Do public-private partnerships in energy and renewable energy consumption matter for consumption-based carbon dioxide emissions in India?

Charting the path to sustainable prosperity: Harnessing innovation, renewable energy, and institutional excellence for a greener tomorrow

Climate change and global warming have led to significant economic challenges in the recent past. Currently, the economic growth strategy prevailing in the region is ineffective, which adversely affects the environment of the South Asian region through the unprecedented increase in CO2 emissions. The present study focuses on investigating the impact of technological advancements, renewable energy resources, and the strength of institutional quality on carbon emissions. Furthermore, the study focused on challenges faced in promoting renewable energy as well as governmental policies to encourage the adoption and promotion of renewable energy. We have targeted South Asian economies (Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka) and employed a quantitative research design using data from 1990 to 2022 and employing a Random and fixed effect model. We found that technological innovation and environmental quality play a significant role in sustainability in the South Asian region. We have also applied a sensitivity analysis which shows that data are reliable and stable. In order to ensure economic growth without causing environmental destruction policymakers must prioritize the implementation and development of renewable energy sources through state-level policies. Furthermore, this could entail responsible acts like reforestation a decrease in deforestation, and the promotion of sustainable and effective practices.

Road map from dirty growth to sustainable green growth in Turkiye: Management of trade and financial processes?

This study examines how business, financial, monetary, and trade freedom influence Turkiye's green growth from 1995 to 2022, utilizing the ARDL approach to cointegration. Our results confirm the long-term cointegration among the variables. Robustness tests, such as Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), consistently show that business and trade freedom hinder Turkiye's green growth. Financial freedom and monetary freedom consistently foster it. Business freedom and heightened trade freedom lead to increased fossil fuel consumption, whereas monetary freedom stabilizes Turkiye's currency, and financial freedom promotes entrepreneurship. Enhancing eco-friendly energy sources and investing in green technologies are crucial for promoting sustainable growth, reducing production costs, fostering entrepreneurship, and encouraging competition. The fact that the impact of these variables on green growth in Turkiye has not been studied before makes the study's findings novel.

Do circular economy, public-private Partnership and carbon policy manage the environmental stress? Developed countries' situation under the Prism of COP27

Since the Industrial Revolution, the economies have played well to make progress in economic growth. Besides, rapid growth has brought severe challenges, and environmental degradation is one of them. Therefore, the globe has introduced several green initiatives, such as the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals, but the problem remains intact. Specifically, this study focuses on COP27 and highlights the key challenges and their best solutions. Undoubtedly, most nations have tried to meet their settled targets by 2030, but these have different priorities to facilitate their populace. Therefore, international cooperation has been introduced as a logical solution to collaborate across borders or within the region to deal with sustainability themes. However, developed nations have environmental problems due to industrial, income, and population growth, directly associated with environmental risks. Thus, under the SDGs, this empirical research tries to cover the critical problems (income, population aging, & industrial development) and their best alternative (public-private partnership, emission taxes & circular economy) to minimize environmental issues. Similarly, the current study utilizes an advanced series of estimators to investigate the study's objective for 17 developed nations from 2000 to 2021. Investigated outcomes describe income, population aging, and industrial activities that bring carbon emissions. Conversely, carbon policy and public-private partnerships support the sustainability theme for specified economies. Under the base model, the circular economy declines the environmental pressure by 0.016 %, 0.002 %, and 0.019 %, respectively, under the specified estimators. Moreover, this empirical research investigates the mediating role of carbon policy, public-private partnership & circular economy on industrial development. It brings a significant decline in emissions only for carbon policy & circular economy. However, this study also proposes some green policies to become clean & green shortly.

