Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (Feb 2024)

Sustainable development in the context of pandemic: the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on green investment

  • Yu He,
  • Lin Fu,
  • Tao Li,
  • Ran Wei

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2024.1363842
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12

Abstract

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Promoting green investment is the inevitable choice for sustainable economics against climate change. We examine how the COVID-19 pandemic affected corporate green investment. Using a sample of publicly listed firms in China, we document the negative and significant effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on corporate green investment. Further analyses suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic impeded corporate green investment by exacerbating firms’ financial constraints. We also find that the COVID-19 pandemic had no significant effect on total investment, suggesting that the pandemic shock only changed investment structure. In summary, our findings reveal the real effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on green development at the firm level.

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