The role of environmental innovation on ecologic footprint in nations with high technology exports concentrations in international trade


Ersin Ö. Ö., Ustabaş A., Usman O.

Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol.208, 2024 (SSCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 208
  • Publication Date: 2024
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123703
  • Journal Name: Technological Forecasting and Social Change
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), Compendex, INSPEC, Political Science Complete, Social services abstracts, Sociological abstracts, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts, DIALNET
  • Keywords: Causality, Cointegration, Ecological footprint, Environmental innovation, Fourier, Gross domestic product, High-technology exports, Patents on environmental technologies, Sustainable development
  • İstanbul Ticaret University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

This study focuses on four major high-technology exporting countries––the USA, Germany, France, and China––to explore the long and short-run associations among ecological footprint, environmental technology patents, high-technology exports, and economic growth. The sample covering 1988–2019 is subject to a set of structural breaks, including 2009 Global Recession in addition to uncertainty in the order of integration captured by unit root tests, which provide basis for novel Fourier ARDL and Fourier Toda-Yamamoto causality methods. The Fourier ARDL findings reveal the importance of environmental technology innovations in dampening the level of ecological footprints and promoting a more sustainable environment in the USA, Germany, and France, whereas more high-technology exports in international trade worsen the ecological footprints in these countries in addition to the negative effects of economic growth in all countries including China. In contrast, high-technology exports appear to mitigate ecological footprint in China, however, eco-friendly technologies fail to reduce ecological footprints as in other analysed nations. The causality tests indicate bidirectional and unidirectional causal relationships among variables with the exception of China where the neutrality hypothesis holds between economic growth and ecological patents and also high-technology exports and ecological patents. These findings provide important insights in achieving sustainable development.