Exploring the role of ICT and education in reducing environmental degradation among Asian countries

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and education are largely believed to be two significant predictors of uplifting environmental quality by providing opportunities to address economic, social, and environmental challenges and creating a more inclusive and sustainable future for all. Thus, this inquiry probes whether ICTs and education mitigate the degradation of the environment measured by CO2 emissions in five selected countries of Asia from 1980 to 2022. Applying the autoregressive distributed lag approach (ARDL), ICTs were found to significantly mitigate environmental degradation in both the short and long term in all sample countries. Education was also found to significantly reduce the degradation of the environment in the short and long run in Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. In India, however, the Beta of education is significantly positive (in the long run) and negative (in the short run) in association with environmental degradation. The outcomes propose that key stakeholders should highly concentrate on ICTs and education to decrease the degradation of the environment in the sample countries. Besides, these selected five countries are also required to effectively implement stringent regulations for upholding energy efficiency and decreasing excessive usage and abuse of resources. The inquiry not only contributes to the extant body of knowledge but also provides rich insights about the contribution of ICTs and education in decreasing energy usage and protecting the environment without compromising national economic growth for achieving sustainable development.