Ecological effects of distinct patents on reducing waste-related greenhouse gas emissions in BRIC countries: evidence from novel quantile methods

ABSTRACT

Technological development and environmental patents have become one of the policy options to solve the problem of global warming. With the development of technology, waste recycling can be faster and more environmentally friendly, which can contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gasses. The question of which patents and technologies should be promoted for waste management is an important decision-making and research topic. Given the increasing importance of ecological patents and waste disposal for environmental sustainability, this study examines the impact of technological progress on reducing waste-related greenhouse gas (WGHG) emissions in BRIC countries. The study considers energy generation and transmission-related patents (EPAT), patents to prevent pollution in the production process of goods (GPAT), and waste management-related patents (WPAT) as technological progress indicators. Methodologically, the study the applies novel quantile-on-quantile regression (QQ), Granger causality-in-quantiles (GQ), and quantile regression (QR) for the period from 1997m5 to 2019m12. The findings demonstrate that at higher quantiles, (i) EPAT have a dampening effect on WGHG in Brazil and India; (ii) GPAT have a diminishing effect on WGHG in Brazil, Russia, and India; (iii) WPAT have a diminishing effect on WGHG in Brazil, Russia, and India. Overall, technological progress contributes to WGHG emissions reduction in Brazil and India, while EPAT is not beneficial for Russia, and China cannot benefit from patents. The results suggest that Brazil, Russia and India should financially support and disseminate distinct patents to reduce WGHG emissions and improve waste management.

KEYWORDS:

• Environmental patents
• technological progress
• waste mitigation
• BRIC
• quantile methods

Supplementary data

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13504509.2023.2301375

Nomenclature

Abbreviations	=
BDS	=	Broock, Scheinkman, Dechert, and LeBaron
BRIC	=	Brazil, Russia, India, China
COP26	=	26th meeting of the Conference of Parties
CO2	=	Carbon Dioxide
ECO2	=	Energy-Related CO2
Eq	=	Equation
GDP	=	Gross Domestic Product
GHG	=	Greenhouse Gas
GQ	=	Granger Causality-in-Quantiles
IPCC	=	Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
MDGs	=	Millennium Development Goals
OECD	=	Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
QQ	=	Quantile-on-Quantile Regression
QR	=	Quantile Regression
RD	=	Research and Development
SDGs	=	Sustainable Development Goals
TCO2	=	Transport-Related CO2
UN	=	United Nations
Dependent Variable	=
WGHG	=	Waste-Related Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Independent Variables	=
EPAT	=	Energy Generation and Transmission-Related Patents
GPAT	=	Patents to Prevent Pollution in the Production Process of Goods
WPAT	=	Waste Management-Related Patents

Disclosure statement

The authors certify that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest (such as honoraria; educational grants; participation in speakers’ bureaus; membership, employment, consultancies, stock ownership, or other equity interest; and expert testimony or patent-licensing arrangements), or non-financial interest (such as personal or professional relationships, affiliations, knowledge or beliefs) in the subject matter or materials discussed in this manuscript.

Authors’ contributions

UKP: Data Curation, Software, Conceptualization, Writing Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing; MTK: Investigation, Formal analysis, Writing Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing; SE: Investigation, Writing Original Draft, Writing – Review & Editing.

Availability of data and materials

Data will be made available on request.

Consent for publication

The authors are willing to permit the Journal to publish the article.