Effect of institutional quality and renewable energy consumption on CO2 emissions-an empirical investigation for developing countries

Investigating the biodiversity conservation capability of technological innovation and FinTech

Human activities, primarily economic growth, and technological innovation, threaten global biodiversity. This study utilizes 22-year panel data from 87 developing countries and a novel cross-sectional heterogeneous factor analysis-based financial technology index to investigate how economic growth, renewable energy consumption, technological innovation, natural resources, and financial technology affect biodiversity. To account for cross-sectional dependency, this study employed a Panel Autoregressive Distributive Lagged with Pooled Mean Group specifications within the Driscoll and Kraay standard error estimator. The findings revealed that the log of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) had an inverted U-shaped effect. Moreover, economic growth, renewable energy, and FinTech can improve biodiversity conservation. Traditionally, technological innovation and unregulated resource exploitation have posed threats to biodiversity. This study focused on responsible economic development and practical solutions to biodiversity threats posed by technological innovation and unrestrained resource use. FinTech can promote sustainable behaviors and divert funds from ecosystem-harming projects to biodiversity-friendly ones. Innovative financial instruments enable stakeholders to balance nature. This study demonstrates that FinTech, renewable energy, and responsible economic growth can help reverse biodiversity loss. We provide the policy implications of our research.

Navigating the impact of remittances on environmental quality in Africa: The crucial role of institutional quality

The Sub-Saharan African (SSA) region remains the world's largest recipient of remittances. Due to growing concerns over climate change issues, recent studies have examined how these financial flows have affected environmental quality. Sundry variables were controlled in such studies concerning the remittances-environment nexus, including institutional quality. Notwithstanding that remittance and institutional quality are imperative, their combined effect on environmental quality has been overlooked. The present study has inspected how remittances and institutional quality have jointly influenced environmental quality in 44 economies in the SSA region between 2000 and 2022. Using PMG-ARDL analysis, the findings revealed that remittances had a negative long-term impact on environmental quality. Conversely, the study found that institutional quality positively affected the per capita ecological footprints, as measured by the six indicators' average. Furthermore, the results indicated that improvements in institutional quality over time mitigated the adverse impact of remittances on the environment in the sampled SSA countries. Additionally, a threshold level of institutional quality effectively moderates remittances' detrimental effects on environmental quality were identified. Therefore, most regional countries must enhance their institutional quality to mitigate the negative environmental impact of remittances.

Towards sustainable development: Examining renewable energy consumption in E-7 countries

In the contemporary landscape, sustainable development became major challenge for the economy which is tackled if environmental issues are resolved. In this regard, this study investigate renewable energy, institutional quality, foreign direct investment (FDI), economic growth on environmental pollution in E-7 countries (Brazil, Russia, China, Indonesia, India, Mexico, and Turkey). Utilizing annual data from 2002 to 2023, selected the panel Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) after applying stationary process. The results depict that there is short and long run relationship among the selected variables, CO2 emissions exhibit an asymmetrical response to positive and negative shocks in exogenous variables. A one-percent change in FDI, GDP, IQ and EC reduce the carbon emission. Our research concludes with policy recommendation that prioritize priorities economic growth and environmental sustainability. To achieve a healthy environment and sustainable growth in the E7 countries, it is essential to strengthen institutional frameworks, encourage green investments, and foster technical innovation.

The impact of freedom of expression and belief on CO2 emissions: An examination of the group of seven

Growing concerns about the level of CO2 emissions have made identifying the key drivers of the emission issue a critical agenda item. These developments have turned identifying drivers of CO2 emissions into a popular research area. Researchers have been attempting to determine the root causes of CO2 emissions for quite some time. While many economic factors have been associated with the emission levels, researchers' interest in undiscovered factors has brought political factors to the forefront. Although some institutional/political factors have been linked to CO2 emissions in the relevant literature, the specific impact of freedom of expression and belief (FEB) has yet to be examined. Notably, as democracies' provision of economic freedoms motivates production and consumption, exerting pressure on the environment, FEB can balance it. This study is a pioneering attempt to seek answers to this question. By assigning a specific role to FEB, the research seeks to determine the key factors influencing CO2 emissions in the Group of Seven (G7) between 2006 and 2022. Results suggest that FEB might be crucial in lowering CO2 emissions, whereas economic expansion and energy use tend to increase CO2 emissions. However, the impact of trade openness has yet to be found to be significant. Thus, securing and enhancing FEB could lead to significant environmental gains in G7 countries and globally.

Repercussions of Pakistan's renewable and non-renewable energies to the environmental footprint: Applying the non-linear ARDL estimation

The energy consumption in Pakistan, both renewable and nonrenewable, is examined herein as an important factor in carbon emissions. Employing a nonlinear ARDL (auto-regressive distributed lag), the research examines data from 1980 to 2021. The results show that the use of renewable energy has a negligible effect when it comes to the nation's overall carbon emissions. This is mainly because the key pollutants in Pakistan's energy sector come from nonrenewable sources, such as coal and natural gas. However, the report observes that the carbon emissions within the nonrenewable energy sector are directly related to economic growth. A further theorem of the nonlinear analysis has brought the limited role of renewable energy in resolving environmental problems into sharper focus, perhaps due to its lower proportion of Pakistan's total energy mix. According to the study, improving the proportion of renewable energy is the only way to combat environmental problems.

Exploring the determinants of methane emissions from a worldwide perspective using panel data and machine learning analyses

This article contributes to the scant literature exploring the determinants of methane emissions. A lot is explored considering CO2 emissions, but fewer studies concentrate on the other most long-lived greenhouse gas (GHG), methane which contributes largely to climate change. For the empirical analysis, a large dataset is used considering 192 countries with data ranging from 1960 up to 2022 and considering a wide set of determinants (total central government debt, domestic credit to the private sector, exports of goods and services, GDP per capita, total unemployment, renewable energy consumption, urban population, Gini Index, and Voice and Accountability). Panel Quantile Regression (PQR) estimates show a non-negligible statistical effect of all the selected variables (except for the Gini Index) over the distribution's quantiles. Moreover, the Simple Regression Tree (SRT) model allows us to observe that the losing countries, located in the poorest world regions, abundant in natural resources, are those expected to curb methane emissions. For that, public interventions like digitalization, green education, green financing, ensuring the increase in Voice and Accountability, and green jobs, would lead losers to be positioned in the winner's rankings and would ensure an effective fight against climate change.

The crucial roles of ICT, renewable energy sources, industrialization, and institutional quality in achieving environmental sustainability in BRICS

The BRICS countries-Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa-are committed to achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13, which focuses on mitigating climate change. To attain this goal, it is crucial to emphasize the significance of ICT, renewable energy sources, industrialization, and institutional quality. This study contributes to the literature by examining the potential role of these factors in environmental sustainability in the BRICS economies from 2000 to 2021, utilizing cross-sectional augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) estimation and other novel econometric techniques. Accordingly, the study suggests that BRICS governments and policymakers prioritize the use of ICT in the industrial and institutional sectors to achieve faster environmental sustainability in the short-run, as per the CS-ARDL results. However, the study advises caution in the long-term as the interaction between ICT and renewable energy sources, industrialization, and institutional quality may not favour environmental quality. Although the renewable energy sources interaction with ICT may not yield immediate progress, strong measures need to be taken to ensure that short-term gains are not nullified. In conclusion, the study highlights the potential of ICT, renewable energy sources, industrialization, and institutional quality in achieving environmental sustainability in the BRICS countries, while recommending cautious measures in the long run to safeguard the progress made.

