Overall, the findings of this study suggested that the development of a strong ICT sector with high levels of human capital can potentially reduce CO2 emissions. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. In developed countries, ICT has a much greater effect on reducing air pollution and investment in ICT per GDP leads to a greater reduction in CO2 emissions (compared to developing countries). Disposing of old . Thus, the first step of panel data econometrics is to detect cross-sectional independence in data. National Library of Medicine The contribution of ICTs to the management of waste is also divided into two sections: the generation of waste electrical equipment, and the management and recycling of municipal solid waste. This is evident in the fact that CO2 emission has plummeted during the COVID-19 pandemic because of increased online activity. Leontief, W. Quantitative input and output relations in the economic systems of the United States. (2019). (2017) on the relationship between ICT and CO2 emissions on the global scale showed that after reaching a certain level of ICT development, ICT starts to reduce CO2 emissions. The site is secure. 2022 Sep 12;13:999045. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.999045. Handbook Environ. Also, with the introduction of new industries to countries, especially developing countries, it is reasonable to expect an increase in the energy consumption of their industrial sectors. The applied advanced econometrics is based on both the Mundlak and Hausman-Taylor methodology for correcting endogeneity and the feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) method to identify any potential cross-panel correlation. Building ICT infrastructure, improving the indicators of ICT development, and pursuing better environmental compatibility in this area are some of the goals that must be given higher priority in the environmental protection agenda. General diagnostic tests for cross section dependence in panels (IZA Discussion Paper No. Ecol. This paper recommends the following policies for progress in this area. Waste Manage. Baumann, H. & Tillman, A. M. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to LCA: An Orientation in Life Cycle Assessment Methodology and Applications (Studentlitteratur, 2004). Managing the direct impacts of ICTs is more complex than just producing efficient devices, owing to the energetically expensive manufacturing process, and the increasing proliferation of devices needs to be taken into account. Chem. Medical education for rural areas: opportunities and challenges for information and communications technologies. Then, with the improvement of public awareness and sensitivity, the stabilization of environmental effects, and the improvement of education on energy use, the energy consumption becomes less intense through better optimization. Res. Luo J, Luo X, Xie M, Li HZ, Duan H, Zhou HG, Wei RJ, Ning GH, Li D. Nat Commun. Climate change adaptation for sustainable development: the information and communication technology (ICT) paradox. Resour. Symp. Subartini et al. Open Access articles citing this article. (IEEE, 2009). In the end, this study concluded that ICT will reduce the overall amount of CO2 to be emitted over a 50-year time period. As we all know, the secondary industry is the main industry of pollutant emissions. 12, 267269 (2008). All figures are based on the Atlas method. The digital revolution affects the environment on several levels. The relationship of ICT with the environment is a complex and multidimensional issue. (2017, November 15). A note on the long-run elasticities from the energy consumptionGDP relationship. Buchert, M., Schuler, D. & Bleher, D. Critical Metals for Sustainable Technologies and their Recycling Potential (United Nations Environment Programme, 2009). ICTs have helped us solve many challenges too such as connecting us globally, entertaining us in every possible way, and helping us to be more productive, efficient and effective. A modified environmental Kuznets curve for sustainable development assessment using panel data. The scale effect refers to the fact that digital transformation promotes industrial expansion and leads to increased pollution. Using the above results, the null hypothesis that there is no serial autocorrelation of the first-order between error terms was verified and it was concluded that there is no correction bias in any of them. Since it could be very beneficial to replace the existing outdated technologies with smart technologies that also reduce energy consumption, policymakers can significantly reduce environmental degradation by formulating policies that promote energy efficiency in the field of ICT and other energy-intensive sectors. Thus, ICT has indeed the potential to reduce CO2 emissions (Monzon et al., 2017). Arellano and Bond (1991) have proposed a test for finding second-order autocorrelation. Sending your devices to specialist electronics waste recyclers. (2018) studied the relationship between the factors of ICT, economic growth, financial development, and environmental quality in emerging economies. Results of Pesaran test of cross-sectional independence for the error terms of Industry, Table 11. Review of Economic Perspectives, 19(4), 345-364. Also, with the increasing environmental awareness of the ICT sector and the increasing use of ICT in the service of environmental goals, it is time to find a way to recycle electronic wastes more properly in order to significantly reduce their environmental impacts. Williams, E. The environmental impacts of semiconductor fabrication. