Investigating the links between ICTs, passenger transportation, and environmental sustainability

Abstract

This paper investigates linkages between ICTs, passenger transportation, and environmental sustainability with regard to a panel dataset of 46 countries over the years 1998-2016. Telephone and internet penetration are employed to measure ICTs, while environmental damages are proxied in terms of three different indicators related to carbon emissions coming from different sources. The empirical methodology employs the 2-step system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) with the consideration of two empirical specifications: without and with conditioning variables (per capita GDP growth, urbanization, and energy consumption). The findings show that the association between ICTs and passenger transportation activity can positively affect environmental sustainability with regard to carbon emission reductions. Second, the adoption of the telephone in the road transport sector is more efficient than the internet in reducing carbon emissions. Third, internet connectivity is better employed in the air and rail passenger sectors. Public policies and their effective implementations are discussed.

Keywords: Environmental quality; GMM; ICTs; Passenger transport; Sustainable transportation.