Deterioration Of Environmental Quality Research Articles

National Environmental Taxes and Industrial Waste in Countries across Europe

The use of economic instruments within environmental policy has become a challenging topic for policymakers, governments and scholars. Environmental taxes have emerged as a prevailing preference in developed countries to promote sustainability. Recently, a particular focus has been given to waste generation and disposal, shifting the attention from greenhouse gases to another important source of environmental pollution. This paper investigates the effect of national environmental taxes and policies on industrial waste. A fixed effects model is used for 34 countries across Europe from 2004 to 2022. The results suggest that environmental taxes and energy policies reduce industrial (hazardous and non-hazardous) waste. However, environmental tax reforms should take into consideration the deterioration in environmental quality, the increase in economic costs and undesirable social consequences.

Asymmetric relationship between competitive industrial performance, renewable energy, industrialization, and carbon footprint: Does artificial intelligence matter for environmental sustainability?

Developing nations have emerged as integral contributors to the global economy since the beginning of the 21st century. Their swift economic expansion and associated activities lead to a rise in carbon footprint. Keeping this in view, unlike previous studies, this study unfolds the asymmetric repercussions of competitive industrial performance and renewable energy within the context of the industrialization era in seven Asian developing countries from 1990 to 2020. The panel NARDL and asymmetric panel causality methodologies have been applied for the purpose of nonlinear analysis. According to the results, the advantageous influence of competitive industrial performance is considerably more pronounced than that of industrialization. The coefficient magnitude associated with the negative shock demonstrates a significantly substantial value in comparison to the positive shock concerning the influence of competitive industrial performance on carbon footprint. Both positive and negative changes in competitive industrial performance mitigate carbon footprint. Renewable energy generates favorable consequences by promoting environmental quality via a reduction in carbon footprint. Across various emerging economies in Asia, the rapid rise of industrialization is linked to the deterioration of environmental quality. Finally, artificial intelligence and natural resource rents decrease carbon footprints while information and communication technology intensifies environmental concerns. The research emphasizes the critical nature of integrating artificial intelligence, robotics, and technological industrial competitiveness in order to adequately tackle the carbon footprint in Asian developing countries.

Multi-Scenario Simulation and Eco-Environmental Effects Analysis of Land Use/Cover Change in China by an Integrated Cellular Automata and Markov Model

Land use transitions play a critical role in ecological environmental restoration, but they are also plagued by ecological environmental problems caused by excessive land resource development. In this study, we propose a methodological framework for unveiling the nexus profile of land use/cover change (LUCC) and eco-environmental effects. This study explored the spatiotemporal evolution patterns of LUCC over a long time series based on high-precision land use data from 1990 to 2020. Then, the ecological values (EVs) of various cities were calculated to obtain the ecological contribution rate of different land use types in the process of change. Finally, the future development trends of land use and ecological environmental quality were predicted under multiple scenarios using the cellular automata–Markov model, and scientific policy recommendations were proposed. The results showed that the expansion trajectory of the construction land in the urban agglomeration mainly expanded inwards along the mouth of the Pearl River, and the conversion of cultivated land to construction land was the most significant type of land use change. The overall ecological environmental quality of the study area showed a downwards trend, with Shenzhen exhibiting the largest decrease in EVs. Cultivated land contributed significantly to improving regional ecological environmental quality, while the land use transition types with relatively large contributions to environmental quality deterioration were conversions to construction land. Under the scenario of coordinated protection, the degree of cultivated land area reduction was significantly reduced, and the area of forestland showed a positive growth trend, with the expansion trend of construction land being reversed. These research findings can enrich the theoretical research on the sustainable development of urban agglomerations and provide reliable data support for policy-making.

Towards zero-carbon cities: how does environmental information disclosure impact the risk of carbon locking?

Utilizing panel data from 119 cities spanning from 2013 to 2019, the study rigorously investigates the influence of environmental information disclosure (EID) on mitigating the risk of urban carbon lock-in through the application of both two-way fixed effects and spatial econometric models. The findings robustly indicate that EID plays a significant role in facilitating carbon unlocking within cities, a conclusion that remains steadfast even after addressing potential endogeneity issues. Mechanistically, it is revealed that EID can effectively decrease the risk of carbon lock-in by enhancing urbanization levels and reducing energy intensity. Furthermore, the study unveils that the efficacy of EID in curbing urban carbon lock-in risk is also contingent upon factors such as carbon intensity, population size, and environmental quality, highlighting the multifaceted nature of EID's impact on urban carbon management. Specifically, the increase in carbon intensity, the expansion of population size, and the deterioration of environmental quality will reduce the carbon unlocking effect, which may not be conducive to the achievement of the goal of "carbon neutrality" in cities. The spatial effect test found that EID and carbon locking risk are both spatially significant positive autocorrelation, the deepening of local EID can significantly cut the risk of carbon locking in neighboring cities, and the urbanization pathway and energy saving pathway exist both locally and in neighboring places.

