Press, vol. 4(4), pages 76-107, November.
    13. Yu, Hongyang & Wang, Jinchao & Xu, Jiajun, 2023. "Assessing the role of digital economy agglomeration in energy conservation and emission reduction: Evidence from China," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    14. Qi He & Ran Wang & Han Ji & Gaoyang Wei & Jincheng Wang & Jingwen Liu, 2019. "Theoretical Model of Environmental Justice and Environmental Inequality in China’s Four Major Economic Zones," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-19, October.
    15. Senmiao Yang & Jianda Wang & Kangyin Dong & Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary, 2023. "How Justice Is Our Energy Future? Assessing the Impact of Green Finance on Energy Justice in China," Annals of Financial Economics (AFE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 18(04), pages 1-29, December.
    16. Yu, Binbin, 2021. "Ecological effects of new-type urbanization in China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    17. Xuan Yang & Yue Wang & Di Chen & Xue Tan & Xue Tian & Lei Shi, 2021. "Does the “Blue Sky Defense War Policy” Paint the Sky Blue?—A Case Study of Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei Region, China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-25, November.
    18. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Zhao, Jun, 2022. "The impact of digital economy on energy transition across the globe: The mediating role of government governance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    19. Zhao, Congyu & Dong, Kangyin & Wang, Kun & Dong, Xiucheng, 2022. "How does energy trilemma eradication reduce carbon emissions? The role of dual environmental regulation for China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    20. Graham, Bryan S. & Hahn, Jinyong & Poirier, Alexandre & Powell, James L., 2018. "A quantile correlated random coefficients panel data model," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 206(2), pages 305-335.
    21. Matthew J. Baker, 2014. "Adaptive Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling and estimation in Mata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LLC, vol. 14(3), pages 623-661, September.
    22. Muhammad, Sulaman & Pan, Yanchun & Agha, Mujtaba Hassan & Umar, Muhammad & Chen, Siyuan, 2022. "Industrial structure, energy intensity and environmental efficiency across developed and developing economies: The intermediary role of primary, secondary and tertiary industry," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 247(C).
    23. David Powell, 2022. "Quantile regression with nonadditive fixed effects," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 63(5), pages 2675-2691, November.
    24. Wang, Jing, 2023. "Digital inclusive finance and rural revitalization," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    25. Horoshko, Olena-Ivanna & Horoshko, Andrii & Bilyuga, Stanislav & Horoshko, Viktoriia, 2021. "Theoretical and Methodological Bases of the Study of the Impact of Digital Economy on World Policy in 21 Century," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    26. Anita Gurumurthy & Nandini Chami, 2019. "Development Justice in the Digital Paradigm: Agenda 2030 and Beyond," Development, Palgrave Macmillan;Society for International Deveopment, vol. 62(1), pages 19-28, December.
    27. Qingwei Fu, 2022. "How does digital technology affect manufacturing upgrading? Theory and evidence from China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(5), pages 1-18, May.
    28. Jing Ma & Bochu Liu & Gordon Mitchell & Guanpeng Dong, 2019. "A spatial analysis of air pollution and environmental inequality in Beijing, 2000–2010," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(14), pages 2437-2458, December.
    29. Yi, Ming & Liu, Yafen & Sheng, Mingyue Selena & Wen, Le, 2022. "Effects of digital economy on carbon emission reduction: New evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    30. T. O. Ojo & L. J. S. Baiyegunhi, 2020. "Determinants of credit constraints and its impact on the adoption of climate change adaptation strategies among rice farmers in South-West Nigeria," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, December.
    31. Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2022. "Assessing the digital economy and its carbon-mitigation effects: The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    32. Arthur Lewbel, 2012. "Using Heteroscedasticity to Identify and Estimate Mismeasured and Endogenous Regressor Models," Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 67-80.
    33. Wang, Jianda & Wang, Bo & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng, 2022. "How does the digital economy improve high-quality energy development? The case of China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    34. Nair, Mahendhiran & Pradhan, Rudra P. & Arvin, Mak B., 2020. "Endogenous dynamics between R&D, ICT and economic growth: Empirical evidence from the OECD countries," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    35. BELAÏD, Fateh & Elsayed, Ahmed H. & Omri, Anis, 2021. "Key drivers of renewable energy deployment in the MENA Region: Empirical evidence using panel quantile regression," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 225-238.
    36. Barbieri, Elisa & Di Tommaso, Marco R. & Bonnini, Stefano, 2012. "Industrial development policies and performances in Southern China: Beyond the specialised industrial cluster program," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 23(3), pages 613-625.
    37. Zhao, Jun & Jiang, Qingzhe & Dong, Xiucheng & Dong, Kangyin, 2021. "Assessing energy poverty and its effect on CO2 emissions: The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    38. 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).
    39. Koenker, Roger W & Bassett, Gilbert, Jr, 1978. "Regression Quantiles," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 46(1), pages 33-50, January.
    40. Demurger, Sylvie, 2001. "Infrastructure Development and Economic Growth: An Explanation for Regional Disparities in China?," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 95-117, March.
    41. Watanabe, Chihiro & Naveed, Kashif & Tou, Yuji & Neittaanmäki, Pekka, 2018. "Measuring GDP in the digital economy: Increasing dependence on uncaptured GDP," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 137(C), pages 226-240.
