Abstract
This study explores the dynamic effects of road transportation infrastructure, transport taxes, economic growth, trade openness, and environmental technologies on the ecological footprint using three quantile regression techniques: Simultaneous, Powell, and Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR). These variables are selected for their significant influence on both economic outcomes and environmental sustainability, reflecting the interconnectedness of transportation systems, government policies, and technological advancements in shaping ecological impacts. Based on panel data from 19 European countries between 1995 and 2020, the results reveal that investments in road infrastructure and higher transport taxes contribute to reducing ecological footprint. At the middle and high quantiles, advancements in environment-related technologies further decrease the ecological footprint, whereas trade openness tends to worsen ecological quality. Importantly, the relationship between GDP and the ecological footprint follows an inverted U-shape, confirming the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis across all quantiles, which suggests that economic growth can support environmental sustainability in the long run. These findings are validated by robustness checks using fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), and canonical cointegration regression (CCR) models. Key policy implications include the need for targeted investments in road infrastructure and transport tax strategies, tailored to national contexts, along with technology-driven strategies to curb environmental degradation. Lastly, the panel causality test reveals unidirectional causality from economic growth, road transportation infrastructure, and environment-related technologies to ecological footprint, highlighting their significance as short-term contributors to environmental improvement.
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