Can information and communication technology and institutional quality help mitigate climate change in E7 economies? An environmental Kuznets curve extension

Understanding the role of information communication and technology (ICT) in environmental issues stemming from extensive energy consumption and carbon dioxide emission in the process of economic development is worthwhile both from policy and scholarly fronts. Motivated on this premise, the study contributes to the rising studies associated with the roles of economic growth, institutional quality and information and communication technology (ICT) have on CO2 emission in the framework of the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) on climate convention in Paris. Obtaining data from the emerging industrialized seven (E7) economies (China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Mexico, Brazil and Turkey) covering annual frequency from 1995 to 2016 for our analysis achieved significant outcome. From the empirical analysis, economic globalization and renewable energy consumption both reduce CO2 emissions while ICT, institutional quality and fossil fuel contribute to the degradation of the environment. This study affirms the presence of an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) phenomenon which shows an invented U-shaped curve within the E7 economies. On the causality front, both income and its square have a feedback causal relationship with carbon emissions while economic globalization, institutional quality, ICT and clean energy all have a one-way directional causal relationship with CO2 emissions. Conclusively, the need to reduce environmental degradation activities should be pursued by the blocs such as tree planting activities to mitigate the effect of deforestation. Furthermore, the bloc should shift from the use of fossil-fuel and leverage on ICT to enhance the use of clean energy which is environmentally friendly.