This study explores the links between ICTs, transport, and CO2 emissions. Despite the harmful consequences of transport activity on the environmental quality, there is less scientific attention accorded to this major issue. In this regard, we explore the possibility of reducing environmental damages through the association of new technologies with freight transport activities (i.e. inland, rail, and air). The empirical technique based on 43 countries between 2002 and 2014 employs the 2-step system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM). Overall, the results are very ambitious confirming the ability of ICT in dampening pollution once it's well adapted in the transportation sector. First, the telephone and mobile phones are the most efficient technologies in terms of environmental sustainability when used in the rail and the inland transport sector, while the internet is best utilized in the air transport sector. Second, the telephone plays the role of an accelerator when interacting with intermodality to better improve the environment. Public policies and their implications are considered in the study.
Despite progress in reducing air pollutants in several countries, freight transport continues to have undesirable effects on environmental quality, human health, and the economy. Road freight transport, in particular, is associated with various negative externalities, including environmental and health damages, and the overexploitation of non-renewable natural resources. This paper investigates how ICTs interact with road freight transport to affect environmental quality regarding reducing CO2 emissions. The empirical strategy is focused on the yearly dataset from 2002 to 2014 in 43 countries. Using the two-step GMM techniques, the findings suggest that ICTs can decrease road freight transport’s negative impacts on environmental sustainability. Besides, the interactions of mobile phone and fixed telephone technologies with road freight transport are more efficient in reducing pollution than using internet networks. This paper underlines the importance of using ICTs to dampen road freight transport’s negative effects on environmental sustainability.
2 December 2021 in Environmental Science and Pollution Research