Effect of information and communication technology on CO2 emissions: An analysis based on country heterogeneity perspective

With the rapid global development of information and communication technology (ICT), the relationship between ICT and carbon emissions is essential for countries to achieve sustainable development. This study uses panel data from 91 countries between 2007 and 2015 to construct a comprehensive information and communication technology index. This index has been constructed based on ICT infrastructure, institutional guarantee and government support, as well as the competitiveness of ICT goods and services. A series of robustness tests guarantee the consistency of our findings, which are consistent with the empirical findings that demonstrate an inverted U-shaped relationship between ICT and CO2 emissions. Further evidence suggests that an inverted U-shaped relationship between ICT and CO2 emissions has heterogeneous effects between Belt and Road initiative (BRI) and non-BRI countries and countries with different environmental regulations. Therefore, when creating policies to reduce CO2 emissions globally, it is important to consider the growth of ICT and the heterogeneity of countries.