Abstract
Governments internationally strive to balance environmental health and economic development. Modern economies, specifically emerging ones, emphasize the importance of eco-friendly progress, where the pace of economic growth limits the ecological footprint. The ecological footprint denotes both the trajectory of natural resource extraction in the economic process and how quickly these resources can be replenished, as well as the capacity of the ecological sector to absorb waste from this process. This study examines 38 countries from 1994 to 2020 to investigate the drivers of the ecological footprint and found that environmentally related technologies harmfully influence ecological deprivation but are positively affected by gross domestic product growth. Renewable energy diminishes pollution levels, while urbanization has an insignificant effect. Imports were only found to be significant with one econometric technique, and their impact on the ecological footprint was positive. Income level affects the influence of gross domestic product on the ecological footprint. Lower-income quantiles have a more significant impact than higher quantiles. The Granger causality test shows bidirectional causality between the ecological footprint and exogenous factors: eco-technologies, gross domestic product/capita, renewable energy, urbanization, and imports.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and materials
The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are variability from the first author on reasonable request.
Abbreviations
- CO2 :
-
Carbon dioxide
- EKC:
-
Environmental Kuznets curves
- EF:
-
Ecological footprint
- ERT:
-
Environmentally related technologies
- GDP:
-
Gross domestic product
- IPCC:
-
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
- IPAT:
-
Population (P), affluence (A), and technology (T)
- REN:
-
Renewable Energy
References
Adedoyin FF, Alola AA, Bekun FV (2020) An assessment of environmental sustainability corridor: the role of economic expansion and research and development in EU countries. Sci Total Environ 713:136726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136726
Agblevor FA, Beis S, Kim S, Tarrant R, Mante N (2010) Biocrude oils from the fast pyrolysis of poultry litter and hardwood. Waste Manag 30(2):298–307
Andersson JO, Lindroth M (2001) Ecologically unsustainable trade. Ecol Econ 37(1):113–122
Ashraf MZ, Wei W, Usman M, Mushtaq S (2024) How can natural resource dependence, environmental-related technologies and digital trade protect the environment: redesigning SDGs policies for sustainable environment? Resour Policy 88:104456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104456
Bekun FV, Alola AA, Sarkodie SA (2019) Toward a sustainable environment: Nexus between CO2 emissions, resource rent, renewable and non-renewable energy in 16-EU countries. Sci Total Environ 657:1023–1029. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.12.104
Blomquist J, Westerlund J (2013) Testing slope homogeneity in large panels with serial correlation. Econ Lett 121(3), 374–378. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.ECONLET.2013.09.012
Boamah KB, Du J, Boamah AJ, Appiah K (2018) A study on the causal effect of urban population growth and international trade on environmental pollution: evidence from China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25(6):5862–5874
Canay IA (2011) A simple approach to quantile regression for panel data. Econom J 14(3):368–386. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1368-423X.2011.00349.x
Chen Y, Lee C-C, Chen M (2021) Ecological footprint, human capital, and urbanization. Energy Environ 33(3):487–510. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958305X211008610
Danish, Ulucak R (2020) How do environmental technologies affect green growth? Evidence from BRICS economies. Sci Total Environ 712:136504. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.136504
Danish, Ulucak R, Khan SUD (2020) Determinants of the ecological footprint: role of renewable energy, natural resources, and urbanization. Sustain Cities Soc 54:101996. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101996
Dietz T, Rosa EA (1994) Rethinking the environmental impacts of population, affluence and technology. Hum Ecol Rev 1(2):277–300
Dinda S (2004) Environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis: a survey. Ecol Econ 49(4):431–455
Dogan E, Taspinar N, Gokmenoglu KK (2019) Determinants of ecological footprint in MINT countries. Energy Environ 30(6):1065–1086. https://doi.org/10.1177/0958305X19834279
Ehrlich RP, Holdren PJ (1971) Impact of population growth. Science 171(3977):1212–1217. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.171.3977.1212
Global Footprint Network (2020) Calculating Earth Overshoot Day 2020: Estimates Point to August 22. In Nature Climate Change (Vol. 10, Issue 7)
