IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/natres/v50y2026i1p502-526.html

Digital government initiatives for sustainable innovations, digitalization, and emission reduction policies to balance conservation impact

Author

Listed:
  • Ye Wang
  • Muhammad Umair
  • Yessengali Oskenbayev
  • Ainur Saparova

Abstract

The rapid advancement of digital technologies in China, America, India, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Indonesia, Germany, Iran, South Korea, and Russia presents both significant opportunities and challenges for achieving sustainable development, particularly in balancing economic growth with environmental conservation. This study rigorously assesses the impact of digital government initiatives on sustainable innovations and emission reduction policies from 2002 to 2022, focusing on their ability to balance ecological and economic influences. By employing a sophisticated model that integrates second‐generation tests to confirm cross‐sectional dependence and gradient variation, this research ensures the precision of its findings. The analysis reveals that digitalization, clean energy adoption, and the utilization of these countries' abundant natural resources over this two‐decade period have contributed substantially to reducing their ecological footprints. However, the study also identifies structural discontinuities in the linear trends and intercepts due to the integration of these technologies. By incorporating variables such as e‐commerce, income from natural resources, economic growth, conservation‐friendly technologies, sustainable energy sources, and carbon dioxide emissions, the model provides a comprehensive evaluation. The results highlight a consistent decline in ecological impact driven by technological and economic advancements. The policy implications are clear: to sustain and enhance these positive trends, governments must continue to promote digitalization and innovation while carefully managing the integration of new technologies to prevent potential disruptions.