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10682. According to this study, although ICT is a negative factor for pollution in both developed and developing countries, its impact is different in these countries. Results of Pesaran test of cross-sectional independence for the error terms of GDP. Examining the Impact of ICT, Human Capital and Carbon Emissions: Evidence from the ASEAN Economies. The findings of this study showed that: 1) The effect of ICT on CO2 emissions is significant, 2) The moderating effect of ICT and financial development stimulates CO2 emissions, and 3) economic growth increases CO2 emissions. The difference between developed and developing countries in terms of CO2 emissions is mainly due to the migration of polluting industries from developed countries to developing countries because of cost advantages and environmental regulations. Since the data of this study belonged to 30 countries with different income levels for the period from 2005 to 2019, we used the Pesaran test of cross-sectional independence (Pesaran, 2004) to check the existence or absence of cross-sectional dependence for error terms. For this purpose, the cross-sectional dependence test for these terms was performed in both fixed effects and random effects modes. Williams, E. Energy intensity of computer manufacturing: hybrid analysis combining process and economic inputoutput methods. Shaw, S. et al. Negative Impact of Technology on the Environment When we think about technology, the first thing that leaps to mind may be the devices that most of us carry with us and use every single day. 2011 Macmillan Publishers Limited. In, Open Access Policies and Ethical Guidelines, Environmental, Agricultural, and Physical Sciences e-Book Collection, Computer Science and IT Knowledge Solutions e-Book Collection, Handbook of Research on Green ICT: Technology, Business and Social Perspectives. The estimation of economic relationships using instrumental variables. CO2 emissions and mitigation potential in Chinas ammonia industry. J. Indust. remote sensingfor unsustainable over-fishing. J. Infrastruct. While increased ICT penetration tends to create interesting challenges and opportunities in economic, social, and energy dimensions, it is also important to examine the role of ICT in reducing or increasing emissions. Perhaps there is statistical data existing on developed countries. Improving environmental performance, reducing GHGs and tackling global warming are high on the list of global challenges that must be addressed urgently by governments, industries, businesses, and individuals alike. Considering this and the dependence of industrial growth and development on the consumption of massive amounts of resources and fossil fuels, which have their own environmental impacts, ICT provides an interesting platform for the development of modern tools that experts can utilize to reduce the environmental impacts of industrial processes. Considering the variety of environmental and energy issues facing the world today and the potential positive and negative effects of ICT on the environment, in this study, we have tried to conduct a thorough investigation of the general environmental impacts of ICT. Deng, L., Babbitt, C. & Williams, E. Economic-balance hybrid LCA extended with uncertainty analysis: case study of laptop computer. This shows that there is no alternative to introducing cleaner fuels and technologies to the industrial sector. As shown in Table 13, the behavior of the dependent variables (Ln(CO2),CO2 (solid),Ln(including),Ln(energy depletion), andLn(carbon dioxide damage))is influenced by their own behavior in the previous year. (2012). ICT and Ecology: In favour of research based on the Responsibility principle. (2012) showed such an increase in energy consumption in a Chinese industry (cement) and examined the change in the industrys energy consumption. Moore, G. E. Cramming more components onto integrated circuits. Google Scholar. The second main reason is that the concentration is drawn more towards the positive aspect rather than the negative impact. Because of the . Major questions to ask are: Which part of ICT industry caused or is causing the environmental damage? 