Global Footprint Network (2021) Global Footprint Network. https://data.footprintnetwork.org/?_ga=2.119469760.875854760.1592913814-1106911989.1586515594#/
Gritsevskyi A, Nakićenovi N (2000) Modeling uncertainty of induced technological change. Energy Policy 28(13):907–921
Grossman GM, Krueger AB (1991) Environmental impacts of a North American free trade agreement. National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge
Guieysse B, Béchet Q, Shilton A (2013) Variability and uncertainty in water demand and water footprint assessments of fresh algae cultivation based on case studies from five climatic regions. Biores Technol 128:317–323
Hansen BE (1999) Threshold effects in non-dynamic panels: estimation, testing, and inference. J Econom 93(2):345–368. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-4076(99)00025-1
Hao W, Rasul F, Bhatti Z, Hassan MS, Ahmed I, Asghar N (2021) A technological innovation and economic progress enhancement: an assessment of sustainable economic and environmental management. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28(22):28585–28597. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12559-9
Hassan ST, Xia E, Khan NH, Shah SMA (2019) Economic growth, natural resources, and ecological footprints: evidence from Pakistan. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26(3):2929–2938. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-3803-3
IPCC (2014) Climate Change 2013—The Physical Science Basis: Working Group I Contribution to the Fifth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Core. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107415324
IPCC (2018) 2019: Summary for policymakers. Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report on the Impacts of Global Warming of 1.5°C above Pre-Industrial Levels and Related Global Greenhouse Gas Emission Pathways, in the Context of Strengthening the Global Response to the Threat of Climate Change, Sustainable Development, and Efforts to Eradicate Poverty, 32
Ke H, Dai S, Fan F (2021) Does innovation efficiency inhibit the ecological footprint? An empirical study of China’s provincial regions. Technol Anal Strateg Manag. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2021.1959910
Kihombo S, Ahmed Z, Chen S, Adebayo TS, Kirikkaleli D (2021) Linking financial development, economic growth, and ecological footprint: what is the role of technological innovation? Environ Sci Pollut Res 28(43):61235–61245. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-14993-1
Koenker R (2004) Quantile regression for longitudinal data. J Multivar Anal 91(1):74–89
Kuznets S (1955) Economic growth and income inequality. Am Econ Rev 45(1):1–28
Liddle B (2018) Consumption-based accounting and the trade-carbon emissions nexus. Energy Econ 69:71–78
Lohwasser J, Schaffer A, Brieden A (2020) The role of demographic and economic drivers on the environment in traditional and standardized STIRPAT analysis. Ecol Econ 178:106811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2020.106811
Machado JAF, Santos Silva JMC (2019) Quantiles via moments. J Econom 213(1):145–173. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconom.2019.04.009
Mensah CN, Long X, Dauda L, Boamah KB, Salman M, Appiah-Twum F, Tachie AK (2019) Technological innovation and green growth in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development economies. J Clean Prod 240:118204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.118204
Mohapatra S, Adamowicz W, Boxall P (2016) Dynamic technique and scale effects of economic growth on the environment. Energy Econ 57:256–264
Muhammad S, Long X, Salman M, Dauda L (2020) Effect of urbanization and international trade on CO2 emissions across 65 belt and road initiative countries. Energy 196:117102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2020.117102
Pesaran MH (2007) A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence. J Appl Econom 22(2):265–312. https://doi.org/10.1002/jae.951
Pesaran MH, Yamagata T (2008) Testing slope homogeneity in large panels. J Econom 142(1):50–93
Qing L, Usman M, Radulescu M, Haseeb M (2024) Towards the vision of going green in South Asian region: the role of technological innovations, renewable energy and natural resources in ecological footprint during globalization mode. Resour Policy 88:104506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2023.104506
Sahoo M, Sethi N (2022) The dynamic impact of urbanization, structural transformation, and technological innovation on ecological footprint and PM2.5: evidence from newly industrialized countries. Environ Dev Sustain 24(3):4244–4277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-021-01614-7
Salman M, Zha D, Wang G (2022) Interplay between urbanization and ecological footprints: differential roles of indigenous and foreign innovations in ASEAN-4. Environ Sci Policy 127:161–180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2021.10.016