Long‒term trends in surface thermal environment and its potential drivers along the urban development gradients in rapidly urbanizing regions of China

Urban areas are experiencing extensive expansion and intensive warming, accompanied by the deterioration of environmental quality and increased health risks. However, the complex effect of global climate change and human activity on the thermal environment evolution under different stages of urbanization remains unclear. In this study, land surface temperature (LST) and a newly-proposed surface urban heat island intensity (SUHII) were used to reveal the thermal environment and its evolution during 2002‒2020 in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), a rapidly urbanizing region in eastern China. The potential drivers of LST evolution were detected with random forest algorithm. We found that the thermal environment in the YRD had undergone deterioration trends, with the fastest warming trend observed in urban new towns (2.30 °C/decade). Although the urban cores had the highest LST, 15.91 % of urban cores exhibited a cooling trend, especially in cities with higher urbanization levels, which was caused by restored vegetation through urban renewal. Population density had the highest positive contributions in urban cores (21.08 %), while anthropogenic heat emissions accounted 21.87 % of the warming trend in urban new towns. Appropriate urban renewal and green infrastructure construction are effective strategies to alleviate the thermal environmental risks in highly urbanized areas.

High toxicity of agro-industrial wastewater on aquatic fauna of a South American stream: Mortality of aquatic turtles and amphibian tadpoles as bioindicators of environmental health.

The aim of this study was to characterize an aquatic system of Santa Fe province (Argentina) receiving wastewater from agro-industrial activities (mainly dairy) by in situ assessment (fauna mortality, physicochemical, microbiological, and pesticide residues measurement), and ecotoxicity bioassays on amphibian tadpoles. Water and sediment samples were obtained from the Los Troncos Stream (LTS), previous to the confluence with the "San Carlos" drainage channel (SCC), and from the SCC. Biological parameters (mortality and sublethal biomarkers) were used to evaluate ecotoxicity during 10-day exposure of Rhinella arenarum tadpoles to LTS and SCC samples. Nine pesticides were detected in both LTS and SCC. Chemical and biochemical oxygen demand, ammonia, and coliform count recorded in SCC greatly exceeded limits for aquatic life protection. At SCC and LTS after the confluence with SCC, numerous dying and dead aquatic turtles (Phrynops hilarii) were recorded. In the ecotoxicity assessment, no mortality of tadpoles was observed in LTS treatment, whereas total mortality (100%) was observed in SCC treatments in dilution higher than 50% of water and sediment. For SCC, median lethal concentration and the 95% confidence limits was 18.30% (14.71-22.77) at 24 h; lowest-observed and no-observed effect concentrations were 12.5% and 6.25%, respectively. Oxidative stress and neurotoxicity were observed in tadpoles exposed to 25% SCC dilution treatment. In addition, there was a large genotoxic effect (micronuclei test) in all sublethal SCC dilution treatments (6.25%, 12.5%, and 25%). These results alert about the high environmental quality deterioration and high ecotoxicity for aquatic fauna of aquatic ecosystems affected by agro-industrial wastewater. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Great mortality of turtles was observed in a basin with a high load of agro-industrial wastewater. San Carlos Channel (SCC), where effluents are spilled, is environmentally deteriorated. The water-sediment matrix of SCC caused 100% lethality in tadpoles. SCC dilutions caused neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, and genotoxicity on tadpoles.

