Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
To investigate the time-varying net environmental impact of Information and Communication Technology (ICT), we apply the local linear dummy variable estimation (LLDVE) method using a panel data consisting of 63 countries for the period 1995–2017. Our analysis reveals that ICT increases CO2 emissions until 2004, while reducing them after 2008, regardless of the national income level. We further uncover that the positive environmental impact of ICT on high-income countries is about 10 times greater than that on middle-income countries over time. These findings indicate that the development of ICT should be encouraged to alleviate carbon emissions on a global scale, especially for middle-income countries, given the benefits of an improved technology absorption rate on the mitigation effect in high income countries.