IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/telpol/v47y2023i6s0308596123000794.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Environmental sustainability in the OECD: The power of digitalization, green innovation, renewable energy and financial development

Author

Listed:
  • Karlilar, Selin
  • Balcilar, Mehmet
  • Emir, Firat

Abstract

Digitalization has emerged as a crucial factor in reducing pollution and holds significant potential for facilitating the transition to a low-carbon economy. Nevertheless, the environmental impact of digitalization hinges on the strategies for collaboration with various economic actors and, as a result, their engagement with digitalization. In light of this, the present study seeks to examine the externality effect of digitalization on green innovation, renewable energy, and financial development in relation to environmental sustainability. The analysis employs the System Generalized Method of Moments (SYS-GMM) for 36 OECD countries over the period of 2000–2018. The empirical findings indicate that digitalization, green innovation, renewable energy, and financial development substantially promote environmental sustainability. Moreover, the interaction between digitalization, green innovation, renewable energy utilization, and financial development enhances the ecological footprint-mitigating effect of digitalization. In view of these results, merging digitalization and environmental policies may yield more robust outcomes and improved environmental quality compared to implementing a single policy in isolation.

Suggested Citation

  • Karlilar, Selin & Balcilar, Mehmet & Emir, Firat, 2023. "Environmental sustainability in the OECD: The power of digitalization, green innovation, renewable energy and financial development," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(6).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:47:y:2023:i:6:s0308596123000794
    DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2023.102568
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308596123000794
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.telpol.2023.102568?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2022. "Assessing the digital economy and its carbon-mitigation effects: The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    2. Rafique, Muhammad Zahid & Fareed, Zeeshan & Ferraz, Diogo & Ikram, Majid & Huang, Shaoan, 2022. "Exploring the heterogenous impacts of environmental taxes on environmental footprints: An empirical assessment from developed economies," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 238(PA).
    3. Stephen Bond & Anke Hoeffler & Jonathan Temple, 2001. "GMM Estimation of Empirical Growth Models," Economics Papers 2001-W21, Economics Group, Nuffield College, University of Oxford.
    4. Arellano, Manuel & Bover, Olympia, 1995. "Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 29-51, July.
    5. David Roodman, 2009. "How to do xtabond2: An introduction to difference and system GMM in Stata," Stata Journal, StataCorp LP, vol. 9(1), pages 86-136, March.
    6. Anke E. Hoeffler, 2002. "The augmented Solow model and the African growth debate," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 64(2), pages 135-158, May.
    7. Taiwo Akinlo & James Temitope Dada, 2021. "The moderating effect of foreign direct investment on environmental degradation-poverty reduction nexus: evidence from sub-Saharan African countries," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(11), pages 15764-15784, November.
    8. Marszk, Adam & Lechman, Ewa, 2021. "Reshaping financial systems: The role of ICT in the diffusion of financial innovations – Recent evidence from European countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    9. Chien, Fengsheng & Anwar, Ahsan & Hsu, Ching-Chi & Sharif, Arshian & Razzaq, Asif & Sinha, Avik, 2021. "The role of information and communication technology in encountering environmental degradation: Proposing an SDG framework for the BRICS countries," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    10. Asongu, Simplice A. & Le Roux, Sara & Biekpe, Nicholas, 2018. "Enhancing ICT for environmental sustainability in sub-Saharan Africa," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 209-216.
    11. Eva Barteková & Peter Börkey, 2022. "Digitalisation for the transition to a resource efficient and circular economy," OECD Environment Working Papers 192, OECD Publishing.
    12. Cédric Gossart, 2015. "Rebound effects and ICT : a review of the literature," Grenoble Ecole de Management (Post-Print) hal-01258112, HAL.
    13. Destek, Mehmet & Sinha, Avik, 2020. "Renewable, non-renewable energy consumption, economic growth, trade openness and ecological footprint: Evidence from organisation for economic Co-operation and development countries," MPRA Paper 104246, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2020.
