## 2 Literature Review  
The environmental implications of digital transformation have become a focal point of research, particularly in the context of global efforts to combat climate change. Digital technologies can have both positive and negative effects on the environment, depending on how they are deployed and managed. On the positive side, digital technologies can contribute to environmental sustainability by improving energy efficiency, enabling the transition to renewable energy, and supporting the development of smart cities [21]. Digital transformation has a significantly positive impact on the environment, playing a crucial role in enhancing energy consumption efficiency and reducing carbon emissions [22]. Numerous studies have highlighted that the use of smart technologies contributes to increased efficiency in resource and energy management, optimizing production processes and energy distribution, leading to a substantial reduction in resource and energy waste [23]. Additionally, researchers such as [PERSON] et al. [24] have demonstrated that digital transformation is essential for reducing carbon emissions by facilitating teleworking and optimizing supply chains, thereby decreasing the carbon footprint associated with transportation. Moreover, it fosters ecological innovations, such as electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies, reducing dependence on fossil fuels. Digital technologies also enhance environmental monitoring capabilities, enabling rapid response actions. Recently, [PERSON] et al. [14] demonstrated that digitalization and the growth of the green economy represent a steadily increasing trend, with digitalization significantly promoting the latter, exhibiting a marginal effect of 1.648. However, digitalization also presents challenges, including the increase in electronic waste and energy consumption in data centers [25]. Due to its diverse effects--sometimes beneficial, other times detrimental--on the environment, digital transformation has been extensively studied in the literature, with its long-term benefits being consistently confirmed. According to the literature, environmental performance can be measured through a variety of indicators and methods, though it is most often evaluated using greenhouse gas emission indicators and energy efficiency indicators, frequently expressed through the use of renewable energy. In this context, we will analyze studies investigating the role of digitalization in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and studies examining its impact on increasing the use of renewable energy. Several studies have demonstrated that digital transformation influences greenhouse gas emissions both directly, through the production, use, and disposal of hardware and infrastructure required for information and communication technologies (ICT), and indirectly, through ICT's impact on emissions in other sectors such as transportation and energy, by applying these technologies to optimize and streamline processes in those sectors [26]. Preliminary studies have supported the idea that net effects (calculated as the difference between indirect and direct effects) can lead to a significant reduction in these emissions [27; 28]. For instance, [PERSON] and [PERSON] [27] estimated that the potential for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the EU through flexible work, audio and video conferencing, online telephone bills, virtual voicemail, and online tax returns is 48.37 Mt CO\({}_{2}\) compared to 4.73 Mt CO\({}_{2}\) directly caused by ICT. Furthermore, in the Global e-Sustainability Initiative [28], the ICT industry's association for sustainability asserts that, on a global scale, ICT applications could avoid up to 20% of annual GHG emissions by 2030 (indirect effect), while the ICT sector causes approximately 2% of global GHG emissions (direct effect).