Author(s): Poorvi Agrawal, Partha Sen and Sankar Mukherjee
Purpose: The article underscores the pivotal role of carbon emission governance in achieving environmental sustainability based on extensive literature reviews. It highlights the myriad factors, ranging from regional nuances to governance structures that impact carbon emissions. Mainly, it showcases India's unique approach to harmonizing digital transformation with environmental responsibility. By synthesizing the Digital Infrastructure Index (DII) and the Digital Economy Development Index (DEDI), India exemplifies how nations can promote digital growth while remaining committed to carbon reduction. This note is a testament to the importance of interweaving digital advancement with sustainable practices for future progress. Design/Methodology/approach: A systematic literature review (SLR) adhered to strict protocols to minimize bias, ensuring a rigorous and transparent research process, provides a holistic understanding of existing evidence, identifies gaps in current research, and offers a foundation for future studies. Fifty selective articles were selected from 2010 to 2023 with a clear, well-defined research objective that dictates the scope of the review. Selective studies were done on 35 plus articles to systematically extract findings and gaps after assessing quality and potential bias. The findings helped synthesize the index and integrated model specific to India. Findings: The comprehensive analysis underscores the multifaceted nature of carbon emissions in India, influenced by factors ranging from digital development to socioeconomic considerations. Prioritizing digital strategies, smart cities, green innovation, and financial stability can significantly mitigate India's carbon footprint. Integration of DEDI and DII, tailored to India's unique context, accurately represents its digital progression. The adapted indices offer a holistic view by focusing on rural digitalization, meticulous digital infrastructure examination, renewable energy, and socio-economic parameters. India's commitment to sustainable digital transformation, leveraging these indices and integrating ESG approaches, presents a path towards technological progress and environmental responsibility. Originality: The integration of ESG with the digital economy is original as the digital economy may either lead to an ESG score but with an initial assumption of positive direction. The outcome brings the underlying concepts, such as the importance of the digital economy in reducing carbon emissions or the significance of the Digital Infrastructure Index (DII) and Digital Economy Development Index (DEDI), based on established ideas in the earlier scholastic research till 2023. Value: To make DEDI and DII more representative of India, integrate metrics for rural digital adoption, detailed infrastructure insights, renewable energy, and EV parameters. Incorporate innovation dynamics, socio-economic realities, global trade impacts, and correlations between population density, urbanization, and digitalization. This holistic approach enhances the indices' depth, relevance, and predictive power.