Investigating the Dynamics of Information and Communication Technology and Environmental Degradation (evidence from developing countries)

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role of ICT due to ecological footprint from the perspective of individual effect and the trend of the 113 countries' reserves and land production in selected developing countries using the data panel method in the period 1992-2018. The results showed that increasing the mobile penetration rate increased greenhouse gas and carbon dioxide emissions and increased the ecological footprint effect. However, increasing the Internet penetration rate has reduced carbon dioxide emissions, increased greenhouse gases, and increased ecological footprint. Therefore, ICT use in these countries has not yet been effective in improving the environment. In the short term, there is a positive relationship between economic growth and environmental degradation in these countries, and economic growth worsens the quality of the environment. And in the long term, there is evidence of the Kuznets hypothesis being correct. Dynamic analysis showed that the use of ICT has been effective in improving the environment and this effect lasts for at least a decade. Technology shocks have an immediate effect on improving some environmental indicators and the range of effects on some indicators appears in the long term. In these countries, the production of ICT has no relative advantage, but they can benefit from the economic and environmental benefits of ICT.