Suggested Citation

  • Ye Wang & Muhammad Umair & Yessengali Oskenbayev & Ainur Saparova, 2026. "Digital government initiatives for sustainable innovations, digitalization, and emission reduction policies to balance conservation impact," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(1), pages 502-526, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:natres:v:50:y:2026:i:1:p:502-526
    DOI: 10.1111/1477-8947.12570
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12570
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1477-8947.12570?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
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Liu, Yang & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2023. "How does natural resource abundance affect green total factor productivity in the era of green finance? Global evidence," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    2. Majeed, Abdul & Wang, Lijun & Zhang, Xiaohui & Muniba, & Kirikkaleli, Dervis, 2021. "Modeling the dynamic links among natural resources, economic globalization, disaggregated energy consumption, and environmental quality: Fresh evidence from GCC economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    3. Larissa Batrancea, 2021. "The Nexus between Financial Performance and Equilibrium: Empirical Evidence on Publicly Traded Companies from the Global Financial Crisis Up to the COVID-19 Pandemic," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-12, May.
    4. Hepei Li & Chen Chen & Muhammad Umair, 2023. "Green Finance, Enterprise Energy Efficiency, and Green Total Factor Productivity: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(14), pages 1-14, July.
    5. Xiuzhen, Xie & Zheng, Wenxiu & Umair, Muhammad, 2022. "Testing the fluctuations of oil resource price volatility: A hurdle for economic recovery," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    6. Xiang Cui & Muhammad Umair & Ganijon Ibragimove Gayratovich & Azer Dilanchiev, 2023. "Do Remittances Mitigate Poverty? An Empirical Evidence From 15 Selected Asian Economies," The Singapore Economic Review (SER), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 68(04), pages 1447-1468, June.
    7. Larissa M. Batrancea, 2022. "Determinants of Economic Growth across the European Union: A Panel Data Analysis on Small and Medium Enterprises," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-17, April.
    8. Yanyan Zhang & Tat-Huei Cham & Chuen Khee Pek & Choi-Meng Leong, 2024. "Is face and information availability important in green purchasing among young consumers?," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-14, December.
    9. Xie, Bofeng & Rehman, Mubeen Abdur & Zhang, Junyan & Yang, Runze, 2022. "Does the financialization of natural resources lead toward sustainability? An application of advance panel Granger non-causality," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    10. Zhao, Linhai & Rasoulinezhad, Ehsan, 2023. "Role of natural resources utilization efficiency in achieving green economic recovery: Evidence from BRICS countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    11. Ullah, Mirzat & Umair, Muhammad & Sohag, Kazi & Mariev, Oleg & Khan, Muhammad Asif & Sohail, Hafiz M., 2024. "The connection between disaggregate energy use and export sophistication: New insights from OECD with robust panel estimations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(C).
    12. Liu, Haiying & Saleem, Muhammad Mansoor & Al-Faryan, Mamdouh Abdulaziz Saleh & Khan, Irfan & Zafar, Muhammad Wasif, 2022. "Impact of governance and globalization on natural resources volatility: The role of financial development in the Middle East North Africa countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    13. Yu, Mengyan & Umair, Muhammad & Oskenbayev, Yessengali & Karabayeva, Zhаnsaya, 2023. "Exploring the nexus between monetary uncertainty and volatility in global crude oil: A contemporary approach of regime-switching," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PB).
    14. Peipei, Wang & Eyvazov, Elchin & Giyasova, Zeynab & Kazimova, Asli, 2023. "The nexus between natural resource rents and financial wealth on economic recovery: Evidence from European Union economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    15. Ma, Yubo & Fan, Yufeng & Razzaq, Asif, 2023. "Influence of technical efficiency and globalization on sustainable resources management: Evidence from South Asian countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    16. Li, ChangZheng & Umair, Muhammad, 2023. "Does green finance development goals affects renewable energy in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 203(C), pages 898-905.
    17. Li, Menghan & Hamawandy, Nawzad Majeed & Wahid, Fazle & Rjoub, Husam & Bao, Zongke, 2021. "Renewable energy resources investment and green finance: Evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    18. Larissa M. Batrancea & Horia Tulai, 2022. "Thriving or Surviving in the Energy Industry: Lessons on Energy Production from the European Economies," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-16, November.
    19. Larissa Batrancea, 2021. "The Influence of Liquidity and Solvency on Performance within the Healthcare Industry: Evidence from Publicly Listed Companies," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 9(18), pages 1-15, September.
    20. Shinwari, Riazullah & Yangjie, Wang & Payab, Ahmad Haseeb & Kubiczek, Jakub & Dördüncü, Hazar, 2022. "What drives investment in renewable energy resources? Evaluating the role of natural resources volatility and economic performance for China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    21. Usman, Muhammad & Balsalobre-Lorente, Daniel, 2022. "Environmental concern in the era of industrialization: Can financial development, renewable energy and natural resources alleviate some load?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    22. Wang, Rong & Zhao, Xing & Zhang, Ling, 2022. "Research on the impact of green finance and abundance of natural resources on China's regional eco-efficiency," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    23. Larissa M. Batrancea & Mehmet Ali Balcı & Ömer Akgüller & Lucian Gaban, 2022. "What Drives Economic Growth across European Countries? A Multimodal Approach," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(19), pages 1-20, October.
    24. Liu, Sheng & Wang, Yukai, 2023. "Green innovation effect of pilot zones for green finance reform: Evidence of quasi natural experiment," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 186(PA).
    25. Hou, Yan & Li, Xiaobo & Wang, Hui & Yunusova, Rimma, 2024. "Focusing on energy efficiency: The convergence of green financing, FinTech, financial inclusion, and natural resource rents for a greener Asia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    26. Larissa Batrancea & Malar Mozhi Rathnaswamy & Ioan Batrancea, 2021. "A Panel Data Analysis of Economic Growth Determinants in 34 African Countries," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-15, June.
    27. Ullah, Sami & Luo, Rundong & Nadeem, Muhammad & Cifuentes-Faura, Javier, 2023. "Advancing sustainable growth and energy transition in the United States through the lens of green energy innovations, natural resources and environmental policy," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    28. Larissa Batrancea & Malar Kumaran Rathnaswamy & Ioan Batrancea, 2022. "A Panel Data Analysis on Determinants of Economic Growth in Seven Non-BCBS Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 13(2), pages 1651-1665, June.
