Toward equitable energy futures: The influence of digital government and financial development on clean energy justice

Author First name, Last name, Institution

• Martin Spraggon, Abu Dhabi School of Management
• Muhammad Hafeez, Universiti Kuala Lumpur
• Sana Ullah, Near East University
• Chanyanan Somthawinpongsai, Metharath University
• Zurul Aisya Osman, Universiti Kuala Lumpur
• Sidra Sohail, Cyprus Health and Social Sciences University

Document Type

Article

Source of Publication

Environmental and Sustainability Indicators

Publication Date

9-1-2026

Abstract

Fossil fuel energy is the largest source of carbon emissions and the main driver of climate change and global warming. Therefore, the world is switching towards clean and green energy sources as an alternative to fossil fuel-based energy sources. Nevertheless, the equitable distribution of clean energy resources in urban and rural areas among every segment of society has become a concern for policymakers. Thus, urban-rural clean energy justice is an investigation topic that needs our attention. In this analysis, our main focus is on investigating the influence of financial development and digital government on clean energy justice using an advanced CS-ARDL approach. The study's main findings state that the digital government contributes favorably to clean energy justice only in the long run, while it shows no short-term impact. In contrast, financial development is essential for promoting clean energy justice both in the short and long-run. The regional estimates confirm that digital government and financial development contribute to clean energy justice in all three regions, i.e., Asia, America, and Africa. Based on the above outcomes, we suggest an energy policy based on the principles of equity and justice by relying on the digital mode of government and the development of the financial sector.

DOI Link

10.1016/j.indic.2026.101358

ISSN

2665-9727

Publisher

Elsevier BV

Volume

31

Disciplines

Environmental Sciences

Keywords

Clean energy justice, Digital government, Energy futures, Financial development

Scopus ID

105044315694

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Recommended Citation

Spraggon, Martin; Hafeez, Muhammad; Ullah, Sana; Somthawinpongsai, Chanyanan; Osman, Zurul Aisya; and Sohail, Sidra, "Toward equitable energy futures: The influence of digital government and financial development on clean energy justice" (2026). All Works. 8089.
https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/works/8089

Indexed in Scopus

yes

Open Access

yes

Open Access Type

Gold: This publication is openly available in an open access journal/series