    14. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    15. Rajesh Sharma & Muhammad Shahbaz & Pradeep Kautish & Xuan Vinh Vo, 2023. "Diversified imports as catalysts for ecological footprint: examining the BRICS experience," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(4), pages 3153-3181, April.
    16. Wackernagel, Mathis & Rees, William E., 1997. "Perceptual and structural barriers to investing in natural capital: Economics from an ecological footprint perspective," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 3-24, January.
    17. Sinha, Avik & Sengupta, Tuhin & Alvarado, Rafael, 2020. "Interplay between Technological Innovation and Environmental Quality: Formulating the SDG Policies for Next 11 Economies," MPRA Paper 104247, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2020.
    18. Martin Jetter & Gerhard Satzger & Andreas Neus, 2009. "Technological Innovation and Its Impact on Business Model, Organization and Corporate Culture – IBM’s Transformation into a Globally Integrated, Service-Oriented Enterprise," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 1(1), pages 37-45, February.
    19. Avom, Désiré & Nkengfack, Hilaire & Fotio, Hervé Kaffo & Totouom, Armand, 2020. "ICT and environmental quality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Effects and transmission channels," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    20. Rafindadi, Abdulkadir Abdulrashid, 2016. "Does the need for economic growth influence energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Nigeria? Evidence from the innovation accounting test," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 1209-1225.
    21. Stephen Bond & Anke Hoeffler, 2001. "GMM Estimation of Empirical Growth Models," Economics Series Working Papers 2001-W21, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    22. Ibrahim D. Raheem & Aviral K. Tiwari & Daniel Balsalobre-lorente, 2019. "The Role of ICT and Financial Development on CO2 Emissions and Economic Growth," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 19/058, African Governance and Development Institute..
    23. Mujtaba, Aqib & Jena, Pabitra Kumar & Bekun, Festus Victor & Sahu, Pritish Kumar, 2022. "Symmetric and asymmetric impact of economic growth, capital formation, renewable and non-renewable energy consumption on environment in OECD countries," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    24. Suki, Norazah Mohd & Suki, Norbayah Mohd & Sharif, Arshian & Afshan, Sahar & Jermsittiparsert, Kittisak, 2022. "The role of technology innovation and renewable energy in reducing environmental degradation in Malaysia: A step towards sustainable environment," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 245-253.
    25. Ma, Qiang & Tariq, Muhammad & Mahmood, Haider & Khan, Zeeshan, 2022. "The nexus between digital economy and carbon dioxide emissions in China: The moderating role of investments in research and development," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    26. Caner Demir & Raif Cergibozan & Ali Ari, 2020. "Environmental dimension of innovation: time series evidence from Turkey," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 2497-2516, March.
    27. Huang, Yongming & Haseeb, Mohammad & Usman, Muhammad & Ozturk, Ilhan, 2022. "Dynamic association between ICT, renewable energy, economic complexity and ecological footprint: Is there any difference between E-7 (developing) and G-7 (developed) countries?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    28. Cédric Gossart, 2015. "Rebound effects and ICT : a review of the literature," Post-Print hal-01258112, HAL.
    29. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Nasir, Muhammad Ali & Roubaud, David, 2018. "Environmental degradation in France: The effects of FDI, financial development, and energy innovations," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 843-857.
    30. Shahbaz, Muhammad & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Zhao, Jun, 2022. "The impact of digital economy on energy transition across the globe: The mediating role of government governance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    31. Viviana Bastidas & Iris Reychav & Alon Ofir & Marija Bezbradica & Markus Helfert, 2022. "Concepts for Modeling Smart Cities," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 64(3), pages 359-373, June.