100 North Point Center E,Ste 125 #A262,Alpharetta, GA 30022, USA. In terms of energy consumption, ICTs can play two main roles: that of supporting energy saving measures in buildings, and improving the rational use of heating energy. The negative environmental effects of ICT include the use of non-renewable and environmentally damaging resources such as lead and mercury and the pollution caused by the disposal of electronic and non-electronic wastes. During the use phase of ICT hardware, energy consumption impacts the environment. However, the interactive effect of ICT and GDP leads to reduced pollution. The effects of these technologies are holistic in the everyday life of the population of children and adolescents: they affect their schooling, physical and mental health, entertainment, socio-cultural development , political life, among other aspects. These questions have not been answered by any literature under review. The review of economic studies, 47(1), 239-253.https://www.jstor.org/stable/2297111, Casagrandi, R., & Guariso, G. (2009). While ICT tools and devices can be used to improve energy efficiency, which results in reduced CO 2 emissions and environmental degradation, the manufacturing and use of ICT devices can become a major source of emission. Furthermore, these countries have much poorer electronic waste management capabilities. It has many bad effects to the human health and to environmental. 2), 80-88. http://www.irbis-nbuv.gov.ua/cgi-bin/irbis_nbuv/cgiirbis_64.exe?C21COM=2&I21DBN=UJRN&P21DBN=UJRN&IMAGE_FILE_DOWNLOAD=1&Image_file_name=PDF/envirecon_2011_2_2_10.pdf, Zhang, C., & Liu, C. (2015). Journal of Development Economics, 145, 102485. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304387820300602, Hign, D. A., Gholami, R., & Shirazi, F. (2017). Proc. This conclusion is consistent with the results of Chowdhury (2012), Stewart (2015), Zhang & Liu (2015), and Hign et al. To answer this question, this study investigated the environmental impacts of ICT in three groups of high, middle, and low-income countries from 2005 to 2019 using the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM). Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies The Relationship between GDP, Globalization and Environment. 2004 (pp. Environ. Matthews, H. S. & Williams, E. Telework adoption and energy use in building and transport sectors in the US and Japan. the effect of ICT on the transportation efficiency and thus the pollution caused by fuel consumption). http://paa2007. ICT, Climate Change and Green Growth. Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education, 15 Nov. 2017. Digital transformation and environmental sustainability in industry Google Scholar. Eric Williams. CO2 emissions from solid fuel consumption, Adjusted net savings, including particulate emission damage. Energy Policy, 48, 130-136.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421512003692, Sargan, J. D. (1958). The use of ICT can benefit or hurt the energy sector in various ways. Electricity Used by Office Equipment and Network Equipment in the U.S.: Detailed Report and Appendices Report No. Created This technology can help achieve enhanced energy efficiency in buildings and transportation sectors through dematerialization and teleworking. Williams, E. et al. Audirac, I. Nature (Nature) (2020). Region. (2011). Assessing the carbon impact of ICT measures: a case study investigation using Latis model. Energy Policy 55, 268277 (1975). 2011 Jan;31(1):45-58 The Negative Impact of ICT Waste on Environment and Health Reusing older devices in new ways around our homes or donating them so they can continue to be used and avoid them becoming domestic waste. While the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced from or as a result of ICT-related products or activities throughout their life cycle is an important issue (Freitag et al., 2021), so is the capability of ICT in reducing energy consumption and counteracting rising energy costs (Wong & Schuchard, 2011). 2009 Oct 1;43(19):7303-9 (2012) studied the changes in energy consumption and CO2 emissions and their driving factors in the Chinese cement industry from 1990 to 2009 using the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI). Funding:This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. Factors affecting the use of ICTs on agricultural input information by farmers in developing countries. IOP Publishing. https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/311/1/012080/meta, Takahashi, K. I., Tatemichi, H., Tanaka, T., Nishi, S., & Kunioka, T. (2004, May). (2010) estimated and analyzed the amount of CO2 emitted by the ammonia industry in China from 2005 to 2015 and discussed the vial policies and potentials for CO2 emission reduction in this field. In some of the studied countries, the absence of favorable conditions and proper infrastructure make it difficult to find a good replacement for activities that are energy-intensive or waste natural resources. remote sensing for unsustainable over-fishing. This leads to pollution of soil, water and air in the present as well as for the future. Once the existence of cross-sectional dependence between the error terms of the studied variables in both fixed effects and random effects modes is verified, one can use GMM for model estimation. Environmental and resource economics, 63(1), 119-146.