Saqib N, Usman M (2023) Are technological innovations and green energy prosperity swiftly reduce environmental deficit in China and United States? Learning from two sides of environmental sustainability. Energy Rep 10:1672–1687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egyr.2023.08.022
Saqib N, Ozturk I, Usman M, Sharif A, Razzaq A (2023) Pollution Haven or Halo? How European countries leverage FDI, energy, and human capital to alleviate their ecological footprint. Gondwana Res 116:136–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2022.12.018
Sun Y, Usman M, Radulescu M, Pata UK, Balsalobre-Lorente D (2023) New insights from the STIPART model on how environmental-related technologies, natural resources and the use of the renewable energy influence load capacity factor. Gondwana Res. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gr.2023.05.018
Topcu BA (2021) The impact of export, import, and renewable energy consumption on Turkey’s ecological footprint. J Econ Finance Account 8(1):31–38
Tugcu CT, Ozturk I, Aslan A (2012) Renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth relationship revisited: evidence from G7 countries. Energy Econ 34(6):1942–1950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2012.08.021
Usman M, Radulescu M (2022) Examining the role of nuclear and renewable energy in reducing carbon footprint: does the role of technological innovation really create some difference? Sci Total Environ 841:156662
Usman M, Jahanger A, Makhdum MSA, Radulescu M, Balsalobre-Lorente D, Jianu E (2023) An empirical investigation of ecological footprint using nuclear energy, industrialization, fossil fuels and foreign direct investment. Energies 15(17):6442. https://doi.org/10.3390/en15176442
Wackernagel M, Monfreda C (2004) Ecological Footprints and Energy (C. J. B. T.-E. of E. Cleveland, Ed.; pp 1–11). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B0-12-176480-X/00120-0
Wackernagel M, Rees WE (1997) Perceptual and structural barriers to investing in natural capital: economics from an ecological footprint perspective. Ecol Econ 20(1):3–24. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(96)00077-8
Wang J, Usman M, Saqib N, Shahbaz M, Hossain MR (2023) Asymmetric environmental performance under economic complexity, globalization and energy consumption: evidence from the World’s largest economically complex economy. Energy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2023.128050
Westerlund J (2007) Testing for error correction in panel data. Oxford Bull Econ Stat 69(6):709–748
World Bank (2022) Patent Applications. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IP.PAT.RESD
Xiao J, Juodis A, Karavias Y, Sarafidis V (2021) Improved tests for granger non-causality in panel data
Yang S, Jahanger A, Usman M (2024) Examining the influence of green innovations in industrial enterprises on China’s smart city development. Technol Forecast Soc Chang 199:123031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.123031
York R, Rosa EA, Dietz T (2003) STIRPAT, IPAT and ImPACT: analytic tools for unpacking the driving forces of environmental impacts. Ecol Econ 46(3):351–365. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8009(03)00188-5
Zerbo E, Darné O (2019) On the stationarity of CO2 emissions in OECD and BRICS countries: a sequential testing approach. Energy Econ 83:319–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2019.07.013
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Amar Rao presented conceptualization, introduction, software, methodology, conclusion, interpreted results, and writing—original draft preparation. Gagan Deep Sharma performed conceptualization, formal analysis, visualization, results interpretation, and writing—original draft preparation. Magdalena Radulescu prepared abstract, validation, writing—original draft preparation, and review and editing. Muhammad Usman provided conceptualization, visualization, project administration, results interpretation, revised draft, and finalizes manuscript and review and editing. Daniel Balsalobre-Lorente revided literature review and writing—original draft preparation.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Ethics approval
Not applicable.
Consent to participate
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
Not applicable.
Additional information
Editorial responsibility: C. Li.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Rao, A., Sharma, G.D., Radulescu, M. et al. Environmental apprehension under COP26 agreement: Examining the influence of environmental-related technologies and energy consumption on ecological footprint. Int. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-024-05526-7
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-024-05526-7