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The Interplay of Energy Consumption and the Digital Economy in the Pursuit of a Low-Carbon Transition

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 March 2025 | Viewed by 7262

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Minzhe Du

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics and Management, South China Normal University, Guangzhou 510006, China
Interests: digital economy; green finance; carbon neutrality; energy transition
Dr. Guanglai Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Economics, Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics, Nanchang 330013, China
Interests: environmental economics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As one of the indispensable elements of sustainable economic development, a reduction in energy consumption is essential in order to promote the balanced development of economic efficiency and environmental efficiency. As the impact of traditional energy consumption on climate change has become increasingly prominent, the low-carbon transformation is crucial for sustainable economic development and energy structure transformation. In this context, the role of the digital economy is becoming increasingly significant, especially regarding the energy structure transformation of, and reduction in, energy consumption, which is essential in order to promote low-carbon transitions and achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

In this Special Issue, we aim to delve into the interplay between energy consumption and digital economy, as well as their critical role in facilitating the low-carbon transition in different countries. We are particularly interested in exploring how the digital economy can reduce excessive energy consumption and how it can support the achievement of low-carbon development and sustainable strategies.

We welcome research papers and review articles on the following or related topics:

  • The role of digital economy in the new energy system;
  • Application scenarios and modes of digital economy in the energy transition;
  • The path to carbon neutrality in the energy system under the conditions of digital economy;
  • Urban energy digital decision making and carbon neutrality construction;
  • The integration of energy structure transformation with the digital economy;
  • The application of digital economy in achieving rural energy transformation.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Minzhe Du
Dr. Guanglai Zhang
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • energy consumption
  • digital economy
  • carbon neutrality
  • energy transformation
  • low-carbon economy
  • sustainable development
  • climate change