Unveiling the health consequences of air pollution in the world's most polluted nations

Air pollution poses a persuasive threat to global health, demonstrating widespread detrimental effects on populations worldwide. Exposure to pollutants, notably particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 µm (PM2.5), has been unequivocally linked to a spectrum of adverse health outcomes. A nuanced understanding of the relationship between them is crucial for implementing effective policies. This study employs a comprehensive investigation, utilizing the extended health production function framework alongside the system generalized method of moments (SGMM) technique, to scrutinize the interplay between air pollution and health outcomes. Focusing on a panel of the top twenty polluted nations from 2000 to 2021, the findings yield substantial insights. Notably, PM2.5 concentration emerges as a significant factor, correlating with a reduction in life expectancy by 3.69 years and an increase in infant mortality rates by 0.294%. Urbanization is found to increase life expectancy by 0.083 years while concurrently decreasing infant mortality rates by 0.00022%. An increase in real per capita gross domestic product corresponds with an improvement in life expectancy by 0.21 years and a decrease in infant mortality rates by 0.00065%. Similarly, an elevated school enrollment rate is associated with a rise in life expectancy by 0.17 years and a decline in infant mortality rates by 0.00032%. However, a higher population growth rate is found to modestly decrease life expectancy by 0.019 years and slightly elevate infant mortality rates by 0.000016%. The analysis reveals that per capita greenhouse gas emissions exert a negative impact, diminishing life expectancy by 0.486 years and elevating infant mortality rates by 0.00061%, while per capita energy consumption marginally reduces life expectancy by 0.026 years and increases infant mortality rates by 0.00004%. Additionally, economic volatility shock presents a notable decrement in life expectancy by 0.041 years and an increase in infant mortality rates by 0.000045%, with inflationary shock further exacerbating adverse health outcomes by lowering life expectancy by 0.70 years and elevating infant mortality rates by 0.00025%. Moreover, the study scrutinizes the role of institutional quality, revealing a constructive impact on health outcomes. Specifically, the institutional quality index is associated with an increase in life expectancy by 0.66% and a decrease in infant mortality rates by 0.0006%. Extending the analysis to examine the nuanced dimensions of institutional quality, the findings discern that economic institutions wield a notably stronger positive influence on health outcomes compared to political and institutional governance indices. Finally, the results underscore the pivotal moderating role of institutional quality in mitigating the deleterious impact of PM2.5 concentration on health outcomes, counterbalancing the influence of external shocks, and improving the relationships between explanatory variables and health outcome indicators. These findings offer critical insights for guiding evidence-based policy implications, with a focus on fostering resilient, sustainable, and health-conscious societies.

The impact of green FDI on environmental quality in less developed countries: A case study of load capacity factor based on PCSE and FGLS techniques

This paper examines the effect of green foreign direct investment (GFDI) on environmental quality (EQ) in 34 less-developed countries (LDCs) from 2003 to 2021. We analyze balanced panel data using Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) and Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE). Our findings reveal several vital insights: (1) GFDI helps improve EQ. (2) Environmental costs associated with economic growth are negative. (3) Trade openness positively influences EQ. (4) EQ is enhanced by institutional quality, energy use, and population expansion in the chosen countries. (5) The existence of a U-shaped curve was established. This is valuable to the relatively scanty literature on GFDI, especially in LDCs. To the best of our awareness, this study simultaneously employs the Load Capacity Factor (LCF) and Total Value of Announced Greenfield projects as proxies for environmental sustainability and GFDI for the first time. Secondly, incorporating PCSE and FGLS models in this context is an innovative methodological strategy. The present research work provides to the existing theoretical and empirical discussions on GFDI and EQ and has practical implications that inform policy-making.

The adoption of renewable energy towards environmental sustainability: Evidence from Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM)

The effect of carbon emissions on the environment has made some of the Sustainable Development Goals difficult to achieve. Despite the efforts of international bodies, there is still a need to address the problem since the transition is not complete. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of globalization, economic growth, financial inclusion, renewable energy, and government institutions on carbon emissions from the period of 1998 to 2021. To be able to assess both the direct and indirect effects of the variables, the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling is employed, where renewable energy serves as the mediator, and the Two-Stage Least Squares is employed as the robustness check. The findings of the study reveal that globalization promotes the use of renewable energy, but financial inclusion has a negative effect on renewable energy use. Renewable energy has a direct positive and significant effect on carbon emissions. Financial inclusion has an indirect negative and significant effect on carbon emissions. The results imply that more enlightenment on financial inclusion will help a smooth transition, and globalization should be embraced when all environmental regulations are enforced.

Do institutions contribute to environmental sustainability? A global analysis using the dynamic spatial Durbin and threshold models

There has been a recent surge in attention to the potential involvement of institutions in enhancing environmental quality. This research contributes to the ongoing debate by analyzing the spillover and nonlinear effects of institutions on the load capacity factor (LCF) in a sample of 100 countries between 2000 and 2019. The spillover effects are analyzed using the dynamic spatial Durbin model (DSDM), while the dynamic threshold model is implemented to estimate the nonlinear impacts of institutions. The Moran's I and Geary's C tests reveal a positive spatial autocorrelation for the LCF. The DSDM indicates the existence of positive direct and indirect (spillover) effects of political stability, control of corruption, and the rule of law on the LCF. Moreover, control of corruption has the highest positive influence on the environment. When conducting the threshold analysis, the locally weighted scatterplot smoothing curve indicates a nonlinear relationship between institutions and LCF, while the threshold test suggests a single threshold and two regimes. The dynamic panel threshold model reveals that government effectiveness and the rule of law positively affect the environment under both regimes. On the contrary, the positive effects of control of corruption, regulatory quality, and political stability are only observed under the upper regime. Furthermore, control of corruption has the highest positive environmental impact, albeit it needs more time to be achieved. The research emphasizes the importance of international collaboration and the design of both short- and long-term strategies to enhance institutional quality and, consequently, safeguard the environment.

Assessing the impact of geopolitical, economic, and institutional factors on China's environmental management in the Russian-Ukraine conflicting era

In contemporary times, geopolitical risk, and natural resources prices are susceptible due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict. In the meantime, emerging economies are struggling to explore the factors that could reduce ecological challenges and enhance environmental management. This research aims to analyze several economic, environmental, political, and institutional variables to ascertain their influence on greenhouse gas emissions in China. Covering the latest period from 1990 to 2022, various time series tests, including normality, stationarity, and cointegration tests. The results confirm that the variables studied have a stable pattern over time and are connected in the long run. The non-normal distribution of variables leads to opt novel moment quantile regression, where the results are tested for robustness via parametric approaches. The empirical results asserted that economic growth, natural resource prices, and trade significantly enhance ecological challenges (emissions). However, globalization, geopolitical risk, and institutional quality significantly reduce such environmental challenges. The results are robust, and both unidirectional and bidirectional causal associations confirm the importance of these variables in environmental management. Based on the results, this study recommends engagement in environmentally-friendly trading, investment in clean and green energy, and strengthening institutional quality for the region's environmental recovery.

