Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/340091 
Year of Publication: 
2026
Citation: 
[Journal:] Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS) [ISSN:] 2309-8619 [Volume:] 20 [Issue:] 1 [Year:] 2026 [Pages:] 239-267
Publisher: 
Johar Education Society, Pakistan (JESPK), Lahore
Abstract: 
The potential of digital trade (DTE) and energy justice (EJ) to support environmental quality requires in-depth exploration because the environmental gains of DTE can be compromised in economies where EJ is not ensured. This study explores the environmental effects of DTE and EJ on ecological footprint (EF) utilizing panel data from 147 economies from 2005 to 2023. The empirical results are estimated using panel data estimators namely fixed effects, random effects, the system generalized method of moments (GMM) and the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR). The GMM estimates suggest that DTE exerts a positive and significant influence on the environment. However, the MMQR results demonstrate that the effect of DTE on EF varies in sign and magnitude across quantiles. The positive effect is observed in median and higher quantiles while the negative effect is noted in lower quantiles. Finally, the results suggest a moderating role of EJ in the environmental effect of DTE. That is, the interactive effect of DT with EJ exerts a significantly positive effect on environmental quality. This finding suggests that ensuring EJ in home economies strengthens the environmental benefits of digital trade integration. These findings offer important policy implications for advancing digitalization strategies along with ensuring EJ to promote global environmental sustainability.
Subjects: 
Digital trade
ecological footprint
energy justice
environmental quality
resource endowment
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc Logo
Document Type: 
Article

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.