The special collection for sustainable development and climate governance in the age of digital intelligence

Amid severe challenges to global sustainable development, digital technology has emerged as a transformative force, providing innovative paradigms for climate governance and green transformation. Yet, the speed and depth of this transformation remain uneven across regions and sectors. This special collection focuses on the digital intelligence era, systematically exploring the crucial role of digital tools in enhancing environmental monitoring's accuracy, optimizing resource allocation's efficiency, and reducing green finance' cost. It further interrogates how these tools interact with institutional, behavioral, and geopolitical variables that condition their effectiveness. It also dissects digital tools' intrinsic mechanisms and synergistic effects in promoting the sustainable development of enterprises, industries, and regions, highlighting how data-driven approaches can bridge scale gaps and foster multi-level sustainability transitions. This special collection features eight papers providing crucial theoretical support and practical paths for building an intelligent, systematic, and fair global climate governance system. By integrating empirical findings with forward-looking perspectives, this body of work aims to inform policy, guide corporate strategy, and inspire further innovation in the pursuit of a digitally empowered sustainable future.