Impacts of renewable and disaggregated non-renewable energy consumption on CO2 emissions in GCC countries: A STIRPAT model analysis

This research investigates the effects of renewable (REC) and disaggregated non-renewable energy consumption (coal, oil, and natural gas) on CO2 emissions (CO2) in GCC countries, employing the STIRPAT model. The research also compares the impact of various non-renewable energy (NREC) sources to identify their contributions to CO2 emissions. Demographic factors like population and economic growth are considered main determinants of CO2. Panel data econometric methods are used, including diagnostic tests and unit root tests, to found long-run relationships among the variables. The study reveals significant positive associations between coal, natural gas, oil consumption and CO2, with oil having the highest impact. Conversely, REC shows a significant negative correlation with CO2. Economic growth and population are also linked to increased CO2. The findings emphasize the need for strategies promoting renewable energy usage, energy efficiency, public transportation, carbon pricing, and research in green technologies to alleviate CO2 and enhance sustainable development in the GCC countries.

How does regional economic integration affect carbon emission efficiency? Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta, China

Rapid urbanization and industrialization promote economic growth as well as bring carbon emissions, which seriously threaten the eco-environment and socioeconomic sustainable development. Facing increasing resource constraints, improving carbon emissions efficiency (CEE) is conducive to promote coordinated development of economy and environmental protection. In recent years, regional economic integration (REI) has rapidly developed. It can not only promote factors flow between regions but also achieve industrial and economic agglomeration. However, few studies have been reported in the literature about the relationship between the REI and CEE. In this study, we first illustrate how the REI influences CEE in theory, then take the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) as a case study to conduct empirical research. The results show that (1) the overall CEE value in the YRD has exhibited an upward trend from 2000 to 2020, and its spatial distribution has revealed a significant auto-correlation pattern. (2) On the whole, the REI act a noteworthy positive impact on CEE. When considering types of cities, it is found to have significant positive impacts for the CEE in economically developed cities, while it exhibits a negative impact in the less-developed ones. (3) Upgrading industrial structure and increasing per capita GDP can promote the CEE, but hinder its growth in surrounding areas. Our findings suggest that the government should formulate a unified overall plan to facilitate REI development and establish a modern industrial system of clean and low-carbon to promote regional sustainable development.

Risk allocation schemes between public and private sectors in green energy projects

In this research, we analyse how project risk allocation strategies impact the volume of private investment in renewable energy projects with the participation of both the public and private sectors. To this purpose, we analyse a sample formed by 2215 projects performed in 73 developing countries in the period 1997-2019 involving the following technologies: solar, hydro, wind, waste, biogas, biomass, and geothermal. Our findings reveal that those projects performed through governance schemes in which the private partner takes more project responsibilities attract more private money. Additional drivers for attracting private investment at the project level and institutional level are found. Furthermore, we reveal that the transference of project risks to the private partner emerges as a very relevant project feature that interacts with some of the project and institutional factors, revealing both complementary and substitution effects. The significance of this research extends beyond academia, since there are factors influencing private investment that can be controlled by various stakeholders in projects (such as policymakers, private investors, and project managers). Understanding their impact, significance, and interaction effects-factors that sometimes moderate or accentuate private investment-is crucial. The identified patterns illuminate optimal risk allocation practices, offering practical insights to enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of projects.

Empowering renewable energy consumption through public-private investment, urbanization, and globalization: Evidence from CS-ARDL and NARDL

This study examines the interrelationship among public-private investment, urbanization, globalization, and renewable energy consumption in the BIMSTEC nations for 1995-2021. The study implemented linear and nonlinear frameworks to document the magnitudes of explanatory variables on REC. Referring to the study findings with CSD, CIPS, CADF, and PCT disclosed the presence of cross-sectional dependency; variables are integrated after the first difference, i.e., I (1), and long-run association. According to symmetric and asymmetric coefficients, Public-private partnerships and globalization have emerged as significant catalysts for developing renewable energy sources. At the same time, urbanization is exposed to an adverse tie with REC, especially in the long-run. Based on the abovementioned findings, the study presents crucial policy recommendations to facilitate the expeditious transition to renewable energy within the BIMSTEC nations. Policymakers should prioritize the cultivation of robust public-private partnerships, the provision of incentives for investments in renewable energy, and the formulation of comprehensive regulatory frameworks.

