We conclude that the overall index of globalization significantly increases the Ecological Footprint of consumption, exports and imports. The relation between globalization and sustainable development will be controlled for GDP per capita as a proxy for affluence and report the results for Pearson’s correlations and multivariate regressions for up to 171 countries. The latter will be operationalized by considering four variants of the Ecological Footprint. This article analyzes the statistical relationship between the most recent MGI (2012 edition) and the ecological dimension of sustainable development. Evidence on the effects of globalization on the ecological environment does not provide clear patterns various dimensions of globalization have different effects on various pollutants. However, globalization also drives within-country income inequality, especially in developing countries.
The quantitative literature on the Maastricht Globalization Index (MGI) and the KOF index of globalization shows that globalization contributes positively to economic and human development, environmental performance, mortality, gender equality and physical integrity rights. Whether globalization is sustainable is a contested issue.