Do renewable energy and human capital facilitate the improvement of environmental quality in the United States? A new perspective on environmental issues with the load capacity factor

Recently, countries have been making intensive efforts to alleviate the burden on the environment and to make environmental conditions sustainable. In this context, our study aims to investigate the long-term impact of renewable energy consumption (REC) and human capital (HC) by considering the load capacity factor (LCF). We also investigate the long-term impact of economic growth (Y) and non-renewable energy consumption (NREC) on the LCF. In this context, we analyze annual data for the U.S. for the period 1965–2018 using the newly developed augmented ARDL (AARDL) approach. The long-term empirical results show the following. i) Increases in Y negatively affect LCF and deteriorate environmental quality. ii) Increases in NREC negatively affect LCF and accelerate the deterioration of environmental quality. iii) REC has no significant impact on environmental quality. iv) Increases in HC support the improvement of environmental quality. The empirical results show that contrary to expectations, renewable energy consumption does not have a significant impact on environmental quality in the U.S., whereas human capital is an important factor in improving environmental quality. In this context, US policymakers should pave the way for more investment in eco-friendly renewable energy investments and human capital to establish sustainable environmental quality. Policymakers should also take steps to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

The International Conference on Environmental and Earth Sciences

“Multidisciplinary Approach in the Environmental and Earth Sciences for Sustainable Development” ICEES 2023 (https://www.its.ac.id/tlingkungan/icees2023/) INTRODUCTION Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) celebrates its 63rd Anniversary on November 10th, 2023. To commemorate this moment, the Department of Environmental Engineering (DEE), Faculty of Civil, Planning, and Geo-Engineering (CIVPLAN) at ITS, in collaboration with the Department of Geophysics Engineering of ITS and the Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), conducted the International Conference on Environmental and Earth Sciences (ICEES). ICEES 2023 took place in conjunction with the CIVPLAN’s International Conference, which serves as a platform to connect with other seminars held by each department within the faculty. Environmental issues have been increasing as a result of many factors that lead to potential detrimental effects on our children’s future. For the past 40 years, DEE has been spending tremendous efforts to contribute ways to reduce and minimize environmental pollution.This conference takes the general theme of the Multidisciplinary Approach in the Environmental and Earth Sciences for Sustainable Development, supporting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Rapid population growth and economic development have become contributing factors to environmental degradation. Urban areas receive more pressure due to escalated urbanization, excess use of natural resources, and pollution of the environment. Environmental pollution has been linked to various diseases, such as water-borne diseases and respiratory diseases, and the endangerment of biodiversity. Over the past decades, cities in Asia have been rapidly growing. Climate change has exacerbated the deterioration in environmental quality in the cities. Communities living in small islands and coastal areas became more vulnerable than before.More efforts are needed to develop solutions to create sustainable cities and communities. ICEES 2023 emphasizes multidisciplinary research in environmental and earth sciences for sustainable development along with practices and fosters exchanges among scientists, practitioners, professionals, and young researchers who are concerned with the above aspects. DEE strives to contribute not only to society but also to knowledge updates.List of Objective, Conference Date and Platform, Participants, Acknowledgements, Sessions, Organizers, Contact person, Administration, Secretariat, Documentation, International Advisory Board, Scientific Committee are available in this Pdf.

Mercury distribution in the coastal zone of Central Chile, Southeast Pacific: A comprehensive assessment of seawater, sediment, and biota

This study examines the mercury content in the marine matrices water column, surface sediment and benthic invertebrates of Coronel and Coliumo bays, central Chile, under winter and summer conditions. Coronel Bay has been subject to intense industrialization in the last three decades, while Coliumo Bay remains as a fisherman's cove and a popular summer tourism destination. Our results reveal significantly higher mercury concentrations in the three environmental matrices analyzed for Coronel Bay, while Coliumo Bay exhibits levels within the range considered natural. Moreover, the mercury levels in Coronel Bay exceed the optimal criteria for aquatic life, indicating a deterioration in environmental quality of this locality. Industrial development is identified as main factor explaining the differences observed between these two coastal water bodies. This study presents the most updated record of mercury levels in the Southeast Pacific and represents the first comprehensive evaluation of marine environmental matrices in two bays with divergent activities.

