Climate Policy Uncertainty and Corporate Sustainability Capability: Evidence From ESG Performance

Abstract

With the serious ecological damage and frequent climate risks, stakeholders are increasingly concerned about corporate sustainability capability. Government agencies are also actively formulating climate policies to guide corporates to carry out ESG behaviors and promote economic and social sustainability. However, frequent climate policies may bring significant policy uncertainty, inhibiting firms' capability to improve sustainability. Based on the sample data of 742 listed firms in China from 2011 to 2022, we examine the impact of climate policy uncertainty (CPU) on corporate sustainability capability. The study finds that CPU significantly inhibits corporate sustainability capability, and this conclusion remains valid after a series of robustness tests. The mechanism tests show that CPU significantly inhibits corporate sustainability capability by reducing climate perception capability, triggering investor pessimism, and increasing bank risk. Further research found that government digital transformation can directly reduce CPU, thereby reducing the negative impact on corporate sustainability capability. The moderation analysis reveals that corporate digital transformation can significantly positively moderate the impact of CPU on corporate sustainability capability. The findings from the heterogeneity test indicate that corporates with high policy and risk sensitivity are more significantly affected by CPU in terms of their sustainability capability. Overall, this paper adds to the micro-level analytical framework and empirical evidence of climate policy shocks. Policymakers should pay attention to the issue of climate policy uncertainty and mitigate its negative shock on the sustainable development capacity of enterprises by creating more stable climate policy expectations.