Information and Communication Technology and Anthropogenic Global Warming

• In Event: 046 - Section on Environment and Technology Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 06. Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation

Abstract

Policy makers and ecological modernization scholars have begun to focus attention on the application of information and communications technologies (ICTs) to the mitigation of CO2 emissions, the primary cause of anthropogenic global warming. This begs the question. Does ICT development increase or decrease CO2 emissions? Two schools of thought provide competing hypotheses on this question. On one hand, Ecological Modernization Theory offers an optimistic appraisal of the impact of ICT development on CO2 emissions. On the other hand, Treadmill of Production Theory offers a pessimistic view. This dissertation investigates the impact of ICT development on CO2 emissions and resolves which school of thought is most appropriate. The analyses of total CO2 emissions, per capita CO2 emissions and CO2 emissions from electricity, buildings, manufacturing, and transportation are conducted using a multilevel growth model that examines both changes over time (level-1) and differences between countries (level-2). The analyses cover the years 1990-2009 and use a global sample of all countries data are available for (N=1926, n=121). Four key ICT development indicators are included as independent variables: fixed telephones per 100 people, mobile telephones per 100 people, the leapfrogging ratio of mobile to fixed telephones, and Internet users per 100 people. Population size, GDP per capita, urbanization, trade, and service economy are included as controls. The results of the analyses support the pessimistic view of ICT development. Fixed telephones are the most consistent driver of increased CO2 emissions globally. Mobile telephones and the Internet do not have a significant impact on CO2 emissions.

Author

• Joseph M. Simpson, Texas A&M University-San Antonio