Reexamining the impact of natural resource rent and corruption control on environmental quality: Evidence from carbon emissions and ecological footprint in 152 countries

AbstractIn order to explore the impact of natural resource rent and corruption control on environmental quality (ecological footprint, carbon emissions), this paper uses the moment quantile regression method within the framework of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. Based on the availability of data, the research object is positioned as the sample data of 152 countries from 2002 to 2018 to obtain more in‐depth and comprehensive research conclusions. The empirical results show that: (1) Corruption control has a significant effect on improving the ecological environment in countries and regions with poor environmental quality. The impact of natural resource rent on environmental quality remains inconclusive, when environmental quality is relatively high, natural resource rent tends to promote the increase of carbon emissions, but there is a reduction effect on the ecological footprint. For countries and regions with better environmental quality, there will be an effect of increasing resource consumption and reducing pollutant emissions. (2) Increasing the consumption intensity of energy will lead to the deterioration of environmental quality, and increasing the proportion of renewable resources will increase and weaken this impact, so it is particularly important to improve the energy consumption structure and improve environmental quality. (3) The impact of urbanization on environmental quality dose not form a unified opinion, and the difference in the selection of environmental quality indicators brings variability to the results, which also prompts the adoption of multiple indicators or the establishment of a composite index that covers multiple perspectives of environmental quality to conduct comprehensive and in‐depth research on environmental quality.

Analysis of the relationship between tourism, green technological innovation and environmental quality in the top 15 most visited countries: evidence from method of moments quantile regression

AbstractGlobal warming, climate change and environmental pollution are considered among the important developments that threaten all world economies. In this context, the transition to a zero-emission economy remains one of the environmental sustainability goals of policymakers. The literature investigating the tourism-environmental pollution relationship has limited emphasis on the role of green technological innovation. Therefore, this study explores the effect of tourism and green technological innovation on CO2 emissions in top 15 most visited countries during the period of 1995–2019. Renewable energy consumption, financial development and economic growth are integrated into the CO2 emissions equation as control variables. The cointegration tests verify the existence of a cointegration between variables. The long-run estimaters reveal that tourism, green technological innovation and renewable energy consumption serve to improve environmental quality by reducing CO2 emissions. Contrary to these findings, financial development and economic growth play a role in the increase of CO2 emissions implying a deterioration in environmental quality. The bootstrap causality analysis points to a bidirectional causality between tourism and CO2 emissions and between green technological innovation and CO2 emissions. The findings will make important contributions to policy makers in these countries in meeting their CO2 emissions reduction targets. Graphical Abstract

Sustainable development goals in Sumatera Island: Poverty, Economic growth, and Environment

This article discusses the three pillars of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): poverty, economic growth, and the environmental quality index (EQI). Utilizing secondary data from the Ministry of Environment and the Central Statistics Agency covering the 2018-2022 period across 10 provinces in Sumatra, the research employs panel data regression and Cartesian analysis techniques. Poverty and economic growth exert partial and simultaneous influences on the environmental quality index. A decrease in poverty correlates with improved environmental quality, likely due to heightened environmental awareness alongside increased prosperity. Conversely, rising economic growth leads to environmental quality deterioration, attributed in part to heightened industrial and transportation activities. Cartesian analysis indicates the Riau Islands Province holds potential as the top-performing region in SDG achievement on Sumatra Island.

Sand mining in BRICS economies: Tragedy of the commons or fortune in the making?

Sand is a strategic natural resource that plays a key role in delivering ecological services, protecting biodiversity, promoting economic growth, and supplying means of subsistence. This study investigates the relationship between sand mining, land-use change, economic growth, environmental policy stringency, urbanization, biodiversity loss, and ecological footprint in BRICS economies using a quantile regression (MM-QR) approach over the period 1990–2020. For robustness, this study employs the Dumitrescu-Hurling causality panel test to explore and validate the long-term association among the variables. The empirical results reveal that urbanization, economic growth, land use changes and sand mining are all positively associated with environmental degradation in the long run. Results further indicate that weak environmental governance and biodiversity loss leads to deterioration of environmental quality. Overall, the study infers that sand is a common pool resource that is prone to the tragedy of the commons, posing a real threat to the environment and economic development in BRICS economies. The results highlight the importance of sustainable sand mining practices and environmental governance in promoting environmental quality and offset the negative consequences associated with this activity.

