Can digitalization facilitate low carbon lifestyle? --Evidence from households’ embedded emissions in China

Abstract

Digitalization refers to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), which has resulted in an easier way of acquiring goods and services but at a larger scale. Meanwhile, online shopping and unconventional promotions have also changed individual lifestyles. While the world is demanding broader actions against climate change, how and to what extent the digital transformation of modern society can affect consumption and its associated emissions is an important but uncertain question to address. This paper takes China as an example and explores households' digital activities and consumption behaviors from a nationwide survey. As a result, we demonstrate that wider digital adoption was overwhelmed by larger embedded carbon emissions, mainly from consuming larger scale of non-basis goods and generating indirect carbon emissions. Although the overall association between digital adoption and the household carbon emissions was positive, this article finds that digital adoption indeed promoted pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors which further declined the emissions. Likewise, city's digital development declined the positive impact of digital adoption on the household direct emissions. Furthermore, empirical results show that social network, social trust and local satisfaction played significant roles in leading lower household carbon emissions in the digital era. Thus, this study has important policy implications for China's commitment to carbon neutrality in 2060 from demand side.