    32. Leng, Jiewu & Ruan, Guolei & Jiang, Pingyu & Xu, Kailin & Liu, Qiang & Zhou, Xueliang & Liu, Chao, 2020. "Blockchain-empowered sustainable manufacturing and product lifecycle management in industry 4.0: A survey," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    33. Tehreem Fatima & Umer Shahzad & Lianbiao Cui, 2021. "Renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption, trade and CO2 emissions in high emitter countries: does the income level matter?," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 64(7), pages 1227-1251, June.
    34. Zhang, Hongyan & Gao, Shuaizhi & Zhou, Peng, 2023. "Role of digitalization in energy storage technological innovation: Evidence from China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 171(C).
    35. Chi-Wei Su & Yannong Xie & Sadaf Shahab & Ch. Muhammad Nadeem Faisal & Muhammad Hafeez & Ghulam Muhammad Qamri, 2021. "Towards Achieving Sustainable Development: Role of Technology Innovation, Technology Adoption and CO 2 Emission for BRICS," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-13, January.
    36. Long Xue & Qianyu Zhang & Xuemang Zhang & Chengyu Li, 2022. "Can Digital Transformation Promote Green Technology Innovation?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-20, June.
    37. Wang, Bo & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng, 2023. "Is the digital economy conducive to the development of renewable energy in Asia?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    38. Wang, Keying & Wu, Meng & Sun, Yongping & Shi, Xunpeng & Sun, Ao & Zhang, Ping, 2019. "Resource abundance, industrial structure, and regional carbon emissions efficiency in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 203-214.
    39. Sun, Yunpeng & Anwar, Ahsan & Razzaq, Asif & Liang, Xueping & Siddique, Muhammad, 2022. "Asymmetric role of renewable energy, green innovation, and globalization in deriving environmental sustainability: Evidence from top-10 polluted countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C), pages 280-290.
    40. Usai, A. & Fiano, F. & Messeni Petruzzelli, A. & Paoloni, P. & Farina Briamonte, M. & Orlando, B., 2021. "Unveiling the impact of the adoption of digital technologies on firms’ innovation performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 133(C), pages 327-336.
    41. Tilman Santarius & Johanna Pohl & Steffen Lange, 2020. "Digitalization and the Decoupling Debate: Can ICT Help to Reduce Environmental Impacts While the Economy Keeps Growing?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-20, September.
    42. Manuel Arellano & Stephen Bond, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 58(2), pages 277-297.
    43. Wolfgang Briglauer & Michał Grajek, 2021. "Effectiveness and efficiency of state aid for new broadband networks: Evidence from OECD member states," ESMT Research Working Papers ESMT-21-01, ESMT European School of Management and Technology.
    44. Lange, Steffen & Pohl, Johanna & Santarius, Tilman, 2020. "Digitalization and energy consumption. Does ICT reduce energy demand?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    45. Moyer, Jonathan D. & Hughes, Barry B., 2012. "ICTs: Do they contribute to increased carbon emissions?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 79(5), pages 919-931.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Otioma, Chuks & Nsanzumuhire, Silas U. & Grillitsch, Markus & Jirström, Magnus, 2023. "Seeking for the shift towards challenge-oriented innovation policies: Tracing digitalization policies over two decades in Africa," Papers in Innovation Studies 2023/9, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    2. Bai, Ling & Guo, Tianran & Xu, Wei & Liu, Yaobin & Kuang, Ming & Jiang, Lei, 2023. "Effects of digital economy on carbon emission intensity in Chinese cities: A life-cycle theory and the application of non-linear spatial panel smooth transition threshold model," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    3. Henryk Dzwigol & Aleksy Kwilinski & Oleksii Lyulyov & Tetyana Pimonenko, 2024. "Digitalization and Energy in Attaining Sustainable Development: Impact on Energy Consumption, Energy Structure, and Energy Intensity," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-17, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin & Dong, Xiucheng & Taghizadeh-Hesary, Farhad, 2022. "Assessing the digital economy and its carbon-mitigation effects: The case of China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    2. Charfeddine, Lanouar & Umlai, Mohamed, 2023. "ICT sector, digitization and environmental sustainability: A systematic review of the literature from 2000 to 2022," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    3. John A. Jinapor & Shafic Suleman & Richard Stephens Cromwell, 2023. "Energy Consumption and Environmental Quality in Africa: Does Energy Efficiency Make Any Difference?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-26, January.