Preface

International conference on Sustainable Coastal Management SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCE OF COASTAL MANAGEMENT SRCM 2022 (https://www.its.ac.id/mkpi/the-3rd-srcm-its/) INTRODUCTION This conference takes the general theme of Sustainability and Resilience of Coastal Management considering that Indonesia is an archipelago country, and most of the human settlement and activity are located in the coastal areas, also supporting the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals 12 and 14. In the past few decades, there has been a lot of deterioration in environmental quality in the coastal area due to human activities, such as marine pollution due to marine litter and wastewater discharge, eutrophication in the water body, especially rivers, which eventually pollute the ocean. Marine biodiversity is critical to our planet and human health. The coastal area becomes more vulnerable because of climate change. Ecosystem damage also occurs around coastal areas. Communities living in coastal areas face greater risk, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic, which significantly impacts livelihoods.More efforts are needed to develop solutions to protect coastal areas. Research regarding the environment and development, green marine technology, resilience for climate change including adaptation and mitigation, are socially and economically important to manage this vulnerable area. It is also essential to integrate policies and management to support infrastructure and human development in coastal areas. OBJECTIVE The international conference is a forum for disseminating the latest research and innovation of selected topics from researchers, practitioners, and academics. At the same time, this conference also offers an opportunity for experts in related fields to network. Through this event, various institutions can promote educational, research, and development activities they accomplished. CONFERENCE DATE AND PLATFORM This international conference took place on November 29, 2022. It was conducted fully online using Zoom Webinar. The link to join the webinar was sent to the registrant two weeks prior to the event via email. In order to maintain mutual safety due to the uncertain condition of Covid-19, SRCM 2022 will be held by Institute Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS), Surabaya, in virtual/online format.List of Scientific Committee is available in this pdf.

Green financing and technological innovation influence on e-commerce industry green environment.

The urgent need to address environmental concerns has led to the adoption of green production targets by businesses worldwide. This paper explores the influence of green financing and technological innovation on green e-commerce as companies seek to achieve these targets. The study uses a qualitative research design, employing semi-structured interviews with industry experts to gather data. The findings indicate that green financing has a significant positive effect on adopting green production practices and implementing green technological innovations, positively impacting green e-commerce. To reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and promote long-term economic development, COP 26's guiding principles emphasize the need for robust institutions and environmentally responsible technology innovation. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and associated factors will be analyzed in this research for numerous South Asian nations from 1995 to 2020. Institutional and green technological improvements, alternative energy sources, more accessible commerce, population growth, and economic growth are all examples of such factors. With the possibility of residual cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity, the research used second-generation panel methodologies to investigate the interrelationships between the variables. Switching to renewable energy sources and implementing environmentally friendly technology innovations have both been shown to cut CO2 emissions by an empirically supported 0.084% and 0.054%, respectively. There is a 0.215 percentage point deterioration in environmental quality due to poor institutional quality, a growing population, increased trade openness, and a thriving economy. The study concludes that achieving green production targets depend on the availability of green financing and the adoption of green technological innovations in the e-commerce industry. This paper provides insights for policymakers, businesses, and investors interested in promoting sustainable business practices and the achievement of green production targets.

Prediction of energy-related carbon emission intensity in China, America, India, Russia, and Japan using a novel self-adaptive grey generalized Verhulst model

Excessive energy-related carbon emission intensity will lead to deterioration of environmental quality and hinder green economic growth. This paper proposes a novel self-adaptive fractional order grey generalized Verhulst model (SAFGGVM) to predict energy-related carbon emission intensity in China, America, India, Russia, and Japan with nonlinear and complex characteristics effectively. Firstly, self-adaptive fractional order and dynamic background value coefficient are introduced to capture the nonlinear evolutionary trends. Subsequently, the optimal nonlinear parameters are determined using Grey Wolf Optimization algorithm through comprehensive comparison. Furthermore, the flexibility of SAFGGVM is verified by presenting its relevance to existing models. Finally, the validity, applicability, and robustness of SAFGGVM are confirmed by comparing with two machine learning models and four grey prediction models. The empirical results exhibit that the overall precision of SAFGGVM model significantly prevails over the others in five cases, with MAPE values less than 6% in both the simulation and prediction intervals. The out-of-sample forecast results indicate that the energy-related carbon emission intensity of five countries will fall into 5.7024, 1.6030, 7.3668, 8.1633, 2.0399 tons/10,000 USD by 2025, and the decreasing rate of developing countries tends to catch up with, or even exceed, developed countries. Projection results can serve as a reference point for countries to achieve green and sustainable development.

