{"title":"Transforming Trade and Environment: Digital Trade's Impact on Carbon Emissions in the European Union","authors":"Meng Cai","doi":"10.1002/jid.3977","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div>\n \n <p>The rapid expansion of digital trade is reshaping global economies, offering promising opportunities to mitigate carbon emissions. This study investigates the impact of digital trade on carbon emissions across 27 European Union countries from 2009 to 2023, presenting new insights into the environmental benefits of digital trade. The empirical findings reveal that digital trade significantly reduces emissions by optimizing industrial structure, promoting technological innovation and enhancing human capital. The heterogeneity analysis shows that this reduction effect is more pronounced in Northern, Western and Central Europe, where digital infrastructure and regulatory support may be more robust, and it is also stronger in highly innovative countries compared to less innovative ones. These results underscore the potential of digital trade as a driver of sustainable economic growth, providing valuable insights for policymakers aiming to leverage digitalization to enhance environmental sustainability, align with climate targets and foster a more efficient, low-carbon economy.</p>\n </div>","PeriodicalId":47986,"journal":{"name":"Journal of International Development","volume":"37 2","pages":"570-583"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of International Development","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jid.3977","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"DEVELOPMENT STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The rapid expansion of digital trade is reshaping global economies, offering promising opportunities to mitigate carbon emissions. This study investigates the impact of digital trade on carbon emissions across 27 European Union countries from 2009 to 2023, presenting new insights into the environmental benefits of digital trade. The empirical findings reveal that digital trade significantly reduces emissions by optimizing industrial structure, promoting technological innovation and enhancing human capital. The heterogeneity analysis shows that this reduction effect is more pronounced in Northern, Western and Central Europe, where digital infrastructure and regulatory support may be more robust, and it is also stronger in highly innovative countries compared to less innovative ones. These results underscore the potential of digital trade as a driver of sustainable economic growth, providing valuable insights for policymakers aiming to leverage digitalization to enhance environmental sustainability, align with climate targets and foster a more efficient, low-carbon economy.
期刊介绍:
The Journal aims to publish the best research on international development issues in a form that is accessible to practitioners and policy-makers as well as to an academic audience. The main focus is on the social sciences - economics, politics, international relations, sociology and anthropology, as well as development studies - but we also welcome articles that blend the natural and social sciences in addressing the challenges for development. The Journal does not represent any particular school, analytical technique or methodological approach, but aims to publish high quality contributions to ideas, frameworks, policy and practice, including in transitional countries and underdeveloped areas of the Global North as well as the Global South.