Does ICT have symmetric or asymmetric effects on CO2 emissions? Evidence from selected Asian economies

Abstract Information and communication technology (ICT) has played an important role in the socio-economic development of human societies but, this development has come with some potential hazards to the environment. However, the experts are divided over this issue, some consider that ICT has exerted a favorable impact on environmental quality whereas; others think that ICT has posed serious threats to the environment. Hence, this study is another effort in exploring the impacts of ICT on CO2 emissions in 9 selected Asian economies which are the top contributors in polluting the environment in the Asian continent for the period of 1990–2018. All previous studies have one thing in common that the impact of ICT on CO2 emissions is symmetric. Whereas, in this study, we have not only relied on the symmetry assumption but also tested the asymmetric impact of ICT on CO2 emissions. The number of countries in which ICT significantly affects the CO2 releases has not changed much in our linear and non-linear models. However, the short-run impact asymmetry in the effects of increased and decreased use of ICT is approved in almost half of the countries, and in long run, these asymmetric impacts further strengthened and observed in more than half of the countries.