Analysis of the Effect of Selected Economic Variables on Ecological Footprint: The Case of BRICS-T Countries

Globalisation, rapid urbanisation, excessive consumption, climate change and increasing industrialisation activities have increased the demand pressure of humanity on the environment. In this study, the effects of per capita income, openness, foreign direct investment, renewable energy consumption and total R&D (research and development) expenditures on the ecological footprint of the BRICS-T (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa-Turkiye) countries for the period 1992-2018 were investigated by FMOLS (Fully Modified Least Squares) and DOLS (Dynamic Least Squares) methods. As a result of the review, a 1% percentage increase in per capita income, openness and foreign direct investment in BRICS-T countries increased the ecological footprint by 0,21%, 0,29% and 0,39%, respectively. The 1% point increase in renewable energy consumption and R&D expenditures reduces the ecological footprint by 0.71% and 0.55%.