From darkness to light: Unveiling the asymmetric nexus between energy poverty and environmental quality in South Asia

Energy poverty alleviation has emerged as a critical economic problem in recent years. Given the enormous number of people without essential energy services, a crucial concern is whether providing universal access to electrification will considerably affect environmental quality. The present research evaluates the asymmetric energy poverty-environmental quality nexus in South Asian economies. Previous works adopted panel data techniques, resulting in distinctive conclusions about the energy poverty-environmental quality nexus, irrespective of the truth that several nations could not establish such a correlation separately. This research, conversely, applies the Quantile-on-Quantile methodology, which enables independent determinations of time-series interconnection in all nations to offer worldwide yet economy-particular evidence concerning the relationship between the variables. The results indicate that energy poverty degrades environmental quality in most selected economies at particular data distribution quantiles. Moreover, the findings disclose that the ranks of asymmetries between the variables change by country, emphasizing the requirement of governments to take special care when accepting policies linked to energy poverty and environmental quality.

Comparative analysis of hydro energy determinants for European Economies using Golden Cut-oriented Quantum Spherical fuzzy modelling and causality analysis

This article presents a comparative analysis of the determinants of hydropower for European economies using Golden Cut oriented Quantum Spherical fuzzy modelling and causality analysis in 24 European countries over the period 2001-2020. The indicators chosen for the analysis are inflation, population, GDP per capita, CO2 and hydropower consumption. The analysis shows that the selected groups of countries are characterised by an inverse relationship between GDP per capita and hydropower consumption, suggesting a bi-directional causal relationship, which also confirms the novelty of this paper. Furthermore, another analysis is carried out using the fuzzy decision-making methodology. In this framework, the directions of influence of the five selected indicators are constructed: GDP per capita (criterion 1, D = 88.656, E = 88.083), hydropower consumption (criterion 2, D = 89.471, E = 88.677), population (criterion 3, D = 87.705, E = 89.228), CO2 emissions (criterion 4, D = 88.578, E = 89.186) and inflation (criterion 5, D = 88.943, E = 88.180). The Quantum Spherical fuzzy methodology is used for this purpose. The values of D and E are measures of the sum of the rows and columns of the overall relationship matrix. Hydropower consumption is the main criterion. It is understood that two different analyses give similar results, namely the bidirectional causal relationship between criteria 1 and 2.

Can clean energy and technology address environmental sustainability in G7 under the pre-set of human development?

Climate change presents challenges for both industrialized and developing nations, primarily due to insufficient pollution control. Increased fossil fuel usage escalates pollution levels, emphasizing the need to integrate more renewable energy into the energy mix, particularly to reduce carbon emissions. Consequently, public investment in renewable energy becomes pivotal to enhance the necessary technology for green energy production. Human development and technological progress play a crucial role in advancing green energy and ensuring environmental sustainability. This study addresses whether clean energy and technology can foster ecological sustainability in the G7 while considering human development. Findings emphasize the significance of public investments in renewable energy projects, technical innovation, and human development. Such investments are essential for augmenting renewable energy shares and lowering carbon emissions in the long run. The study proposes relevant policies to help G7 nations achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goals related to green energy transition (SDG-7), environmental sustainability (SDG-13), and innovation (SDG-9). In essence, prioritizing renewable energy investment and innovation is imperative for sustainable development.

Energy consumption and innovation-environmental degradation nexus in BRICS countries: new evidence from NARDL approach using carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions

The BRICS nations-Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa-have grown significantly in importance over the past few decades, playing a vital role in the development and growth of the global economy. This expansion has not been without cost, either, since these countries' concern over environmental deterioration has risen sharply. Both researchers and decision-makers have focused a lot of attention on the connection between economic growth and ecological sustainability. By using nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) approach, the complex relationships were analyzed between important economic indicators-such as gross domestic product (GDP), ecological innovations (EI), energy consumption (ENC), institutional performance (IP), and trade openness (TOP)-and their effect on carbon emissions and nitrous oxide emissions in the BRICS countries from 1990 to 2021, this study seeks to contribute to this important dialog. Principal component analysis is formed for technological innovations and institutional performance using six (ICT service exports as a percentage of service exports, computer communications as a percentage of commercial service exports, fixed telephone subscriptions per 100 people, internet users as a percentage of the population, number of patent applications, and R&D expenditures as a percentage of GDP) and twelve (government stability, investment profile, socioeconomic conditions, internal conflict, external conflict, military in politics, control of corruption, religious tensions, ethnic tensions, law and order, bureaucracy quality, and democratic accountability) distinct indicators, respectively. The results of nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag estimation show that increase in economic growth would increase carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions. The positive and negative shocks in trade openness have positive and significant impact on carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions in BRICS countries. Furthermore, the positive shock energy consumptions have positive and significant effect on Brazil and India when carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions are used. However, EKC exists in BRICS countries when carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions are used. According to long-term estimation, energy consumption and technological innovations in the BRICS countries show a strong and adverse link with nitrous oxide and a favorable relationship with carbon dioxide emissions. In the long run, environmental indicators are seen to have a major and unfavorable impact in BRICS nations. Finally, it is proposed that BRICS nations can assure environmental sustainability if they support creative activities, enhance their institutions, and support free trade policies.

The usage of spatial econometric approach to explore the determinants of ecological footprint in BRI countries

Protecting our environment is not a choice, but a responsibility we owe to future generations. Numerous studies examined the factors affecting the environmental deterioration but this research takes a step further by employing a spatial dependence model to evaluate spatial impact of ecological footprint and its contributing factors, particularly productive capacities which is hardly investigated in economic literature of BRI economies. For the purpose, the annual data of 54 BRI countries is analyzed for the time period from 2000 to 2018 by employing various econometric techniques. The outcomes of the Durbin model express that neighboring economies significantly affect the ecological footprint of an economy, highlighting the need for a regional policy framework to address environmental issues. It is also found that improving the productive capacities, green investment and democratic quality decrease the ecological footprint while per capita GDP, globalization, and development of financial sector increase the environmental deterioration. The significant interdependence of the countries within the region, a regional policy and vision must be implemented to safeguard the environment. The research findings can facilitate policy formulation aimed at promoting environmental sustainability, with particular focus on enhancing productive capacities and green investments.

Dose institutional quality influences the relationship between urbanization and CO2 emissions?

As a result of rapid economic expansion, increased energy use, and urbanization, global warming and climate change have become serious challenges in recent decades. Institutional quality can be the remedy to impede the harmful effect of factors on environmental quality. This study investigates the impact that urbanization and institutional quality on environmental quality in in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries from 2002 to 2019. By using two step generalized method of moment, the findings shows that urbanization leads to an increase in carbon dioxide emissions and a decline in environmental quality. On the other hand, the square term of urbanization indicates that an increase in urbanization leads to a reduction in emissions at a later stage after reach a certain level. Education, on the other hand, has the reverse impact of increasing carbon emissions; economic growth, foreign direct investment, and government effectiveness all boost carbon emissions. In a similar vein, the interaction between urbanization and the effectiveness of the government is unfavorable, underscoring the transformative role that the effectiveness of the government plays in leading to environmental sustainability. Finally, the findings of this study have considerable policy implication for the sample countries.