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 269 KiB  
Article
The Impact of Digital Technology Application on Agricultural Low-Carbon Transformation—A Case Study of the Pesticide Reduction Effect of Plant Protection Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
by Qian Deng, Yuhan Zhang, Zhuyu Lin, Xueping Gao and Zhenlin Weng
Sustainability 2024, 16(24), 10920; https://doi.org/10.3390/su162410920 - 12 Dec 2024
Viewed by 892
Abstract
Reducing pesticide use is a crucial step toward achieving the green and low-carbon transformation of agriculture. Analyzing the role and mechanisms of agricultural digital technologies—particularly plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for aerial spraying—is essential for identifying viable strategies to reduce pesticide application [...] Read more.
Reducing pesticide use is a crucial step toward achieving the green and low-carbon transformation of agriculture. Analyzing the role and mechanisms of agricultural digital technologies—particularly plant protection unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for aerial spraying—is essential for identifying viable strategies to reduce pesticide application intensity among farming households. This analysis is critical for facilitating the low-carbon transformation of rice production and advancing sustainable agricultural development. This study, using survey data from 455 farming households in Jiangxi Province, China, employs Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) and Propensity Score Matching (PSM) methods to investigate the relationship between plant protection UAVs and pesticide application intensity. The findings reveal that adopting plant protection UAVs significantly reduces pesticide application intensity in rice production by 24.9%. Further analysis indicates that the reduction effect is more pronounced among non-aged, large-scale, and part-time farming households. To achieve the low-carbon transformation of rice production, it is vital to enhance agricultural support policies and develop effective market promotion and application mechanisms to encourage the adoption of UAV-based aerial spraying and other digital agricultural technologies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay of Energy Consumption and the Digital Economy in the Pursuit of a Low-Carbon Transition)
20 pages, 1277 KiB  
Article
Effects of Social Capital on the Adoption of Green Production Technologies by Rice Farmers: Moderation Effects Based on Risk Preferences
by Bo Liu, Na Li and Cairong Liao
Sustainability 2024, 16(20), 8879; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16208879 - 14 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1377
Abstract
In the context of global climate change and energy and resource scarcity, understanding the factors that influence the adoption of green production technology by rice farmers and promoting a transformation in agricultural practices towards low-carbon and environmentally friendly methods represent a crucial step [...] Read more.
In the context of global climate change and energy and resource scarcity, understanding the factors that influence the adoption of green production technology by rice farmers and promoting a transformation in agricultural practices towards low-carbon and environmentally friendly methods represent a crucial step towards achieving sustainable development. This study employs an ordered logit model to comprehensively explore the influence mechanism of social capital and risk preference within the adoption of green production technology by rice farmers. Research indicates that social capital can significantly and positively affect rice farmers’ uptake of green production technology. Among various dimensions, it can be seen that the role of social participation emerges as a particularly salient factor. The analysis of risk preference demonstrates that it exerts a negative moderating influence. The heterogeneity analysis results indicate that new-generation and part-time rice farmers prefer adopting new technologies if they possess higher social capital. In light of the findings above, it is recommended that the organizational support of cooperatives and collective action be reinforced; the use of digital technologies in agriculture should be increased; the livelihood changes of rice farmers be considered to meet their heterogeneous needs accurately; and the integration of carbon emission reduction policies and green production technologies be strengthened to promote the widespread adoption of green technologies among rice farmers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay of Energy Consumption and the Digital Economy in the Pursuit of a Low-Carbon Transition)
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22 pages, 1145 KiB  
Article
Exploring the Income-Increasing Benefits of Rural E-Commerce in China: Implications for the Sustainable Development of Farmers
by Hailan Qiu, Xueyi Zhang, Mingrui Feng, Zhenquan Zhang, Jiawei Wang and Zhipeng Wang
Sustainability 2024, 16(17), 7437; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16177437 - 28 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1646
Abstract
The slowdown in income not only hinders the sustainable development of farmers but also exacerbates ecological and environmental problems. Likewise, the digital economy model represented by e-commerce has become a key path for growing farmers’ income. This article is based on 2020 China [...] Read more.
The slowdown in income not only hinders the sustainable development of farmers but also exacerbates ecological and environmental problems. Likewise, the digital economy model represented by e-commerce has become a key path for growing farmers’ income. This article is based on 2020 China Rural Revitalization Survey data and uses the OLS and mediation effect models to examine the impact and mechanism of e-commerce operations on farmers’ income. The research results indicate that e-commerce operations can significantly improve the income level of farmers. After robustness and endogeneity tests, this conclusion still holds. The mechanism analysis results indicate that e-commerce operations promote farmers’ income growth by enhancing information acquisition, reducing operating costs, and enhancing financial support. The results of the heterogeneity analysis indicate that the impact of e-commerce on farmers’ income is heterogeneous in terms of income structure, education level, and regional distribution. Specifically, e-commerce significantly increases farmers’ agricultural operating income, non-agricultural operating income, and transfer income but significantly reduces their wage income. At the same time, e-commerce has a more significant income-increasing effect on highly educated and central and western farmers. Therefore, in promoting the development of a rural digital economy, it is necessary to improve the supporting facilities of e-commerce in rural areas; strengthen the supply of information, technology, capital, talent, and other elements; continue to improve the inclusiveness of rural e-commerce; and promote the sustainable growth of farmers’ income. The above findings not only provide new channels and ideas for farmers to increase income through e-commerce operations, but also help relevant decision-making departments to formulate new policies to promote farmers’ income growth and the development of e-commerce in China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay of Energy Consumption and the Digital Economy in the Pursuit of a Low-Carbon Transition)
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18 pages, 683 KiB  
Article
Can the Digital Economy Empower Low-Carbon Transition Development? New Evidence from Chinese Resource-Based Cities
by Hongxia Xu, Honghe Li, Xiang-Wu Yan, Xinghua Cui, Xiaoyan Liang and Ning Xu
Sustainability 2024, 16(14), 5966; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16145966 - 12 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1235
Abstract
Existing research lacks a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the digital economy (DE)’s impact on the low-carbon transformation of resource-based cities. This study utilizes panel data from 114 of these cities in China from 2006 to 2019 to construct a DE measurement system. [...] Read more.
Existing research lacks a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the digital economy (DE)’s impact on the low-carbon transformation of resource-based cities. This study utilizes panel data from 114 of these cities in China from 2006 to 2019 to construct a DE measurement system. Based on the global SBM directional distance function and the Malmquist–Luenberger index (SBM-DDF-GML), we calculated the total factor carbon productivity (TFCP), decomposed the carbon inefficiency value (CIV), and examined DE’s impact, mechanism, and heterogeneity on low-carbon transition development (LCTD) during distinct growth phases of resource-based cities. Based on this examination, we found the following: (1) The DE effectively reduced carbon intensity and inefficiency and improved the total factor carbon productivity in resource-based cities. These findings remained robust after a series of robustness tests. (2) The DE empowered LCTD by improving energy efficiency, upgrading industrial structure, and optimizing innovation factor allocation. Finally, (3) this effect varied across the different city stages, being most significant in mature cities and weakest in declining ones. The research findings provide empirical evidence for the LCTD of resource-based cities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay of Energy Consumption and the Digital Economy in the Pursuit of a Low-Carbon Transition)
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29 pages, 841 KiB  
Article
Household Energy Clean Transition Mechanisms under Market Failures: A Government Financing Perspective
by Weiqiang Zhu and Yun Zhang
Sustainability 2024, 16(13), 5771; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16135771 - 6 Jul 2024
Viewed by 1220
Abstract
Clarifying the principles governing the transition to cleaner household energy is crucial for enhancing households’ access to clean and efficient energy, thereby enhancing households’ welfare and overall societal well-being. However, most existing energy transition theories are grounded in assumptions of perfect market functionality. [...] Read more.
Clarifying the principles governing the transition to cleaner household energy is crucial for enhancing households’ access to clean and efficient energy, thereby enhancing households’ welfare and overall societal well-being. However, most existing energy transition theories are grounded in assumptions of perfect market functionality. This paradigm deviates from the reality of market failure and needs to comprehensively elucidate the process of transitioning to cleaner household energy. This study develops a framework for understanding the transition to cleaner household energy within the context of market failure. It investigates the effects and mechanisms of government funding and energy endowment on this transition, considering the accessibility and affordability of clean energy. The analysis is based on 20 years of data on rural energy consumption across 29 provinces in China. The findings reveal that government funding inputs significantly enhance the transition to cleaner household energy, facilitated by the clean energy supply effect, clean technology promotion effect, clean knowledge dissemination effect, and financial constraint alleviation effect. Heterogeneity analysis indicates that in regions abundant in renewable energy, government funding inputs can effectively stimulate the development and utilization of renewable energy sources, thereby enhancing the accessibility of clean energy and driving the transition to cleaner household energy. Finally, it is recommended that the market play a constructive role in the energy transition process in addition to increased government investment in energy infrastructure, extension services, and public education. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interplay of Energy Consumption and the Digital Economy in the Pursuit of a Low-Carbon Transition)
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