The impact of resident demand on industrial carbon emissions and the transmission path: Evidence from Zhejiang Province

The industrial sector is the main source of carbon emissions in most developing countries. Little research has been conducted on demand-side factors and how the demand side affects industrial emissions through the supply side. Therefore, this article selects 2004-2019 panel data on Zhejiang Province, and a multiple linear regression model and a multiple mediating effects model are adopted to explore the impact mechanism and relationship between demand and industrial emissions. We find the following: (i) There is a significant positive influence of demand on emissions, and (ii) demand has an indirect inhibitory effect on industrial emissions through factor market distortion and an indirect promoting effect through technological innovation and energy consumption. (iii) There are two chain intermediary paths led by factor market distortion that have a negative impact on industrial emissions and a chain path led by technological innovation that has a positive impact.

Dynamic assessment of the impact of agricultural land use change and globalization on environmental quality in the tropical African Rainforest: evidence from the Congo Basin

The rising human demand for food has increased the pursuit for more agricultural land to feed the ever-growing human population. Although agriculture constitutes the cornerstone of most economies and serves as a vital source of foreign earnings to others, experts suggest that it emits a substantial amount of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, thereby enhancing global warming. Furthermore, with the growing pace of globalization, less developed countries are witnessing economic growth with detrimental impacts on the environment. Inspired by the need to protect tropical rainforests and basins, the current research aims to assess the dynamic impacts of agricultural land use change (LALUC) and globalization (LGLO) on environmental quality (LCO2) in the Congo Basin while controlling for economic growth (LGDP), biomass energy consumption (LBIO), and urbanization (LURBN). Based on panel data from 1980 to 2018, this study utilized second-generation econometric methods including the cross-sectional Im, Peseran Shin (CIPS), Westerlund bootstrapped co-integration test, autoregressive distributive lag/pooled mean group (ARDL/PMG), and the Dumitrescu Hurlin (D-H) panel causality estimates. The outcome reveals a long-run equilibrium co-integrating association among the estimated variables, and LALUC, LBIO, and LURBN were found to reduce LCO2, while LGDP and LGLO increase LCO2. These findings imply the inverted U-shaped relationship between LALUC, LBIO, and LURBN is beneficial for environmental quality in the Congo Basin. Based on the findings, environmental quality and economic growth can be achieved instantaneously in this region by engaging in large-scale production of biomass energy. Therefore, policymakers and governments should promote renewable energy use and convey foreign funds towards its enhancement, while investments in agriculture should prioritize environmentally benign practices such as agroforestry.

Time-varying impact of income and fossil fuel consumption on CO2 emissions in India

This paper investigates the time-varying effects of fossil fuel consumption on CO2 emissions in India utilizing the time-varying cointegration test, allowing for multivariate long-run time-varying cointegration parameter developed by Bierens and Martins (2010) and the time-varying vector autoregressive (TVP-VAR) model developed by Primiceri (2005). The long-run time-varying coefficients reveal that GDP has a positive and increasing impact on CO2 emissions over time. Moreover, results confirm the polluting effects of all fossil fuels. Besides, the TVP-VAR model findings also demonstrate that changes in income and fossil fuel consumption have a positive and significant impact on environmental degradation. Coal is found to be the most polluting fuel, followed by oil consumption. Furthermore, the time-varying responses show that increased natural gas consumption has the least influence when compared to other fossil fuels on CO2 emissions.