Democracy, green energy, trade, and environmental progress in South Asia: Advanced quantile regression perspective

Unquestionably, the industrial revolution of the twenty-first century contributes to global warming. Excessive amounts of carbon emissions into the atmosphere are responsible for global warming. Therefore, this research aims to assess the impact of GDP, green energy consumption, population, trade openness, and democracy on CO2 emissions in four selected South Asian countries from 1990 to 2019. This research also attempts to evaluate the EKC hypothesis in terms of economic growth (GDP2). The unit root of panel data and cointegration tests are executed in this study as a prelude to the regression analysis. Quantile regression for panel data, which (Powell, 2016) devised to deal with the fixed effect problem, is used in this study, and (Powell, 2016) empirical findings are the main focus. The estimated coefficient of GDP is positively significant, demonstrating that economic activity increases the burning of fossil fuels and upsurges atmospheric CO2 emissions. After attaining economic development, the reversed U-shaped EKC theory is valid for four selected South Asian countries. Economic development encourages these countries to use green technology, which helps mitigate CO2 emissions. The research, however, reveals that green energy is to blame for CO2 emissions. Burning biomass releases carbon dioxide that negatively impacts the quality of the environment. The study confirms that human activities are the leading contributor to environmental deterioration. Population growth has a worsening effect on the environment. The association between population and CO2 emissions is positively significant. The estimated coefficient of trade openness is positive, which increases CO2 emissions significantly. The estimated coefficient of democracy is quite negative. Therefore, this study suggests prioritizing democracy to reduce CO2 emissions. Citizens who live in democracies are better informed, more organized, and able to protest, all of which contribute to increased government responsiveness to environmental preservation. The results of the Wald test support the differential effects at various quantiles. The Dumitrescu-Hurlin (2012) panel causality tests are also used in this analysis to check causality between variables. Based on the findings, this research makes many policy suggestions for lowering carbon emissions.

Exploring necessary and sufficient conditions for carbon emission intensity: a comparative analysis

This research investigates the factors influencing carbon emission intensity in 94 countries during 2018 using two qualitative methods: necessary condition analysis (NCA) and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). The study covers variables related to economics, human geography, energy, and institutions, showing significant variations among them. The NCA model identifies economic complexity and fossil energy consumption as necessary conditions for high-carbon emission intensity. On the other hand, the fsQCA model reveals sufficient conditions for both high- and low-carbon emission intensity, presenting different causal combinations of variables. For high-carbon emission intensity, nine causal solutions are identified, emphasizing the roles of economic growth, urbanization, fossil energy consumption, and institutional quality. Reducing carbon emission intensity requires addressing economic complexity and reducing reliance on fossil energy consumption. Policymakers should focus on sustainable economic development, environmentally friendly urbanization, and transitioning to renewable energy sources. This research's originality lies in its qualitative approach, going beyond traditional regression methods to explore necessary and sufficient conditions for carbon emission intensity. It offers valuable insights into the complex interplay of variables, providing multiple causal configurations for both high- and low-carbon emission intensity.

The impacts of renewable energy and institutional quality in environmental sustainability in the context of the sustainable development goals: A novel approach with the inverted load capacity factor

It is crucial to fulfill sustainable development goals in combating environmental pollution. Recently, there has been a growing literature on environmental pollution; however, while many proxies represent environmental pollution, few proxies represent environmental sustainability. In this paper, we examine the effects of institutional quality (SDG-16), economic growth (SDG-8), and renewable energy (SDG-7) on the inverted load capacity factor (SDG-13) in OECD countries from 1999 to 2018. The objective is to ensure environmental sustainability within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework. In this respect, the study differs from the existing literature by approaching the sustainable environment literature from a broader perspective. Long-term empirical estimates from the PMG-ARDL technique have shown that institutional quality, reel income, and population increase the inverted load capacity factor, that is, decrease environmental sustainability. However, on the contrary, renewable energy decreases the inverted load capacity factor. Therefore, renewable energy consumption helps reach SDG-7 and SDG-13 in OECD countries. In addition, it is found that economic growth is significant both in the long run and in the short run, and the impact of economic growth on the environment is greater in the short run than in the long run. This result supports the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for OECD countries. The panel causality test results find a bidirectional causality relationship from renewable energy and population to inverted load capacity factor and a unidirectional causality relationship from institutional quality to inverted load capacity factor. This study argues that policymakers should concentrate on deploying environmentally friendly technology to slow down environmental degradation, increase the usage of renewable energy sources, and promote sustainable development in line with the SDGs.

Economic freedom and carbon emissions across the globe: the mediating effect of renewable energy consumption

A growing number of studies have examined the extent to which economic liberalization policies would influence carbon emissions. These studies have examined this relationship while neglecting the key role that renewable energy could play in this complex relationship. The study fills that gap. It aims to examine the mediated effect of renewable energy consumption in the relationship between economic freedom and carbon emissions in 138 countries worldwide over the period 1995-2018. In this perspective, the study followed a second-generation panel econometric tests. We used Driscoll and Kraay standard errors (DKSE) and common correlated effect mean group (CCEMG) estimators for baseline results. The robustness of the results was checked using fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), system generalized method of moments (System-GMM), and quantile regression (QREG). Furthermore, the study mobilized Dumitrescu and Hurlin's panel causality test to examine the causal relationship between the variables under study. The results suggest that economic freedom has a direct and indirect negative effect on carbon emissions and that renewable energy consumption mediates the effect of economic freedom on carbon emissions. These results remained unchanged at the battery of robustness checks. Moreover, Dumitrescu and Hurlin's panel causality test results indicated a bidirectional causal relationship between economic freedom, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, economic globalization, and population size with carbon emissions. The various empirical findings have helped to formulate useful policy implications for policy-makers to ensure environmental sustainability.

Can using energy resources productively and promoting good governance boost carbon productivity? An economic growth-environmental degradation decoupling analysis on 116 global countries

Decoupling economic growth from environmental pollution for promoting low-carbon growth has become a global objective. Though the previous studies have mostly analyzed how environmental pollution can be reduced, not much emphasis was given to assessing how economic growth can be enhanced while limiting environmental damages in tandem. Hence, this study examines how carbon productivity is determined by energy productivity improvement, good governance, financial development, financial globalization, and international trade using data from 116 global economies. Overall, the analytical findings reveal that energy productivity improvement initially cannot decouple economic growth from environmental pollution by inhibiting carbon productivity. However, later on, using energy productively does manage to decouple economic growth from environmental pollution by boosting carbon productivity. Accordingly, the U-shaped nexus between these variables is confirmed by these statistical findings. Besides, the results also endorse the carbon productivity-boosting effects of good governance, financial development, and international trade while foreign direct investment receipts are not found to exert any significant impact on carbon productivity. On the other hand, the robustness tests' results affirm that the carbon productivity-influencing impacts are heterogeneous across countries belonging from different categories of national income, carbon productivity, energy productivity, governance, and regional locations, as well. Nevertheless, the results overall confirm that countries having comparatively higher levels of energy productivity and governance are more likely to decouple the growth of their respective economies from environmental pollution. Based on these findings, some decoupling policies are recommended.

Sustainable environment quality: moderating role of renewable energy consumption in service sector for selected HDR listed countries

Considering environmental deterioration, an emerging global problem, this study is aimed at determining the impact of the service sector economic activity on environmental quality from the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) perspective and finding ways to reduce the carbon impact of service sector within the EKC relationship. This study proposes that renewable energy intensity in the economy plays an important role in reducing carbon print of service sector. This study is based on secondary data from 1995 to 2021 for different development-wise categorized country groups leading to 115 countries, according to the Human Development Report (HDR) on the Human Development Index (HDI). Estimated results using panel feasible generalized least squares (FGLS) have confirmed inverted U-shaped for very high HDI and medium HDI and U-shaped EKC for low HDI countries. This study is instrumental in confirming the moderating role of renewable energy in the service sector EKC. Policymakers can plan a gradual reduction of carbon footprint in the service sector by transitioning toward renewable energy.

Renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption, economic growth, and CO2 emissions in Eastern and South African countries: the role of informality

This study investigates the role of informality in the relationship among renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption, economic growth, and CO₂ emissions in a panel of 19 Eastern and South African countries. The empirical strategy exploits the panel generalized method of moments, panel fixed effects models using the Driscoll-Kraay standard errors, panel method of moments quantile regressions, and the Dumitrescu-Hurlin bootstrap panel Granger causality analysis. The results are fourfold. First, nonrenewable energy consumption is positively associated with CO₂ emissions, while renewable energy consumption is not. Second, there is a nonlinear ∩ -shaped relationship between economic growth and CO₂ emissions, consistent with the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. Third, the results show a nonlinear ∪ -shaped relationship between informality and CO₂ emissions, suggesting that higher informality is associated with lower CO₂ emissions up to a certain critical point beyond which further increases in informality precipitate higher CO₂ emissions. Fourth, the results show unidirectional causality from CO₂ emissions to renewable energy, from CO₂ emissions to nonrenewable energy, from informality to CO₂ emissions, and feedback causality between GDP growth and CO₂ emissions.

An empirical assessment of the tripartite nexus between environmental pollution, economic growth, and agricultural production in Sub-Saharan African countries

A lot of attention has been paid to environmental pollution worldwide, due to the increase in anthropogenic activities. Massive investment in non-renewable energy options raises questions regarding environmental sustainability and how to maximize food and non-food output while still preserving a healthy ecosystem. To this end, the present study explores the three-way nexus between economic growth, CO₂ emission, and agriculture-value added will accounting for other control variables across a balanced panel of selected African economies from 1997 to 2020. Panel econometrics method of the generalized method of moments (two-step difference GMM) is used to obtain a robust result. From the present study, the environmental pollution model shows that economic growth significantly contributes to environmental pollution in Africa. Additionally, the food price index, capital, and FDI promote pollution, while agricultural production and labor decrease pollution. In the case of the economic growth model, the findings reveal that environmental pollution supports the growth-led pollution hypothesis. Also, the food price index and capital ameliorate economic growth, while foreign direct investments decrease economic growth. Finally, the agricultural production model indicates that economic growth increases agricultural production when the interaction term between GDPC and FDI is included in the model. In summary, the combination of explanatory variables, environmental pollution, capital, and foreign direct investment decreases agricultural production. On the contrary, the food price index and labor promote agricultural production in Africa. Furthermore, the study provides a lot of policies for authorities and stakeholders in Sub-Saharan African countries and other developing economies.

Environmental sustainability through aggregate demand and knowledge economy interaction-a case of very high-HDI countries

The magnitude of the economic activities is immense in very high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries, leading to environmental degradation, a crucial problem. This study is aimed at testing aggregate demand's role in the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) perspective and explores the role of four pillars of the knowledge economy, viz., technology, innovations, education, and institutions, as proposed by World Bank, in maintaining sustainable development of environmental quality in these countries. The analysis covers the period ranging from 1995 to 2022. The departure of normality of the variables provides a solid base for panel quantile regression (PQR). Unlike ordinary least squares (OLS) regression, which estimates the conditional mean of the dependent variable, PQR estimates the conditional quantiles. The estimated results using PQR confirm both U and inverted U-shaped aggregate demand-based EKC. In fact, these knowledge pillars in the model determine the shape of EKC. Results also reveal that two knowledge pillars, i.e., technology and innovations, are responsible for significantly reducing carbon emissions. In comparison, education and institutions are responsible for expanding carbon emissions. As a moderator, all knowledge pillars except institutions are shifting the EKC downward. The key lessons from these findings are that technology and innovation can reduce carbon emissions, while education and institutions may have a mixed impact. The relationship between knowledge pillars and emissions may be moderated by other factors, underscoring the need for further research. Moreover, urbanization, energy intensity, financial development, and trade openness significantly contribute to environmental deterioration.

Does excessive energy utilization and expansion of urbanization increase carbon dioxide emission in Belt and Road economies?

The phenomenal increase in global temperature and variation in climate change are the replications of nature, alarming governments to limit the emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and adopt green innovation and environmental-friendly clean and green technologies. In this paper, we empirically investigate whether there are any changes in excessive consumption of energy from conventional sources, expansion of urbanization, carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, and economic growth in six different regions, namely, East Asia (EA), South Asia (SA), Southeast Asia (SEA), Central Asia (CA), Eastern Europe (EE), and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), under the Belt and Road Initiatives of panel data over the period of 1985 to 2017. The empirical methods include a panel co-integration check, heterogeneity test, panel Granger causality test, pooled mean group (PMG), and augmented mean group (AMG). To verify the outcomes, robustness tests were carried out using the fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) approaches. Our results confirm that CO₂ emissions are primarily influenced by excessive utilization of conventional energy, economic growth, and expansion of urbanization. The findings confirm the co-integrating relationships among the variables in all six regions. Moreover, the panel causality analysis identified a bidirectional causal relationship between energy consumption, economic growth, urbanization, and CO₂ emissions. While these results can play an instrumental role in formulating CO₂ emission policies among our selected countries, our research can also assist policymakers and governments in other developing countries implement important policy initiatives. In this regard, the findings suggest that the current environment-related polices of Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI) do not efficiently tackle CO₂ emissions. In order to achieve the CO₂ emission degradation objective, the Belt and Road countries should restructure their environment-related policies by limiting the consumption of conventional energy and expansion of urbanization. The adaptation and establishment of such a panoramic policy program can assist emerging economies to acquire consolidated and environmentally sustainable economic growth.

Public debt and environment degradation in OIC countries: the moderating role of institutional quality

Although the effect of public debt on environmental quality has been envisaged in prior empirical studies, the outcomes are inconclusive. Moreover, institutional quality can directly or indirectly influence public debt and environmental quality. However, empirical investigations probing the moderating role of institutional performance in public debt and environmental degradation relationship are missing. This research pursues to bridge this gap by exploring whether the institutional quality is a factor that moderates the debt-environment relationship of OIC economies in the period 1996 to 2018. Short-run findings disclose that public debt statistically significantly degrades the environment quality in the panels of low and overall OIC-income countries, but it mends the environmental performance in the high-income panel of OIC countries. Institutional performance is negatively linked with all environmental damaging measures across the three-income stratum of OIC countries. Both the short-run and long-run results of the interactive term between public debt and institutional quality reveal that it turns the unfavorable influence of public debt on environmental damaging measures. The outcomes of the study validated an inverted U-shape EKC when CO₂, CH₄, and ecological footprint are employed in all three-income panels of OIC countries. However, for N₂O emission, a U-shaped EKC is seen in the panels of low-income and overall OIC nations. To address environmental issues, our results suggest that OIC countries should improve the institutional quality and control the public debt at a certain level, also ensure sustainable use of biocapacity and forests.

