IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/sustdv/v33y2025i4p5470-5486.html

Pursuing the Roadmaps to SDG 13: How Climate Change Technology Moderates the nexus Between Digital Finance and Environmental Sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Mubasher Zaman
  • Muhammad Sheraz
  • Quande Qin
  • Muhammad Zubair Mumtaz

Abstract

Green digital financial mechanisms, climate change technological development, and environmentally adjusted multifactor productivity through fintech and climate innovations ensure renewable energy infrastructure and climate adaptation solutions by mobilizing capital toward green projects and technologies. The study investigates the interplay between green digital finance, climate change adaptation technologies, environmentally adjusted multifactor productivity, and environmental sustainability in G20 countries from 2002 to 2021. The relationship is examined by using the Method of Moments Quantile regression (MMQR) and robustness checks performed using Bootstrap Quantile regression (BSQR), Feasible Generalized Least Squares (F‐GLS), and Panel Correlated Standard Errors (PCSE). Finally, the Dumitrescu and Hurlin (D‐H) Causality Test is performed to check the causal relationship. The outcomes reveal that green digital finance, climate change adaptation technologies, and environmentally adjusted multifactor productivity positively impact environmental sustainability. Further, the interaction term of green digital finance and climate change technologies also significantly positively impacts environmental sustainability. The D‐H causality test confirmed the bidirectional or unidirectional causal relationship, and the asymmetric causality check also validated the causal relationships among panel variables. The combination of green digital finance and climate change technologies drives environmental sustainability in G20 economies by channeling funds toward climate technologies that reduce carbon emissions, reduce vulnerability, enhance resilience, and ensure that communities cope with the adverse effects of climate change. This study suggests some fundamental policy guidelines for advancing COP‐27 commitments, which aim to ensure carbon neutrality and climate resilience by mid‐century, and SDG‐13 emphasizes taking urgent climate actions to combat its impacts in G20 nations.