The impact of public-private investment in energy on environmental degradation: evidence from major investment countries

The objective of the present study is to explore the impact of public-private investment in energy, foreign direct investment, urbanization, and renewable and non-renewable energy consumption on environmental degradation in major investment countries during the period 1998Q4-2018Q4. In doing so, the cross-sectional dependence test and CIPS panel unit test were employed to identify the cross-sectionally dependency and the integrational properties/stationarity among the variables. Furthermore, we opted for Westerlund (2007) panel cointegration test to check the long-run association among the variables. To achieve the short-run and long-run elasticities, we have recommended cross-sectional-autoregressive distributive lag (CS-ARDL). The study outcomes revealed that public-private partnership in energy is negatively and significantly impacting CO2 emissions in both the short run and the long run. Furthermore, foreign direct investment and urbanization are negatively related to CO2 emissions, while renewable energy is positively affected it. However, the coefficients are insignificant. Moreover, non-renewable energy has a positive and substantial influence on CO2 emissions. Lastly, study outcomes offer several policy insights to develop investment in public and private partnerships in the energy sector to reduce CO2 emissions in major investment countries.

Does green investments improve air quality? Evidence for developed and developing European countries

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of green investments on air quality for developed and developing European countries. In this context, the short- and long-term effects of green investments on air quality were examined by panel generalized method of moments (GMM) and panel causality method. As a result of the GMM analysis, it has been determined that green investments negatively affect the air quality for both developed European countries and developing European countries in the short term, but this effect turns positive in developed countries in the long term. As a result of the panel causality analysis, two-way causality was determined between air quality and green investments.

Role of natural gas and nuclear energy consumption in fostering environmental sustainability in India

This paper investigates the role of nuclear energy in promoting ecological sustainability in India, focusing on three ecological indicators: ecological footprint (EF), CO2 emissions (CO2), and load capacity factor (LF). In addition to nuclear energy, the study considers the influence of gas consumption and other drivers of ecological sustainability using data spanning from 1970 to 2018. The analysis also takes into account the impact of the 2008 global financial crisis on the model, employing the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) and frequency domain causality approaches to assess the relationships. Unlike previous studies, this research evaluates both the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and load capacity curve (LCC) hypotheses. The ARDL results support the validity of both the EKC and LCC hypotheses in the Indian context. Furthermore, the findings reveal that nuclear energy and human capital contribute positively to ecological quality, while gas consumption and economic growth have a negative impact on ecological sustainability. The study also highlights the increasing effect of the 2008 global financial crisis on ecological sustainability. Additionally, the causality analysis demonstrates that nuclear energy, human capital, gas consumption, and economic growth can serve as predictors of long-term ecological sustainability in India. Based on these findings, the research presents policy recommendations that can guide efforts towards achieving SDGs 7 and 13.

The effects of trade, renewable energy, and financial development on consumption-based carbon emissions (comparative policy analysis for the G20 and European Union countries)

Recently, there has been a lot of focus on global trade and consumption-based carbon (CCO2) emissions. More research, however, has examined how financial development (FD) and international trade in renewable energy affect CO2 emissions. Furthermore, there are no distinct trends in the research about how globalization affects environmental quality. Our research analyzes and empirically investigates the relationship between CCO2 emissions and renewable energy, FD, and trade. A large panel of data from 41 G20 and European Union (EU) countries is assembled for empirical analysis from 1990 to 2019. The practical outcomes of panel quantile regression and feasible generalized least square (FGLS) approaches display that renewable energy and FD positively relate to CCO2 emissions; furthermore, trade to GDP hurts CCO2 emissions; market classification has been taken as a control variable which shows that the developed countries released more carbon than non-developed countries. These results suggest that the financial sector focuses more on supporting companies that use ecologically friendly techniques and pushing them to use other energy well-organized technologies in their production processes. As a result, CCO2 emissions will be reduced, preventing environmental damage at the non-renewable energy plant.