Do trade openness and institutional quality contribute to carbon emission reduction? Evidence from BRICS countries

The quest for rapid economic development by modern nations has led to an unprecedented increase in carbon emissions. Knowledge spillovers from increasing trade activities and effective environmental regulations have been suggested as viable means of controlling these rising emissions. To that end, this study aims to examine the impact 'trade openness' and 'institutional quality' had on CO2 emissions in BRICS countries from 1991 to 2019. Three indices, namely, institutional quality, political stability, and political efficiency, are constructed to measure the overall institutional impact on emissions. A single indicator analysis is conducted for a deeper investigation of each index component. Given the existence of cross-sectional dependence among variables, the study uses the modern dynamic common correlated effects (DCCE) method to estimate their long-run relationships. Confirming the pollution haven hypothesis, the findings reveal that 'trade openness' indeed is a cause of environmental degradation in the BRICS nations. Through reduced corruption, improved political stability, bureaucratic accountability, and better law and order, 'institutional quality' is found to be contributing positively to environmental sustainability. It is also confirmed that renewable energy sources do have a positive environmental impact; however, it is found to be insufficient to offset the adverse effects caused by non-renewable sources. Based on the results, it is advised that BRICS countries should strengthen their cooperation with developed countries so that positive spillovers of green technologies may occur. Moreover, renewable resources should be aligned with firms' profits so that sustainable production practices can become the new norm.

An empirical investigation of the effects of poverty and urbanization on environmental degradation: the case of sub-Saharan Africa

This study empirically investigates the effects of poverty and urbanization on environmental degradation for a sample of 43 sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies from 1995 to 2018. The major contribution of the study lies in examining the existence of non-linear effects of poverty and urbanization on environmental degradation. We considered a set of institutional and demographic factors to explain the dynamics among poverty, urbanization, and environmental degradation. Findings suggest that an increase in the poverty gap significantly contributes towards intensifying environmental degradation in SSA countries. Results also show the existence of a non-linear relationship between poverty and environmental degradation. The findings purpose several crucial policy recommendations which necessitate the participation of different stakeholders such as government, institutions, researchers, non-profit organizations and citizens for the effective implementations of environment-friendly policies. A battery of robustness tests confirms the validity of the main findings of the study.

The role of renewable energy consumption on environmental degradation in EU countries: do institutional quality, technological innovation, and GDP matter?

In the face of climate change and environmental degradation, reducing emission of greenhouse gases has become a key factor for environmental sustainability. Therefore, the present research is intended to explore the roles of renewable energy consumption, institutional quality, technological innovation, and GDP on carbon dioxide emissions in the 14 EU countries. In doing so, this study employed novel method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) using annual data from 2000 to 2019. Also, a number of other estimators were applied for robustness check including the fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS), the dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS), and the fixed effect ordinary least square (FE-OLS). The empirical findings indicate that renewable energy consumption significantly reduces CO₂ emissions across all quantiles (0.1-0.9). Furthermore, institutional quality and technological innovation improve environmental quality in 0.1-0.7 quantiles, although GDP enhances carbon emissions significantly in all quantiles. In addition, the FMOLS, DOLS, and FE-OLS results confirmed the MMQR results. The outcomes of this study suggest insights for the policymakers to mitigate carbon emissions through promoting innovative technologies for environmental protection and investing more in the development of renewable energy.

Revisiting the effects of energy, population, foreign direct investment, and economic growth in Visegrad countries under the EKC scheme

This research studied the impacts of the environmental Kuznets curve and the determinants of economic growth for Visegrad countries from 1990 to 2018. This paper reflects on the effects of renewable and non-renewable energy, urban population, foreign direct investment, economic growth, and carbon dioxide emissions. According to our results, the panel of unit root tests showed that the variables under study are integrated into the first differences. Considering the empirical results for the environmental Kuznets curve, we observe that economic growth is positively correlated with pollution emissions; nevertheless, the squared income per capita is negatively impacted by carbon dioxide emissions. Energy consumption increases carbon emissions, and foreign direct investment confirms the pollution halo hypothesis. Therefore, the econometric results showed that renewable energy consumption promotes regional growth. Consequently, urban population and foreign direct investment positively correlate with economic growth.

The roles of energy, natural resources, agriculture and regional integration on CO2 emissions in selected countries of ASEAN: does political constraint matter?

This paper empirically examines the effects of energy, natural resources, agriculture, political constraint and regional integration on CO₂ emissions in four ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries of Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. We distinguish between renewable and fossil fuel energy consumption to see their individual impacts on CO₂ emissions. The study employed a panel data from 1990 to 2019 derived from sources such as World Development Indicators, which were then analysed using Common-Correlated Effect Mean Group (CCEMG) and Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimates. The findings show that renewable energy consumption has a negative impact on CO₂ emissions while fossil fuel energy degrades the environment. The role of natural resources was found to be favourable for environmental quality with the impact of agriculture being found to be detrimental. For regional trade integration, its influence was not significant enough to offset CO₂ emission. Furthermore, we discovered that political constraint induces CO₂ emission. Based on the result, it is recommended that the selected ASEAN countries promote the use of renewable energy and clean technologies in their manufacturing processes, conserve natural resources, adopt eco-friendly political policies and intensify regional integration to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs.

Heterogeneous impact of eco-innovation on premature deaths resulting from indoor and outdoor air pollution: empirical evidence from EU29 countries

Environmental innovations play a vital role in reducing air pollution and the number of pollution-related mortality. Most of the previous studies have examined the role of eco-innovations in environmental quality. However, to our knowledge, no study has evaluated the effects of eco-innovation on air pollution as a cause of mortality. For this purpose, this research examines the effect of eco-innovations on premature deaths from indoor and outdoor air pollution in twenty-nine European countries from 1995 to 2019. The Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MM-QR) is used to assess the impacts. The results confirm the heterogeneous effects of the main variables in both models. Both models indicate that eco-innovations reduce premature deaths from outdoor and indoor air pollution, and these effects are more significant in high quantities (75th and 90th). Also, the effect of eco-innovations on reducing mortality due to indoor pollution is more significant than that related to outdoor pollution. Eco-innovation, economic growth, renewable energy consumption, and urbanization reduce premature mortality indoors and outdoors, but CO₂ emissions increase this mortality. The results of the Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test also support that all variables, including eco-innovation and CO₂ emissions, have a bidirectional causal relationship with indoor (LIND) and outdoor (LOUT) mortality due to air pollution. Governments and politicians can help mitigate this problem by providing more environmental innovations by increasing support packages and reducing taxes.

Assessing the moderating effect of institutional quality on economic growth-carbon emission nexus in Nigeria

This study explores the relationship between economic growth and carbon dioxide and the moderating effect of institutional quality in Nigeria from 1990 to 2020, by employing long-run and short-run dynamic ARDL regression, quartile regression and Granger causality test for the estimation. Utilizing CO2 per capita emissions; GDP per capita, a proxy for economic growth; capital stock (CAPSTK), proxy for capital investment in Nigeria and control of corruption and regulatory quality (COC and RGQ) which represent the effective environmental regulations and laws put in place for the control and prevention of environmental degradation, the study found a significant cointegration between CO2 emissions and economic growth (lnGDP) in Nigeria. Furthermore, an N-shaped nexus exists between CO2 emissions and economic growth in the long-run and short-run instead of the inverted U-shape curve postulated by the EKC hypothesis. This was confirmed by both ARDL and quartile regression results. Similarly, InCAPSTK contributed significantly to the growth of CO2 emissions in Nigeria both in the long run and short run; although, the short run did so at 10% significant level. Contrary to expectations, control of corruption (COC) contributes significantly to CO2 emissions in the long run, but when it interacts with income (InGDP [Formula: see text] COC), it significantly contributes to the reduction of CO2 emissions. More so, regulatory quality (RGQ) had no significant impact on CO2 emissions in Nigeria either in the long run or short run, even when it interacts with InGDP. This finding is further supported by the quartile regression outcomes and Granger causality. The study therefore concludes that CO2 emissions-economic growth nexus in Nigeria assumes an N-shape both in the long run and short run. Based on the results, the study recommends that Government should pursue industrialisation policy with sophisticated method of production that will bring about rapid economic progress and at the same time support environmental sustainability.

