Digital technology enablement and policy synergy: Strategic evolution of digital transformation for climate governance in China (2015-2024)

Authors

  • Yang Chang Department of Communication Studies, Nanjing Normal University, 210046, China

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12928/commicast.v6i2.13960

Keywords:

China, Digital technology, Policy tools, Text analysis

Abstract

Climate change governance has become a systemic global challenge involving justice, security, and sustainable development, with digital technologies increasingly reshaping governance strategies. Against this backdrop, China, as the world’s largest developing country and carbon emitter, has actively embedded digital technologies into its climate policy framework since the Paris Agreement (2015). Drawing on 48 core policy documents issued by the State Council and related ministries, the research employs textual and discourse analysis combined with word frequency extraction, semantic clustering, and thematic module analysis. The findings reveal six interlinked thematic domains, policy framework and institutional design, energy transition, sectoral and regional governance, ecological conservation, market mechanisms, and capacity-building, through which digital technology functions not only as a technical instrument but also as a discursive and institutional driver. The study identifies a dynamic evolution of policy tool portfolios, shaped by path dependency, pilot-driven mechanisms, and institutional synergy between administrative authority and digital intermediaries. This research contributes both theoretically and practically by developing a “technology discourse tool” framework that explains how digital technologies are discursively embedded and translated into institutional practices. Empirically, it shows that China’s governance model has generated replicable digital governance templates, offering strategic lessons for other developing countries seeking to integrate digitalization with climate governance. The study concludes that digital technologies, when embedded in policy discourse and institutional tools, can significantly enhance governance efficiency, accountability, and international discourse power in climate policymaking.

References

Abdullayeva, S. B., & Maxmudova, Z. I. (2024). Application of Digital Technologies in Education. American Journal of Language. http://eprints.umsida.ac.id/13759/

Aripin, Z., Purwasito, A., & Hastjarjo, S. (2025). Cultivation Analysis of Toxic Gamer Attitudes in Gaming Youtuber Content:(Analysis of the Effect of Media Content Cultivation on the Oura Gaming Channel. In COMMICAST. https://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/commicast/article/view/12820

Beisheim, M., Bernstein, S., Biermann, F., & Chasek, P. (2022). Global governance. dspace.library.uu.nl. https://dspace.library.uu.nl/handle/1874/422501

Cerveny, R. (2023). The history of the world meteorological organization. Weatherwise. https://doi.org/10.1080/00431672.2023.2159222

Chen, S., & Guo, W. (2023). Auto-encoders in deep learning a review with new perspectives. In Mathematics. mdpi.com. https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7390/11/8/1777

Croitoru, A. E. (2024). Data Exchange with the Research Sector-the World Meteorological Organization Perspective. EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024EGUGA..2610766C/abstract

Dremann, K., Orosa, A., Hassan, M., Gao, X., Quinn, D. D., & Mahajan, A. (2025). Evolution of a Smart Mobile Robotic Platform for In-Orbit Space Applications. IFAC-PapersOnLine. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405896325003702

Elfert, M., & Ydesen, C. (2023). Global governance of education. Educational Governance Research. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-40411-5

Ergashovich, S. I. (2023). Improvement of the task aimed at the development of mathematical and natural science literacy of future chemistry teachers on the basis of ix adaptation to the Educational Process. In Innovation: The journal of Social Sciences. cyberleninka.ru. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/improvement-of-the-task-aimed-at-the-development-of-mathematical-and-natural-science-literacy-of-future-chemistry-teachers-on-the

Fadillah, D. (2025a). Party of one: The rise of Xi Jinping and China’s superpower future: by Chun Han Wong, New York, Avid Reader Press/Simon &Schuster, 2023, 416 pp., $32.99. Taylor &Francis. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504630.2025.2491419

Fadillah, D. (2025b). The need for research on AI-driven social media and adolescent mental health. Asian Journal of Psychiatry. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187620182500156X

Fadillah, Dani, Atmantika, Z. H., & Nuryana, Z. (2023). Supporting suicide prevention among college students. In Asian Journal of Psychiatry (Vol. 80). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2022.103324

Fadillah, Dani, & Huiquan, Z. (2024). Developing public relations as a foundation for public trust: a systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis. SN Social Sciences, 4(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-023-00813-5

Fan, F., Zhao, Y., Chen, Y., Li, N., Jia, W., & Wang, R. (2025). Local Texture Pattern Estimation for Image Detail Super-Resolution. IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10903996/

Gleditsch, K. S. (2023). This research has important policy implications. In Peace Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy. degruyterbrill.com. https://doi.org/10.1515/peps-2023-0002

Guo, S., & Lu, L. (2024). Does ambition work? The effectiveness of local climate pledges in China. Local Government Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/03003930.2024.2393718

Guo, S., Zhou, X., Liu, C., & Li, S. (2025). Study on the CO2 absorption performance of deep eutectic solvents formed by superbase DBN and weak acid diethylene glycol. In Open Chemistry. degruyterbrill.com. https://doi.org/10.1515/chem-2025-0146

Gurr, T. R., & Goldstone, J. A. (2019). Comparisons and policy implications. Revolutions of the Late Twentieth Century. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429304767-14

