Nexus between economy, technology, and ecological footprint in China

Abstract

In contemporary times, nations across the globe, encompassing both developed and emerging economies, are actively pursuing the objective of achieving sustainable economic growth. China, as a prominent emerging nation, holds a significant position in the worldwide environment. However, it is imperative to acknowledge that China's ecological impact is substantial, as evidenced by its considerable contribution of almost one-third of the total global carbon emissions in the year 2021. The encouraging aspect lies in the emergence of China as a significant economic power, which may be attributed to the positive impact of technological advancements. The scientific literature suggests that the use of novel technologies has the potential to contribute significantly to mitigating environmental degradation. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of China's economic growth and technological advancements on ecological footprint throughout the period spanning from 1985 to 2020. This study utilizes the ecological footprint concept as a means to assess environmental degradation in China. The ARDL cointegration methodology is utilized to estimate the long- and short-term impacts, and the outcomes are validated through the application of further cointegration regression techniques. Furthermore, the pairwise Granger causality analysis is employed to examine the causal links among the variables. The empirical evidence suggests that economic expansion exacerbates environmental degradation in China, whereas technological progress plays a mitigating role in addressing this issue. The results of the study also demonstrated a bidirectional causality between economic growth and technological innovation, suggesting that China's economic growth and technological progress mutually reinforce one another. The paper proposes green technical solutions that have the potential to mitigate environmental degradation while maintaining economic growth. Sustaining long-term economic prosperity necessitates the implementation of both carbon emission taxation and strategic investments in environmentally beneficial technologies.