Transportation moderation in agricultural sector sustainability - a robust global perspective

The agriculture sector creates nearly a quarter of the total GHG emissions globally as production and transportation activities in the agriculture sector mostly use fossil fuels, creating carbon emissions. In this regard, it is highly important to study the environmental sustainability of agriculture sector growth by using the theory of environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). Furthermore, this research study is aimed to assess the moderation role of transportation competitiveness in determining the carbon emissions of transportation sector by using agriculture sector value addition. The study uses panel quantile regression technique for data analysis of 121 countries by covering time period from 2008 to 2018. The study results validated the agricultural EKC across four different quantile groups based on carbon emissions of transport sector. The moderation of transportation competitiveness is observed in changing the turning point and flattening of agricultural EKC indicating the early achievement of maturity. The quality of institutions and planned increase of population can help reduce carbon emissions of transportation sector. The moderation of transportation competitiveness implicates the importance of planning and efficiently operating the transportation sector to mitigate carbon emissions.

Impact of sectoral decompositions of electricity consumption on economic growth in India: evidence from SVAR framework

The study examines the effects of electricity consumption from different sectors such as agricultural, commercial, domestic, industrial (HV), industrial (LV-MV) and miscellaneous sectors on economic growth over the period of 1981-2019 in the case of India. We used SVAR framework and concluded that the consumption of electricity from agriculture sector has a negative impact on economic growth, whereas the industrial (HV and MV-LV) and commercial electricity consumption has positive impact on economic growth. Similarly, electricity consumption by the domestic sector has less positive effect on economic growth. Further, we computed the total factor productivity growth (TFP) by using the DEA method and showed the effects of sector-wise electricity consumption on TFP as the robustness of our analysis. We obtain similar kind of results. From the policy perceptive, the study suggests that the government must speed up the construction of a power grid to improve the availability of electricity for achieving higher rate of economic growth.

Digital technologies and circular economy in supply chain management: in the era of COVID-19 pandemic

This empirical study aims to identify the importance of Digital Technologies (DT) as an enabler in the Circular Economy (C.E.) based business model, especially during Covid-19. The concept of 'circular economy' has now been advocated as a methodology to stimulate economic growth in line with the environmental sustainability. Hence, the practices of recycling, reduction, reuse/re-manufacture, and repairing (4R's) are deemed to be the core of a circular economy. Recently, the advent of the pandemic Covid-19 has forced the nations of the world to resort to alternate resource use in their manufacturing and trading of goods and services as the supply chains have almost remained disrupted since Covid-19 appeared. We investigate the impacts of Covid-19 upon the use of technological innovation (T.I.), circular economy practices (CEP), and organizational performance (ORP) incorporating the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Our results show that Covid-19 significantly impacted the adoption of technological innovation, circular economy, which leads toward organizational performance. Moreover, the practices and operations under the circular economy framework also appear to influence organizational performance significantly. Our study findings bring forward meaningful insights into improving CEF-cum-technology based practices in developing and emerging markets in Asia, and convey significant implications for the business community, policymakers, and researchers.

Renewable Energy, Urbanization, and CO2 Emissions: A Global Test

A fixed effects regression and two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) is used to analyze secondary data from the World Bank, covering 163 countries over the period from 2000 to 2016. The study tests the relationship between renewable energy, urbanization, and CO2 emissions. The empirical results show that urbanization has an inverted U-shaped relationship with CO2 emissions, while renewable energy consumption mitigates CO2 emissions. If causal, a 1% increase in renewable energy use leads to a 1.2% decrease in CO2 emissions. The results also show that the GDP per capita has an inverted U-shaped relationship with CO2 emissions, confirming the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). We also found that innovation, proxied by residents’ patents, has a non-linear effect on CO2 emissions. As a policy implication, developing countries should increase the share of renewable energy in their total energy use, and promote innovative activities by increasing government spending on R&D.

Designing hydro-energy led economic growth for pollution abatement: evidence from BRICS

Overutilized hydro-energy production through non-sustainable mode is detrimental for both the economy and the environment. Intermittent consumption of hydro-energy from non-sustainable production methods may induce deleterious impacts in terms of rapid pollution in the economy. This paper investigates the impacts of hydro-power consumption upon pollution for 5 BRICS countries from 1965 to 2019. Our balanced panel model shows that infrequent usages of hydro-power consumption led to more pollution over the year. This relation is also further explained by considering several macroeconomic factors, in the context of the growth scenario. Our empirical findings show that an increase in population and consequent rise in per capita income have exhibited positive impacts on pollution. Even, improved industrialized led production and investment in these economies contribute heavily towards pollution and declined environmental standards. Our results further state that intermittent usages of natural resources by population in terms of rising ecological footprint have resulted in higher emission intensity over the year. These findings underscore how rising hydro-power energy consumption has led to the rising pollution amidst the growth scenario in BRICS economies.

Identifying impact of international trade and renewable energy consumption on environmental quality improvement and their role in global warming

There is a lack of proper research that highlights the impact of institutional quality (IQ) and renewable energy consumption (REC) on the carbon emission (CE). The significance of IQ and REC in the achievement of zero CE is highlighted in this research. The current research reports the effects of these important factors on the consumption-based carbon emissions in the G-7 countries from 1995 to 2018. Based on the outcome of the cointegration test, the long-run connection is recognized between IQ, REC, GDP, exports, imports, and consumption-based CE. The findings also validated that there exist significant decrease and increase in the CE in both the short and long run; for instance, IQ, REC, and exports decrease the CE, while imports and GDP increase the CE. The estimates of causality test showed that policies aimed at improving IQ, REC, GDP, exports, and imports have a significant impact on the CE. Consequently, based on these results, policymakers in the G-7 must prioritize IQ and REC to enhance environmental quality and attain carbon neutrality.

Identifying impact of international trade and renewable energy consumption on environmental quality improvement and their role in global warming

There is a lack of proper research that highlights the impact of institutional quality (IQ) and renewable energy consumption (REC) on the carbon emission (CE). The significance of IQ and REC in the achievement of zero CE is highlighted in this research. The current research reports the effects of these important factors on the consumption-based carbon emissions in the G-7 countries from 1995 to 2018. Based on the outcome of the cointegration test, the long-run connection is recognized between IQ, REC, GDP, exports, imports, and consumption-based CE. The findings also validated that there exist significant decrease and increase in the CE in both the short and long run; for instance, IQ, REC, and exports decrease the CE, while imports and GDP increase the CE. The estimates of causality test showed that policies aimed at improving IQ, REC, GDP, exports, and imports have a significant impact on the CE. Consequently, based on these results, policymakers in the G-7 must prioritize IQ and REC to enhance environmental quality and attain carbon neutrality.