    4. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Wang, Chih-Wei & Ho, Shan-Ju & Wu, Ting-Pin, 2021. "The impact of natural disaster on energy consumption: International evidence," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    5. Bianka Dettmer, 2012. "Business services outsourcing and economic growth: Evidence from a dynamic panel data approach," Jena Economics Research Papers 2012-049, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    6. Berk, Istemi & Kasman, Adnan & Kılınç, Dilara, 2020. "Towards a common renewable future: The System-GMM approach to assess the convergence in renewable energy consumption of EU countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    7. Mindaugas Butkus & Janina Seputiene, 2018. "Growth Effect of Public Debt: The Role of Government Effectiveness and Trade Balance," Economies, MDPI, vol. 6(4), pages 1-27, November.
    8. Woon Leong Lin & Azali Bin Mohamed & Murali Sambasivan & Nick Yip, 2020. "Effect of green innovation strategy on firm‐idiosyncratic risk: A competitive action perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 886-901, March.
    9. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2019. "Governance, capital flight and industrialisation in Africa," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 8(1), pages 1-22, December.
    10. Zheng, Xinye & Li, Fanghua & Song, Shunfeng & Yu, Yihua, 2013. "Central government's infrastructure investment across Chinese regions: A dynamic spatial panel data approach," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 264-276.
    11. Martin Andersson & Hans Lööf, 2009. "Learning‐by‐Exporting Revisited: The Role of Intensity and Persistence," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 111(4), pages 893-916, December.
    12. Simplice A. Asongu & Jacinta C. Nwachukwu, 2018. "Increasing Foreign Aid for Inclusive Human Development in Africa," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 138(2), pages 443-466, July.
    13. Meschi, Elena & Taymaz, Erol & Vivarelli, Marco, 2011. "Trade, technology and skills: Evidence from Turkish microdata," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(S1), pages 60-70.
    14. Qu, Guangjun & Sylwester, Kevin & Wang, Feng, 2016. "Anticorruption and Growth: Evidence from China," MPRA Paper 72190, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Simplice Asongu & Rexon Nting, 2021. "The role of finance in inclusive human development in Africa revisited," Journal of Economic and Administrative Sciences, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(2), pages 345-370, February.
    16. Asongu, Simplice & Nwachukwu, Jacinta C., 2015. "Finance and Inclusive Human Development: Evidence from Africa," MPRA Paper 71787, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    17. Ofori, Isaac K. & Figari, Francesco, 2022. "Economic Globalisation and Inclusive Green Growth in Africa: Contingencies and Policy-Relevant Thresholds of Governance," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, issue Forthcomi, pages 1-1.
    18. Asongu, Simplice A. & Nwachukwu, Jacinta C., 2016. "The role of governance in mobile phones for inclusive human development in Sub-Saharan Africa," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 55, pages 1-13.
    19. Samuel Fosu & Albert Danso & Henry Agyei-Boapeah & Collins G. Ntim & Emmanuel Adegbite, 2020. "Credit information sharing and loan default in developing countries: the moderating effect of banking market concentration and national governance quality," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 55-103, July.
    20. Kazeem B. Ajide & Olorunfemi Y. Alimi & Simplice A. Asongu, 2019. "Ethnic Diversity and Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa: Do Institutions Reduce the Noise?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 145(3), pages 1033-1062, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Digitalization; Ecological footprint; Green innovation; Renewable energy; Financial development; OECD countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q20 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Renewable Resources and Conservation - - - General
    • Q5 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics
    • O3 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:47:y:2023:i:6:s0308596123000794. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30471/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.