    42. Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Sha, Yezhou & Yan, Cheng, 2022. "Envisaging the carbon emissions efficiency of digitalization: The case of the internet economy for China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    43. Bai, Ling & Guo, Tianran & Xu, Wei & Liu, Yaobin & Kuang, Ming & Jiang, Lei, 2023. "Effects of digital economy on carbon emission intensity in Chinese cities: A life-cycle theory and the application of non-linear spatial panel smooth transition threshold model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    44. Zheng, Shiming & Yao, Rongrong & Zou, Ke, 2022. "Provincial environmental inequality in China: Measurement, influence, and policy instrument choice," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    45. Guoxiang Li & Rong Zhang & Suling Feng & Yuqing Wang, 2022. "Digital finance and sustainable development: Evidence from environmental inequality in China," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(7), pages 3574-3594, November.
    46. Pádraig Carmody, 2013. "A knowledge economy or an information society in Africa? Thintegration and the mobile phone revolution," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 24-39, January.
    47. Wu, Haitao & Xue, Yan & Hao, Yu & Ren, Siyu, 2021. "How does internet development affect energy-saving and emission reduction? Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    48. Wu, Haitao & Hao, Yu & Ren, Siyu & Yang, Xiaodong & Xie, Guo, 2021. "Does internet development improve green total factor energy efficiency? Evidence from China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    49. Yang, Senmiao & Dong, Kangyin & Wang, Jianda & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2024. "Blessings or curses? Exploring the impact of digital technology innovation on natural resource utilization efficiency in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    50. Moyer, Jonathan D. & Hughes, Barry B., 2012. "ICTs: Do they contribute to increased carbon emissions?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 79(5), pages 919-931.
    51. Feng, Suling & Zhang, Rong & Li, Guoxiang, 2022. "Environmental decentralization, digital finance and green technology innovation," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 70-83.
    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. Yang, Senmiao & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Jiang, Qingzhe, 2023. "A path towards China's energy justice: How does digital technology innovation bring about a just revolution?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    2. Li, Boyang & Du, Yuqin & Chen, Guijing, 2025. "Dynamic nexus between urban digitization and pollutant discharge: RBC theory and empirical evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    3. Ran, Qiying & Yang, Xiaodong & Yan, Hongchuan & Xu, Yang & Cao, Jianhong, 2023. "Natural resource consumption and industrial green transformation: Does the digital economy matter?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    4. Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2022. "Assessing the digital economy and its carbon-mitigation effects: The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    5. Dong, Kangyin & Liu, Yang & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Xiucheng, 2024. "Is the digital economy an effective tool for decreasing energy vulnerability? A global case," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    6. Wang, Jianda & Lyu, Weijian & Chen, Xi & Yang, Senmiao & Dong, Xiucheng, 2024. "Navigating total-factor carbon emission efficiency in the digital era: A case study from industry structure, environmental regulations, and trade spillover," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 260-277.
    7. Zheng, Mingbo & Zhang, Xinyu, 2025. "Digitalization and renewable energy development: Analysis based on cross-country panel data," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 319(C).
    8. Sun, Chuanwang & Khan, Anwar & Xue, Juntao & Huang, Xiaoyong, 2024. "Are digital economy and financial structure driving renewable energy technology innovations: A major eight countries perspective," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 362(C).
    9. Yi, Jiahui & Dai, Sheng & Li, Lin & Cheng, Jinhua, 2024. "How does digital economy development affect renewable energy innovation?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 192(C).
    10. Bingjie Liu & Fengyi Wang, 2025. "The Impact of the Global Digital Economy on Carbon Emissions: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-22, May.
    11. Wang, Jianda & Wang, Bo & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng, 2022. "How does the digital economy improve high-quality energy development? The case of China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    12. Wang, Ying & Wang, Yong & Shahbaz, Muhammad, 2023. "How does digital economy affect energy poverty? Analysis from the global perspective," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 282(C).
    13. Dong, Kangyin & Ni, Guohua & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad & Zhao, Congyu, 2023. "Does smart transportation matter in inhibiting carbon inequality?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    14. Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Sha, Yezhou & Yan, Cheng, 2022. "Envisaging the carbon emissions efficiency of digitalization: The case of the internet economy for China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    15. 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).
    16. Xu, Ru-Yu & Wang, Ke-Liang & Miao, Zhuang, 2024. "Exploring the impact of digital industry agglomeration on provincial energy efficiency in China: A panel data analysis from 2012 to 2020," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 313(C).
    17. Zhang, Liming & Zhao, Yuting & Liu, Liang & Sun, Helin & Wang, Yue, 2025. "The spatial effects of green-innovation coupling and coordinated development from the perspective of digital inclusive finance: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    18. Li, Zihao & Bai, Tingting & Qian, Jingwen & Wu, Haitao, 2024. "The digital revolution's environmental paradox: Exploring the synergistic effects of pollution and carbon reduction via industrial metamorphosis and displacement," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 206(C).
    19. Huang, Junbing & Wang, Yajun & Luan, Bingjiang & Zou, Hong & Wang, Jun, 2023. "The energy intensity reduction effect of developing digital economy: Theory and empirical evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    20. Charfeddine, Lanouar & Umlai, Mohamed, 2023. "ICT sector, digitization and environmental sustainability: A systematic review of the literature from 2000 to 2022," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    JEL classification:

    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • N50 - Economic History - - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment and Extractive Industries - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • Q53 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Air Pollution; Water Pollution; Noise; Hazardous Waste; Solid Waste; Recycling
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth

    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:energy:v:322:y:2025:i:c:s036054422501240x. 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.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    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.