Joslin, R. (2019). Use of Comparatives the Basis for the Natural-Science to Social-Science Comparative. Project Management Methodologies, Governance and Success. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429071416-2/use-comparatives%E2%80%94the-basis-natural-science-social-science-comparative-robert-joslin

Li, H., Li, Q., Xu, Z., & Ye, X. (2024). Digital technologies. In Journal of Digital Economy. Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2773067025000032

Minnerop, P. (2024). Intergenerational Preparedness: Climate Change, Community Interest Obligations and the Environmental Rule of Law. Global Policy. https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.13219

Otrashevskaya, A. M., Solntsev, A. M., & Yusifova, P. N. (2024). The role of treaty bodies in monitoring compliance with international environmental obligations. Russian Journal of World Politics and Law of Nations. https://polities.mgimo.ru/jour/article/view/51

Ramadhan, M. H., Hidayat, D. R., & Yudhapramesti, P. (2025). Mapping Television ownership concentration in West Java after the Analog Switch-Off. In COMMICAST. https://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/commicast/article/view/12719

Rogers, R., Courtney, J., & Wood, K. (2023). The world meteorological organization Tenth International Workshop on tropical cyclones (IWTC-10): A summary. In Tropical Cyclone Research and Review. Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2225603223000115

Ronggang, P., Weilun, M., Lei, D. U., Shen, Q. U., & Yawei, X. (2025). Impact of Weight Loss on Epicardial Adipose Tissue After Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy: A CT-Based Quantitative Analysis Using ITK-SNAP. Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550728925007282

Varriale, V., Cammarano, A., Michelino, F., & Caputo, M. (2024). The role of digital technologies in production systems for achieving sustainable development goals. In Sustainable Production and Consumption. Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352550924000964

Wang, J., Sun, L., Sun, Y., Yang, S., Qin, Q., & Xue, Y. (2025). Integrated enzyme activities and untargeted metabolome to reveal the mechanism that allow long-term biochar-based fertilizer substitution improves soil quality and Maize yield. Environmental Research. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935125001860

Wang, S., Wang, J., Li, J., Wang, J., & Liang, L. (2018). Policy implications for promoting the adoption of electric vehicles: do consumer’s knowledge, perceived risk and financial incentive policy matter? Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856418301186

Ye, L., Gao, G., Li, F., Sun, Y., Yang, S., Qin, Q., Wang, J., & Bai, N. (2025). A comprehensive review on biochar-based materials for the safe utilization and remediation of heavy metal-contaminated agricultural soil and associated mechanisms. Journal of Environmental Chemical Engineering. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213343725008759

Yuan, J. E., & Zhang, L. (2025). From platform capitalism to digital China: The path, governance, and geopolitics. Social Media+ Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051251323030

Yuan, S. (2025). From play to power: China’s video games as instruments of soft power. The Pacific Review. https://doi.org/10.1080/09512748.2024.2433748

Zhang, C., & Shang, Z. (2025). Transnational platform governance amid geopolitical rivalries. Routledge Handbook of Chinese Media. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=EoBqEQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=RA2-PT385&dq=geopolitical+game+platform&ots=fmisZUM2fo&sig=MFpGA3Yvi3gvigAgeyJMt3sjCqo

Zhao, J., Ren, Z., Gao, X., Dong, Y., & Ye, C. (2021). Gradient plasticity in gradient nanocrystalline metals: extra toughness from dislocation migration. Mechanics of Materials. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167663621001290

Downloads

Published

2025-08-31

How to Cite

Chang, Y. (2025). Digital technology enablement and policy synergy: Strategic evolution of digital transformation for climate governance in China (2015-2024). COMMICAST, 6(2), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.12928/commicast.v6i2.13960

Issue

Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): September

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Yang Chang

Creative Commons License

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

License and Copyright Agreement

In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:

  • They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
  • The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal. Please also carefully read Commicast's Posting Your Article Policy at http://journal2.uad.ac.id/index.php/commicast/about/editorialPolicies#custom-5
  • That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere,
  • That its publication has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
  • They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
  • They agree to the following license and copyright agreement.

Copyright

Authors who publish with Commicast agree to the following terms:

  1. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. 
  2. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
  3. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.

Licensing for Data Publication

Commicast use a variety of waivers and licenses, that are specifically designed for and appropriate for the treatment of data:

Other data publishing licenses may be allowed as exceptions (subject to approval by the editor on a case-by-case basis) and should be justified with a written statement from the author, which will be published with the article.

Open Data and Software Publishing and Sharing

The journal strives to maximize the replicability of the research published in it. Authors are thus required to share all data, code or protocols underlying the research reported in their articles. Exceptions are permitted but have to be justified in a written public statement accompanying the article.

Datasets and software should be deposited and permanently archived inappropriate, trusted, general, or domain-specific repositories (please consult http://service.re3data.org and/or software repositories such as GitHub, GitLab, Bioinformatics.org, or equivalent). The associated persistent identifiers (e.g. DOI, or others) of the dataset(s) must be included in the data or software resources section of the article. Reference(s) to datasets and software should also be included in the reference list of the article with DOIs (where available). Where no domain-specific data repository exists, authors should deposit their datasets in a general repository such as ZENODO, Dryad, Dataverse, or others.

Small data may also be published as data files or packages supplementary to a research article, however, the authors should prefer in all cases a deposition in data repositories.