The role of GICT and environmental regulation in affecting ecological footprint

Abstract

Research studies have recently diverted attention towards the determinant of ecological footprints, but related issues have not provided consistent results. Based on the IPAT model (environmental impact (I) is decomposed into three elements: population (P), affluence (A, economic growth), and technology level (T)), this paper empirically explores the validity of the green information and communication technology (GICT)-induced environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The research applies a quantile regression (QR) that tests over 95 countries' panel data for the period 2000-2017 by using six types of ecological footprint (EF) as environmental degradation indicators and environmental regulations (ERs) as interaction variables. We confirm the vital role that GICT plays in lessening cropland, forest area, and grazing land, while increasing its impact on built-up land. Additionally, the findings partially support the existence of an inverted U-shaped GICT-induced environmental EKC hypothesis for a decreasing impact on cropland, forest area, and grazing land via consideration of non-market-based ER as the interaction term. GICT does not notably reduce carbon-absorption land usage; however, improvements of GICT and non-market-based ER in those nations have been accompanied by lower environmental degradation.

Keywords: Ecological footprint (EF); Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC); Environmental regulation (ER); Green information and communication technology (GICT); Quantile regression (QR).