To Achieve Carbon Neutrality Targets in Pakistan: New Insights of Information and Communication Technology and Economic Globalization

Kashif Iqbal,Muhammad Haroon Shah,Khurshaid Khurshaid,Syed Tauseef Hassan,Yichu Wang,Madeeha Syed

doi:10.3389/fenvs.2021.805360

Abstract

In recent years, information and communication technology (ICT) is used in every sphere of life, from business to services, education to culture, infrastructure to transportation, and art to entertainment. The current study aims to assess the impact of ICT, economic growth, and globalization on CO2 emission in the context of Pakistan. For empirical estimation, the current study applied an innovative methodological approach called generalized linear model (GLM) and robust least square (ROBUSTLS) technique for the years 1990–2019. The key finding of this study shows that economic growth has a positive and significant effect on CO2 emission, which confirm that economic growth accelerates the rate of CO2 emission, while the study also reveals that ICT usage (more specifically ICT-internet and ICT-mobilesubscription) has a negative but significant effect on CO2 emission, which confirms that the usage of ICT (more specifically ICT-internet and ICT-mobile subscription) does not contribute positively to CO2 emission. Furthermore, the coefficient of globalization has a positive and significant effect on the CO2 emission, which confirms that globalization accelerates the CO2 emission in the country. Also, the results indicate that ICT usage (more specifically ICT-internet and ICT-mobile subscription) could boost economic growth and mitigate climate change. Based on the policy perspective, the government of Pakistan needs to strategically focus on the ICT sector and more specifically on technological innovations to promote sustainable economic growth in the country.

Highlights

Today in the modern era of globalization, it is well-documented that information and communication technology (ICT) has wide-ranging impacts on key global systems and plays a key role in terms of both socioeconomic and cultural activities (Zhang and Liu, 2015; Salahuddin et al, 2016)
The main purpose of this study is to examine the impact of ICT, economic growth, and economic globalization on CO2 emissions in the context of Pakistan for the period of 1990–2019
The main goal of the current study was to investigate the impact of ICT, economic growth, and economic globalization on CO2 emissions in the context of Pakistan

Summary

Introduction

Today in the modern era of globalization, it is well-documented that information and communication technology (ICT) has wide-ranging impacts on key global systems and plays a key role in terms of both socioeconomic and cultural activities (Zhang and Liu, 2015; Salahuddin et al, 2016). It has been estimated that ICT generates 2% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions via the use of digital PCs, internet servers, internet capability, fixed broadband, mobile telephones, local area network (LAN), and other related technologies (Bastida et al, 2019). The ICT usage effect comes from using digital PCs, internet servers, internet capability, fixed broadband, mobile telephone, LAN, and other related technologies to produce CO2 emission (Bastida et al, 2019), while the ICT substitution effect comes from using mechanizations to reduce CO2 emissions, for instance, using email in substitution of writing a letter, reading an e-book in substitution of a physical, printed book, using smart transportation systems for traffic, and other e-communication services (Asongu et al, 2018)

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