Environmental Quality Deterioration in the Mamminasata Metropolitan New City Area, South Sulawesi, Indonesia

Excessive urbanization in the development dynamics of Makassar City in its position as the main city in the Mamminasata Metropolitan urban system has an impact on the expansion of the area towards suburban areas for the needs of new city development. The development of new cities through the development of socio-economic activities contributes positively to the quality of the environment. Increased housing development and socio-economic activities mark this condition, and urban infrastructure is allocated for new urban areas. The development of the new city area of Moncongloe-Pattalasang impacts changes in spatial attributes, spatial dynamics, and urban transportation systems based on patterns of origin and travel destinations towards the complexity of space utilization and environmental degradation from the suburbs. This study analyzes the direct and indirect effects of land cover change, land elevation, and agricultural land conversion on environmental degradation. This study uses a quantitative survey approach, and data was obtained through observation, survey, and documentation. The study results show that the development of new urban areas has positively contributed to the spatial dynamics and socio-economic system of the Mamminasata urban community. Furthermore, the difference in land elevation has positively affected changes in spatial activity patterns, environmental quality degradation, and the potential risk of urban flooding in the new city area of Moncongloe-Pattalassang. This study recommends restoring the environmental quality of new urban areas in formulating policies to support the sustainability of the Mamminasata Metropolitan urban development.

Spatio-temporal variability of the earth’s surface temperature and the changes in land user/land cover: implications for sustainable tourism development

ABSTRACT Tourism both contributes to environmental change and is, in turn, affected by such change. One area that is of considerable significance is tourism’s contribution to land use change and its subsequent impacts. Land use change, such as tourism urbanization, together with global heating leads to an increase in surface temperature and deterioration in environmental quality and human comfort levels. Understanding the implications of tourism-related land use change is therefore of considerable importance for climate adaptation. Using Landsat satellite images, the evolution of land users/covers and the temperature of the land surface between 1985 and 2020 were studied in Cyprus. The analysis of the data confirms that tourism development activities have influenced the increase in urban hotspots. This destination has experienced a 6.2°C increase in average temperature and 168.8% in the urban hotspot. Based on the findings the study highlights the implications for sustainable tourism development and potential means of mitigation.

Current and future land fire risk mapping in the southern region of Sumatra, Indonesia, using CMIP6 data and GIS analysis

Land fires lead to a deterioration of environmental quality and have perilous social and economic aspects. One method for mitigating this hazard is to determine the range of fire risk areas. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the current and potential future fire risk in the Ogan Komering Ilir, southern Sumatra region of Indonesia, using CMIP6 data and geospatial technology. In order to analyze fire risk areas, the Landsat 8 satellite image from 2021 (as a baseline period) was used. Variables like the normalized difference moisture index (NDMI), the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and the land surface temperature (LST) were extracted from the satellite image. Then, the standard precipitation index (SPI) was determined using rainfall data from meteorological stations. For future period prediction (periods 2021–2040 and 2041–2060), this study used future climate data from the CMIP6. By overlaying these variables, current and future fire risk zone maps were produced. The results obtained showed that in the current period, around 726.4 km2 (4.2%) of the area was at high fire risk, then 5,621.3 km2 (32.7%) and 10,835.3 km2 (63.1%) were at moderate and low fire risk zones, respectively. Furthermore, for the future period, this study estimated there was an increase in high fire risk areas of about 14% during 2021–2040 and 30% during 2041–2060. This was recorded in the southern and northern parts of the study area. Fire risk areas were strongly associated with NDMI, NDVI, and LST. The study's findings may be useful for land fire management in fire-prone areas.

The heterogeneous effect of ICT on countries with different levels of ecological degradation and income: A panel quantile approach

Existing studies concerning the nexus between Information Communication Technology (ICT) and the environment have consistently reported findings of an average effect of ICT on environmental degradation. However, false conclusions can be drawn by ignoring that the degree of environmental quality differs across countries and relying solely on ICT's average impact. The present study argued that ICT's impact on the environment differs between countries with different levels of ecological degradation and income. This argument was addressed by employing Panel Quantile Regression (PQR) on panel data spanning 50 high-income economies, 49 upper-middle-income economies, and 72 low-income economies between 2000 and 2020. ICT infrastructure in each country was measured by combining fixed broadband and mobile cellular subscriptions. At the same time, environmental quality was measured by the ecological footprint. According to the PQR analysis, expanding ICT services was associated with a significant deterioration in environmental quality in countries with healthy ecological systems, regardless of income level. In contrast, developing ICT sectors improved the environment in countries with highly degrading environments. Based on this study's findings, a threshold level of the ecological footprint (rather than ICT) existed, after which expanding ICT services improved the environment. In this regard, this study's findings indicated that generalising the benefits of expanding ICT services on the environment is misleading. Consequently, this paper has provided different recommendations and policy implications for each income group.