Suggested Citation

  • Mubasher Zaman & Muhammad Sheraz & Quande Qin & Muhammad Zubair Mumtaz, 2025. "Pursuing the Roadmaps to SDG 13: How Climate Change Technology Moderates the nexus Between Digital Finance and Environmental Sustainability," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 5470-5486, August.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:33:y:2025:i:4:p:5470-5486
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.3420
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.3420
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sd.3420?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. Matos, Stelvia & Viardot, Eric & Sovacool, Benjamin K. & Geels, Frank W. & Xiong, Yu, 2022. "Innovation and climate change: A review and introduction to the special issue," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    2. Noah Kittner & Felix Lill & Daniel M. Kammen, 2017. "Energy storage deployment and innovation for the clean energy transition," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 2(9), pages 1-6, September.
    3. Richard Kinley, 2017. "Climate change after Paris: from turning point to transformation," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(1), pages 9-15, January.
    4. Wang, Xueyang & Sun, Xiumei & Ahmad, Mahmood & Chen, Jiawei, 2024. "Energy transition, ecological governance, globalization, and environmental sustainability: Insights from the top ten emitting countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    5. Xin, Baogui & Jiang, Kai & Santibanez Gonzalez, Ernesto D.R., 2024. "The coevolution effect of central bank digital currency and green bonds on the net-zero economy," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    6. Pedroni, Peter, 2004. "Panel Cointegration: Asymptotic And Finite Sample Properties Of Pooled Time Series Tests With An Application To The Ppp Hypothesis," Econometric Theory, Cambridge University Press, vol. 20(3), pages 597-625, June.
    7. Hashem Pesaran, M. & Yamagata, Takashi, 2008. "Testing slope homogeneity in large panels," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 142(1), pages 50-93, January.
    8. Sheraz, Muhammad & Qin, Quande & Mumtaz, Muhammad Zubair, 2024. "Energy transition in OECD countries: Catalyzing governance quality for SDG 7 attainment," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 194(C).
    9. Razzaq, Asif & Sharif, Arshian & Ozturk, Ilhan & Skare, Marinko, 2023. "Asymmetric influence of digital finance, and renewable energy technology innovation on green growth in China," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 310-319.
    10. Zhou, Guangyou & Zhu, Jieyu & Luo, Sumei, 2022. "The impact of fintech innovation on green growth in China: Mediating effect of green finance," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).
    11. Tajudeen, Ibrahim A. & Wossink, Ada & Banerjee, Prasenjit, 2018. "How significant is energy efficiency to mitigate CO2 emissions? Evidence from OECD countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 200-221.
    12. Giuseppina Siciliano & Linda Wallbott & Frauke Urban & Anh Nguyen Dang & Markus Lederer, 2021. "Low‐carbon energy, sustainable development, and justice: Towards a just energy transition for the society and the environment," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(6), pages 1049-1061, November.
    13. Cárdenas Rodríguez, Miguel & Haščič, Ivan & Souchier, Martin, 2018. "Environmentally Adjusted Multifactor Productivity: Methodology and Empirical Results for OECD and G20 Countries," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 147-160.
    14. Joakim Westerlund, 2007. "Testing for Error Correction in Panel Data," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 69(6), pages 709-748, December.
    15. Peter Pedroni, 1999. "Critical Values for Cointegration Tests in Heterogeneous Panels with Multiple Regressors," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 61(S1), pages 653-670, November.
    16. Pesaran, M. Hashem & Vanessa Smith, L. & Yamagata, Takashi, 2013. "Panel unit root tests in the presence of a multifactor error structure," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 175(2), pages 94-115.
    17. Guo, Shu & Zhang, ZhongXiang, 2023. "Green credit policy and total factor productivity: Evidence from Chinese listed companies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    18. Qiaozhe Guo & Nengzhi(Chris) Yao & Zhe Ouyang & Yaolei Wang, 2024. "Digital development and innovation for environmental sustainability: The role of government support and government intervention," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 3389-3404, August.
    19. Kao, Chihwa, 1999. "Spurious regression and residual-based tests for cointegration in panel data," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 90(1), pages 1-44, May.
    20. Im, Kyung So & Pesaran, M. Hashem & Shin, Yongcheol, 2003. "Testing for unit roots in heterogeneous panels," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 53-74, July.
    21. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2007. "A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 265-312.
    22. Tang, Maogang & Liu, Yinlin & Hu, Fengxia & Wu, Baijun, 2023. "Effect of digital transformation on enterprises' green innovation: Empirical evidence from listed companies in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    23. repec:bla:obuest:v:61:y:1999:i:0:p:653-70 is not listed on IDEAS
    24. Wang, Xiaoqing & Qin, Chuan & Liu, Yufeng & Tanasescu, Cristina & Bao, Jiangnan, 2023. "Emerging enablers of green low-carbon development: Do digital economy and open innovation matter?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(PA).
    25. Svobodova, K. & Owen, J.R. & Harris, J. & Worden, S., 2020. "Complexities and contradictions in the global energy transition: A re-evaluation of country-level factors and dependencies," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).