Cultivation Potential and Uses of Paulownia Wood: A Review

This review aimed to determine the current state of research on the growth conditions and use pertaining to paulownia wood, mainly in European countries where paulownia has been introduced only relatively recently. Several studies carried out on Paulownia hybrids have shown significant differences in the growth dynamics of individual clones in their response to local environmental and climatic conditions. For example, dry biomass production yields in the second year of cultivation range from 1.5 t ha−1 to as much as 14 t ha−1. This diversity has manifested itself not only in growth characteristics but also in the properties of the wood and the possibilities for its use. Despite having clear similarities to the genus Paulownia, the cultivation of species and hybrids under different conditions has produced varying results. The best growing conditions for this wood (that make economic sense) are in the Middle East and Southern Europe. These regions have accumulated the most experience because of the earlier establishment of the crop. Today, paulownia cultivation is dominated by hybrids with selected traits that are propagated mainly in vitro. The most commonly planted hybrids include the clones in vitro 112, Cotevisa 2 and Shan Tong. The growth results and production capacity in central European countries are lower compared to Southern Europe. Experiments on paulownia cultivation are still relatively young, mainly consisting of replicating the cultivation of hybrids developed in Asia or Southern Europe. However, agronomic procedures are being developed and reactions to local climatic conditions are being studied. It is likely that, in the next few years, the profitability of growing paulownia in these regions will become apparent.

The role of institutional quality in FDI inflows and carbon emission reduction: evidence from the global developing and belt road initiative countries

Achieving economic growth is the primary concern mostly of every country to enhance living standard; however, an increase in economic activities may have environmental consequences. Foreign direct investment is also considered a driver of economic growth while it affects the quality of environment. The role of institutions can be useful to enhance foreign direct investment (FDI) inflow which can in turn increase economic growth and safeguard environmental quality. Based on the ongoing debate, this study attempts whether the quality of institutions plays any role in FDI inflow and in enhancement of environmental quality. For this purpose, this study examines the role of institutional quality in FDI inflows and carbon emission reduction in the global panel, 107 world developing, and 39 Belt and Road Initiative countries for the period of 2002-2019. By using both static and dynamic panel models, the results indicate that governance indicators are important for FDI inflows, but this impact varies in different panels. Overall, institutional quality has a significant and positive impact on foreign direct investment inflow, while energy use reduces it in all panels. Economic growth positively associated with carbon emission, while the square of GDP evidences the environmental Kuznets curve. FDI and trade increase global and developing countries' emissions, while reducing emission in Belt and Road countries. Institutional quality along individual indicators, political stability, rule of law, and regulatory quality are found to be poor governance indicators in all panels, while voice and accountability and control of corruption are weak indicators in Belt and Road countries; however, the interaction term proves that the quality of institutions is regulated by financial development and FDI in carbon emission reduction in all panels. This study has considerable policy significance for countries to carry out strong policy reforms to increase green FDI and improve environmental quality.

Nexus between Technological Innovation, Renewable Energy, and Human Capital on the Environmental Sustainability in Emerging Asian Economies: A Panel Quantile Regression Approach

The goal of this study was to examine the interlinkage of renewable energy, technology innovation, human capital, and governance on environment quality by using a panel quantile regression in Asian emerging economies over the period of 1990–2019. The results indicated that higher economic growth, population density, technological innovation in renewable energy, and exploitation of natural resources have significantly raised CO2 emissions in emerging Asia. Furthermore, larger capital, more use of renewable energy, green technology, and human capital development can improve environmental sustainability in Asia. As for governances, proxied by corruption rates, no evidence indicated that it has resulted in more damage, unlike earlier studies have suggested. The findings indicated that the three channels exposed in the Kuznets hypothesis can serve as a reference for proposals for environmental policies (scale of consumption, energy composition, and choice of technologies). There are opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions through investments in human development, investing in new technologies to increase efficiency in energy (generation and consumption), increasing working capital (GCF), and migrating to more environmentally friendly energy. The negative link between carbon dioxide emissions and economic growth, increases in population density, and exploitation of natural resources can compromise the achievement of sustainable environmental goals.

Role of institutional quality and renewable energy consumption in achieving carbon neutrality: Case study of G-7 economies

This research emphasized the significance of institutional quality and renewable energy consumption in achieving the desired objective of zero carbon emissions. Following the COP21 (Paris Conference), many countries have fixed their national level objectives for achieving the carbon neutrality and to tackle the problem of global warming. Many researchers have focused their efforts on the aspects that contribute to environmental degradation. Meanwhile, there is a scarcity of appropriate research that highlights the environmental implications of institutional quality and renewable energy consumption. Therefore, the current study examines the influence of these significant determinants on CCO₂ emissions in the G-7 countries from 1990 to 2018. The long run relationship between institutional quality, renewable energy consumption, GDP, exports, imports, and CCO₂ emissions is approved, based on the assessed results of cointegration test. Besides that, the estimated results have endorsed a considerable decrease and increase in carbon emission both in the short and long run, i.e., institutional quality, renewable energy consumption, and exports reduce emissions, while imports and GDP raise emissions. The Dumitrescu and Hurlin causality test results show that policies aiming at improving institutional quality, renewable energy consumption, GDP, exports, and imports have a significant effect on CO₂ emissions. As a result of these findings which recommends that G-7 countries' policymakers should emphasize institutional quality and renewable energy consumption in order to improve environmental quality by reducing carbon emissions and to achieve carbon neutrality.

Primal-dual approach to environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis: A demand and supply side analyses of environmental degradation

The unavoidable negative effects of global warming have been a key if not the most important issue occupying policy makers in the world at large today. The much talked about green economy nowadays seeks to achieve sustainable economic growth and development without compromising environmental quality. The relationship between environmental degradation and economic growth is largely explained by the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. By employing the basic postulation of the baseline EKC framework, this study proposes and tests the existence of a dualistic approach of the EKC hypothesis. Geometry is used to illustrate the proposed dualistic model. Meanwhile, the novel dynamic common correlation effect econometric technique is employed to test the existence of the dualistic EKC within a panel of 109 countries from 1995 to 2016. The outcome from the estimated models shows that, in the global sample, the existence of the dualistic U-shaped and N-shaped EKC hypothesis is validated. When the sample is split into subsamples based on income levels, the U-shaped EKC hypothesis is validated for lower-income and high-income economies meanwhile, the N-shaped dualistic EKC is mostly associated with high-income economies.

The intermittent effects of renewable energy on ecological footprint: evidence from developing countries

This paper examines the relationship between renewable, non-renewable energy, natural resources, human capital, and globalization on ecological footprint from 1990 to 2016 for developing countries. We apply Westerlund co-integration technique to check the long-run relationship among the variables. The long-run elasticity of the model is analyzed through MG, AMG, and DCCE. For the robustness check of the long-run relationship among the variables, we use FMOLS and DOLS approach. The direction of causal relationship is determined through Dumitrescu and Hurlin causality test. Our findings revealed that economic growth, non-renewable energy, natural resource, and urbanization are inducing the ecological footprint of developing countries and reducing the environment's quality. To cope up with this situation, developing countries are bound to use more fossil fuel energy. The use of non-renewable energy consumption leads to increase the extraction of natural resources like coal and oil. However, renewable energy reduces the ecological footprint or improves environmental quality. Similarly, human capital and globalization have negative effects on ecological footprint. The results of causality test reveal that there are feedback effects between ecological footprint with economic growth, globalization, and natural resources. This study suggests that these developing countries should focus more on the investment in the renewable energy sector, improve quality education, and make stringent environmental policy for protecting the nations from ecological issues.