    29. Chen, Yan & Murshed, Muntasir & Sinha, Avik & Alam, Mohammad Mahtab & Khudoykulov, Khurshid, 2024. "Revisiting the resource curse hypothesis from the viewpoint of green growth: The role of Fintech as the de-cursing agent," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    30. Larissa Batrancea & Marcel Ciprian Pop & Malar Maran Rathnaswamy & Ioan Batrancea & Mircea-Iosif Rus, 2021. "An Empirical Investigation on the Transition Process toward a Green Economy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-12, November.
    31. Zhang, Yonggang & Dilanchiev, Azer, 2022. "Economic recovery, industrial structure and natural resource utilization efficiency in China: Effect on green economic recovery," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    32. Yu, Miaozhi & Wang, Yifan & Umair, Muhammad, 2024. "Minor mining, major influence: Economic implications and policy challenges of artisanal gold mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    33. Larissa M. Batrancea & Mehmet Ali Balcı & Leontina Chermezan & Ömer Akgüller & Ema Speranta Masca & Lucian Gaban, 2022. "Sources of SMEs Financing and Their Impact on Economic Growth across the European Union: Insights from a Panel Data Study Spanning Sixteen Years," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-18, November.
    34. Xu, Chuanbo & Wu, Yunna & Dai, Shuyu, 2020. "What are the critical barriers to the development of hydrogen refueling stations in China? A modified fuzzy DEMATEL approach," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 142(C).
    35. Wu, Qihan & Yan, Dong & Umair, Muhammad, 2023. "Assessing the role of competitive intelligence and practices of dynamic capabilities in business accommodation of SMEs," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 1103-1114.
    36. Larissa M. Batrancea & Malar Maran Rathnaswamy & Mircea-Iosif Rus & Horia Tulai, 2023. "Determinants of Economic Growth for the Last Half of Century: A Panel Data Analysis on 50 Countries," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 14(3), pages 2578-2602, September.
    37. Min Zhang & Chengrong Li & Jinshan Zhang & Hongwei Chen, 2023. "How Green Finance Affects Green Total Factor Productivity—Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-18, December.
    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. Zhang, Chenjing & Yang, Siyue & Yan, Borui & Wang, Mancang, 2023. "Mitigating natural resource depletion and enterprise resource risk: How does inclusive digital finance supports green recovery?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    2. Zheng, Xiumin & Imran, Muhammad & Umair, Muhammad & Lin, Chen & Dong, Yue, 2025. "Modern panelizing and optimization techniques for renewable energy projects; perspectives on how CO2 emissions impact the circular economy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 323(C).
    3. Cao, Shanshan & Huang, Lin & Zhang, Qingping & hán, Zǐ, 2024. "Energy transition to green energy sources – Role of socioeconomic disparities and administrative policies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    4. Haroon, Muhammad & Ullah, Mirzat & Li, Zhanqiang & Zhu, Shuo & Wang, Judong & Hsueh, Chu-Pin (Eugune), 2025. "Impact of emerging technologies on corporate social responsibility in mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    5. Li, Ziyao & Dai, Liuyi, 2024. "Impact of energy stability, natural resources, and energy efficiency on ecological sustainability," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    6. Zhang, Yuan & Zhang, Huaqiao & Ullah, Mirzat & Nazir, Sidra & Chun, Zhong, 2024. "Intellectual property protection in the oil, gold sectors and mineral resources rent on indigenous populations: Preserving innovation and value," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    7. Cheng, WeiJin & Ming, Kai & Ullah, Mirzat, 2024. "Oil price volatility prediction using out-of-sample analysis – Prediction efficiency of individual models, combination methods, and machine learning based shrinkage methods," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 300(C).
    8. Liu, Yi & Ma, Xiaoyun & Zhu, Yan & Gulzar, Fatima & Guliyeva, Shafa, 2024. "Harnessing corporate digitalization for green tech advancements: The mediating influence of mineral resource endowments," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    9. Huang, Weiping & Das, Ghansham & Dilanchiev, Azer & Giyasova, Zeynab & Gu, Mangi, 2024. "Role of multiple energy sources under carbon neturality goals, income and energy consumption in transition economies: A joint case study between China and Uzbekistan," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 309(C).
    10. Liu, Xiujuan, 2024. "A regenerative paradigm: Fostering economic recovery by harnessing natural resource efficiency for lasting sustainability," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    11. Yuan, Junli & lv, Zhaohe & Aliyeva, Tahmina & Chen, Xu, 2024. "Optimization of production, distribution, natural resources and capacity planning throughout process sector worldwide supply chains with various goals," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    12. Li, Qingwei & He, Huiming & Oskenbayev, Yessengali & Ullah, Ihsan, 2024. "Exploring the nexus of geopolitical risk, green financing, and natural resource rents: A study of Russia's economic growth," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    13. Mao, Yanfei & E, Shiju & Zhu, Chungeng, 2024. "Modern developments and analysis of household electricity utilization by applying smart meter and its findings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 310(C).
    14. Meng, Fanting, 2024. "Driving sustainable development: Fiscal policy and the promotion of natural resource efficiency," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    15. Ruan, Yunsheng & Wang, Wenqing & Abubakar, Muhammad & Ahmad, Nazeer, 2025. "Global economic resilience: Developing green growth strategies, renewable energy integration, and environmental economics for sustainability," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C).
    16. Chen, Guoli & Qian, Zhe & Bolatbek, Botagoz & Na, Liu, 2024. "A comparative study of the nexus of natural resource investment in national economies: Effects on cultural communication and economic growth," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    17. Song Wenjuan & Kai Zhao, 2023. "Balancing fiscal expenditure competition and long-term innovation investment: Exploring trade-offs and policy implications for local governments," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(11), pages 1-31, November.
    18. Liu, Bing & Zhang, Xiangmeng, 2024. "The impact of ESG and executive structure on the default risk of family businesses: Evidence from China," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    19. Guan, Xuemei & Zhao, Fang, 2024. "A regenerative agenda for economic recovery: Nurturing natural resource efficiency to foster environmental, social, and economic well-being," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    20. Zuo, Zhenting & Cao, Rui & Teymurova, Vusala, 2024. "Unlocking natural resource potential: A balanced strategies for a fair and sustainable economic recovery," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).

    More about this item

    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:wly:natres:v:50:y:2026:i:1:p:502-526. 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: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1477-8947 .

    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.