Based on that, the panel data regression model and panel vector autoregression (PVAR) model are used to explore the direct effects and dynamic effect of digitalization and financial development on eco-efficiency, respectively. First, China’s provincial digital development index is constructed to measure the level of digitalization, and regional eco-efficiency is estimated by a non-radial data envelope analysis (DEA) model. Aiming to explore how digitalization and financial development impact ecological efficiency (eco-efficiency), this study proposes a unified research framework by integrating multiple technologies using the panel data that covered 30 China’s provinces from 2006 to 2018. The rapid growth of industrial digitalization and financial support are the main driving forces for the green transformation of China’s economy. This article argues for comprehensive policies for digital sufficiency, which are indispensible if ICT are to play a beneficial role in overall environmental transformation. Policies for user and economic sufficiency are politically more difficult to implement and relate strongly to policies for environmental transformation in general. The policies for hardware and software sufficiency are relatively easily conceivable and executable. Digital sufficiency consists of four dimensions, each suggesting a set of strategies and policy proposals: (a) hardware sufficiency, which aims for fewer devices needing to be produced and their absolute energy demand being kept to the lowest level possible to perform the desired tasks (b) software sufficiency, which covers ensuring that data traffic and hardware utilization during application are kept as low as possible (c) user sufficiency, which strives for users applying digital devices frugally and using ICT in a way that promotes sustainable lifestyles and (d) economic sufficiency, which aspires to digitalization supporting a transition to an economy characterized not by economic growth as the primary goal but by sufficient production and consumption within planetary boundaries. The concept digital sufficiency constitutes a basis to understand how ICT can become part of the essential environmental transformation.
While the savings potentials have been explored, drivers that prevent these and possible counter measures have not been researched thoroughly. Yet unresolved is whether the aggregated net effect of ICT overall mitigates or aggravates environmental burdens. ICT hold significant potential to increase resource and energy efficiencies and contribute to a circular economy.
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