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10640-014-9844-2?error=cookies_not_supported&error=cookies_not_supported&error=cookies_not_supported&error=cookies_not_supported&code=5b5bbf62-92fa-4a29-a4ef-bd41e717eb77&code=8120a56f-57c3-4a93-b316-a2ed3b407a90&code=1cbf5827-bb18-484d-8d07-1ba79b21598f&code=1b355a43-b08c-45a7-ba31-3492e367b879, Stewart, K. (2015). A study by Zhang & Liu (2015) investigated the impact of ICT on CO2 emissions in China at national and regional levels with due consideration of major regional differences that exist in different parts of this country. Environ. (2020) confirmed the increase in the energy consumption of the agriculture industry. Ollo-Lpez A, Aramenda-Muneta ME (2012) ICT impact on competitiveness, innovation and environment. J. Indust. - ICT technology has created the term paperless environment. positive impact: A.) Right to Repair: What's it all About and Why it Matters, Environmental Impact Of Battery Production And Disposal, Importance Of E-Waste Recycling & How To Reduce Electronic Waste, What to do With Old Cell Phones? Telematics Inform 29(2):204-210. International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 10(1-2), 84-122.https://www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1504/IJGENVI.2010.030569, Das, S., Munshi, M. N., & Kabir, W. (2016). As mentioned in Section 2, since the advent of ICT has changed peoples lifestyles and created many tools and opportunities for efficiency improvement, it can be expected to alleviate environmental degradation. 7 Bell Yard, London, WC2A 2JR, United Kingdom. Technol. Overall, the findings of this study showed the exceptional impact of ICT penetration on reducing energy consumption, reducing CO2 emissions and the consequent damages, and also reducing the emissions of other pollutants. In a review of the literature on the effect of ICT on the environmental impacts of energy consumption, Bastida et al, (2019) reported that ICT has a positive effect on reducing power consumption, improving energy efficiency, and reducing GHG emissions in the European Union. (2020). In relation to buildings, ICT can be used to create smart systems for automatic management of lighting, heating, and cooling devices and measuring the energy efficiency of buildings (Houghton, 2010). In the third section, the research model and analysis method are introduced and then the empirical findings are presented. 52, 10821097 (2010). This research adopted a dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to analyze the future environmental and economic impacts until 2030 brought about by popularization of 36 kinds of ICT services, considering both positive effects of ICT use in non-ICT sectors and negative effects caused by ICT equipment's operation in the ICT sector. Identifying the factors that can intensify or reduce these environmental damages is essential for saving the planet and humankind from the consequences of these crises. From the energy used to manufacture smartphones to the fact that even emails generate carbon emissions, the world's internet addiction comes at a cost to the climate. 08 Jul. In this study, it was decided to measure ICT in terms of the ICT Development Index (IDI). Change Econ. Bullard, C., Pennter, P. & Pilati, D. Net energy analysis: handbook for combining process and inputoutput analysis. Williams, E. & Hatanaka, T. Sustainable consumption and the information technology revolution. However, increased mobile phones penetration alone did not have a net negative effect on CO2 emissions. Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). https://ftp.iza.org/dp1240.pdf, Qureshi, S. (2019). In this regard, Chen et al. Ok, Z., Benneyan, J. Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia (Basel Action Network & Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, 2002). (2016). Procedia Engineering, 178, 13-23. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877705817300541, Moyer, J. D., & Hughes, B. Environ. (2019) also studied the relationship between CO2 emissions and total factor productivity (TFP) as well as ICT in Tunisia. Technol. https://www.unapcict.org/sites/default/files/2019-08/Academy%202.0%20Module%2010.pdf, Chen, X., Shuai, C., Zhang, Y., & Wu, Y. Negative Impact of Technology on the Environment - TRVST The study of Arushanyan et al. Other studied variables, namely GDP, population, and industrys share of production, were also found to have a significant positive effect on environmental degradation in the formulated CO2 emission and energy consumption equations. Hendrickson, C., Lave, L. & Matthews, S. Environmental Life Cycle Assessment of Goods and Services: An InputOutput Approach (RFF Press, 2006). ICT and the environment | ICT and the environment | OER Commons Furthermore, by providing a platform for the advent and expansion of e-banking, e-shopping, e-commerce, and other such activities, ICT has made a huge contribution to reducing unnecessary travel. Rethinking positive and negative impacts of 'ICT for development' through the holistic lens of the sustainable development goals. 2002 Dec 15;36(24):5504-10 35). A solution to this is the work developed in various .