    26. Yun Zhang & Xia Fang & Zhenyu Yang & Yuchen Sun & Qiuyu Wang, 2023. "Green Finance, Technological Innovation, and Energy Efficiency Improvements: Evidence from China’s Green Finance Reform Pilot Zone," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(11), pages 3531-3549, September.
    27. Blomquist, Johan & Westerlund, Joakim, 2013. "Testing slope homogeneity in large panels with serial correlation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 121(3), pages 374-378.
    28. Awan, Ashar & Alnour, Mohammed & Jahanger, Atif & Onwe, Joshua Chukwuma, 2022. "Do technological innovation and urbanization mitigate carbon dioxide emissions from the transport sector?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    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. Prempeh Kwadwo Boateng & Frimpong Joseph Magnus & Yeboah Samuel Asuamah, 2024. "The dynamics of financial development, environmental degradation, economic growth and population health in the Economic Community of West African States," Environmental & Socio-economic Studies, Sciendo, vol. 12(2), pages 13-27.
    2. Tiwari, Sunil & Si Mohammed, Kamel & Guesmi, Khaled, 2023. "A way forward to end energy poverty in China: Role of carbon-cutting targets and net-zero commitments," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    3. Eibinger, Tobias & Deixelberger, Beate & Manner, Hans, 2024. "Panel data in environmental economics: Econometric issues and applications to IPAT models," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 125(C).
    4. Francisco García-Lillo & Eduardo Sánchez-García & Bartolomé Marco-Lajara & Pedro Seva-Larrosa, 2023. "Renewable Energies and Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Overview," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-22, January.
    5. Shreya Pal, 2024. "The International Capital Flows and Domestic Savings–domestic Investment Nexus: A Comparative Evidence Between Heterogeneous Developing Regions," South Asian Journal of Macroeconomics and Public Finance, , vol. 13(2), pages 169-212, December.
    6. Tiwari, Sunil & Mentel, Grzegorz & Si Mohammed, Kamel & Rehman, Mohd Ziaur & Lewandowska, Anna, 2024. "Unveiling the role of natural resources, energy transition and environmental policy stringency for sustainable environmental development: Evidence from BRIC +1," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    7. Acikgoz, Senay & Ben Ali, Mohamed Sami, 2019. "Where does economic growth in the Middle Eastern and North African countries come from?," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 172-183.
    8. Khang Yi Sim & Siok Kun Sek, 2024. "Unveiling the asymmetric energy-growth nexus in top oil-importing and exporting countries: The common correlated effects approach," Energy & Environment, , vol. 35(2), pages 539-568, March.
    9. Wenjing Zhang & Hengzhou Xu, 2017. "Exploring the causal relationship between carbon emissions and land urbanization quality in China using a panel data analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 1445-1462, August.
    10. Kasman, Adnan & Duman, Yavuz Selman, 2015. "CO2 emissions, economic growth, energy consumption, trade and urbanization in new EU member and candidate countries: A panel data analysis," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 97-103.
    11. Fairtown Zhou Ayoungman & Abid Hossain Shawon & Ali Sohail, 2025. "Assessing the Impact of Institutional Entrepreneurship, Social Innovation, and Social Enterprise on Poverty Alleviation: Insights From South Asian Economies," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(4), pages 5528-5544, August.
    12. Pablo-Romero, María P. & Pozo-Barajas, Rafael & Washburn, Christian, 2024. "Productive electricity and non-electricity consumption effects on economic growth: A Latin America analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 305(C).
    13. Alexandra Horobet & Magdalena Radulescu & Taoufik Bouraoui & Irina Mnohoghitnei & Daniel Balsalobre-Lorente & Lucian Belascu, 2025. "Financial development and environmental degradation: insights from European countries," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 57(32), pages 4679-4694, July.
    14. Hossain, Mohammad Razib & Rao, Amar & Sharma, Gagan Deep & Dev, Dhairya & Kharbanda, Aeshna, 2024. "Empowering energy transition: Green innovation, digital finance, and the path to sustainable prosperity through green finance initiatives," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    15. Kahia, Montassar & Ben Aissa, Mohamed Safouane, 2014. "Renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth: Evidence from MENA Net Oil Importing Countries," MPRA Paper 80780, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Saidi, Hichem & El Montasser, Ghassen & Ajmi, Noomen, 2018. "Renewable Energy, Quality of Institutions and Economic Growth in MENA Countries: a Panel Cointegration Approach," MPRA Paper 84055, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Zhang, Zhenhua & Zhao, Mingcheng & Zhang, Xinyu & Huang, Zhaohan & Feng, Yanchao, 2025. "What is the causal relationship among geopolitical risk, financial development, and energy transition ? Evidence from 25 OECD countries," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 104(PA).
    18. Robert Becker Pickson & Elliot Boateng & Peng Gui & Ai Chen, 2024. "The impacts of climatic conditions on cereal production: implications for food security in Africa," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(7), pages 18333-18360, July.
    19. Mirza, Faisal Mehmood & Sinha, Avik & Khan, Javeria Rehman & Kalugina, Olga A. & Zafar, Muhammad Wasif, 2022. "Impact of Energy Efficiency on CO2 Emissions: Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries," MPRA Paper 111923, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2022.
    20. Jin, Taeyoung, 2022. "The evolutionary renewable energy and mitigation impact in OECD countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 570-586.

    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:sustdv:v:33:y:2025:i:4:p:5470-5486. 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: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1719 .

    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.