Qiyang Xiong

Environmental Impacts of Digital Technologies

Qiyang Xiong is a Visiting PhD Student at the Environmental Change Institute in the School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford. He is also a PhD candidate in Energy Economics at the School of Applied Economics, Renmin University of China, under the supervision of Professor Zhan-Ming Chen. His research interests lie at the intersection of energy economics, environmental economics, and digital technologies. His work examines how AI development and the expansion of digital infrastructure influence energy demand, carbon emissions, and economic productivity. His current research investigates the power–computing–carbon nexus through quantitative economic modelling.

• Chen, Z.-M., Xiong, Q., Hu, Z., Liu, S. and Ma, J. (2026) The Climate Impact Paradox of Artificial Intelligence: Literature Review and Research Prospects. Journal of Energy and Climate Change, 2(2):  315-330.
• Chen, Z.-M., Xiong, Q., Duan, J., Ma, J., Chen, Z. and Guo, S. (2025) AI carbon footprint in China sets to double post-2030 carbon peaking. Energy Economics, 150: 108880.
• Ma, J., Wang, N., Chen, Z., Wang, L., Xiong, Q., Chen, P., Zhang, H., Zheng, Y. and Chen, Z.-M. (2024) Accounting and decomposition of China's CO₂ emissions 1981–2021. Applied Energy, 375: 124104.

Working Papers

• Value-Added Tax Reform, Resource Allocation Efficiency, and Labor Market Distortions. (Revise and Resubmit)
• Fixed Capital, Labor, and Carbon Footprint: A Redefinition of Consumer Responsibility. (Revise and Resubmit)
• Unpacking citywide carbon decoupling: A multi-scale assessment of direct and embodied emissions across Beijing’s urban land-use functions. (Revise and Resubmit)
• AI data center workload flexibility can reduce carbon emissions, water footprints, and power system costs in China. (Under Review)
• Estimating the Resource Allocation Effects of Digital Tax: A Quantitative Study Based on Multi-sector General Equilibrium. (Under Review)
• Artificial Intelligence Technology Innovation and Corporate Environmental Performance: Effects within Firms and Diffusion through Production Networks. (Under Review)