Can environmentally friendly technology help China to achieve a carbon neutrality target by 2060? An asymmetrical based study in China

Climate change-related environmental challenges are prompting an increasing number of countries to set carbon-neutral targets. Since 2007, China has pursued numerous initiatives to attain carbon neutrality by 2060, including increasing the percentage of non-fossil energy, developing zero-emission and low-emission technologies, and taking actions that reduce CO2 emissions or boost carbon sinks. As a result, utilizing quarterly data from 2008/Q1 to 2021/Q4, and applying the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) approach, this study evaluates the effectiveness of the measures taken by China to improve the ecological situation. The results of the study show that the measures enacted to reduce CO2 emissions did not accomplish their ultimate purpose. Specifically: (i) high-speed railways and new energy vehicles do not improve the environment in the long run; (ii) investments and patents in the energy sector, as well as low-carbon sources, will degrade the environment; (iii) only investments in the treatment of environmental pollution will improve the ecological situation. Various policy implications are suggested based on the empirical results in order to attain environmental sustainability.

Digital transformation: fresh insights to implement green supply chain management, eco-technological innovation, and collaborative capability in manufacturing sector of an emerging economy

The increasing significance of green supply chain management in developing countries' manufacturing sector is primarily driven by the deteriorating environment, signified by decreasing raw material resources, a surplus of waste sites, and rising pollution levels. Green supply chain management can provide competitiveness while boosting a company's environmental sustainability if implemented effectively. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the effect of green supply chain management practices on the firm performance of the manufacturing sector. This research aims to determine the moderating effect of collaborative capability and the mediating influence of eco-technological innovation and environmental strategy on the relationship between green supply chain management and firm performance. Five hundred fifty survey questionnaires are gathered from manufacturing firms of China. Utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM), the proposed hypotheses have been analyzed and investigated. The results show that green supply chain management indirectly affects the firm performance. Moreover, green supply chain management is positively related to environmental strategy and eco-technological innovation, which effectively enhance firm performance. The findings further indicate that environmental strategy and eco-technological innovation significantly mediate the association between green supply chain management and firm performance. Furthermore, collaborative capability significantly and positively moderates the relationship between green supply chain management and firm performance. As a result, the adoption of these factors influences firm performance positively and will assist the manufacturing sector in meeting diverse yet radically changing requirements and overcoming obstacles originating from a dynamic global business environment. Consequently, it is of the utmost importance that businesses must utilize green practices with relatively low environmental impacts. Companies can considerably maintain and improve their firm performance by reducing the environmental impact if they have effective collaborative capabilities, eco-technological innovation, and environmental strategies.

The asymmetric relationship between public-private partnerships investment in energy and environmental degradation for sustainable development: new evidence from quantile-on-quantile regression approach

According to the United Nations Agenda, the 2023 sustainable environment is necessary to secure this planet's future; public-private partnerships investment in energy is crucial to sustainable development. The research examines the quantile association between public-private partnership ventures in energy and environmental degradation in ten developing nations, and data is used from January 1998-December 2016. The advanced econometrics quantile-on-quantile regression approach is used to control the issues of heterogeneity and asymmetric relationship. According to the quantile-on-quantile approach, there is a strong positive association between public-private partnerships in energy and environmental degradation in Argentina, Brazil, Bangladesh, and India. But the negative relationship is observed on different quantiles of China, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Thailand, and the Philippines. The findings suggest that the world needs to act as a single community and divert its resources toward renewable energy sources to control climate change; also, to accomplish the UN 15-year road map of Agenda 2023 with 17-SDGs; out of these 17 sustainable goals, SDG-7 is related to affordable and clean energy, SDG-11 is about sustainable cities and communities, and SDG-13 focuses on climate action for sustainable development.

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.

Dynamic effect of exchange rate depreciation on carbon emission in the Mediterranean basin: fresh insights from linear and non-linear ARDL approaches

The key objective of this study is to explore the relationship between economic growth, renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, exchange rate variation, and environmental pollution by carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in 19 coastline Mediterranean countries over the period 1995-2020. We suggest the application of two different approaches, namely, the symmetric autoregressive-distributed lag (ARDL) and the non-linear ARDL (NARDL) model. These methods distinguished from traditional ones by the fact that they assess both the long and short run dynamics among variables. More importantly, the NARDL method is the only technique enabling us to test the asymmetric effects of a shock in independent variables on dependent ones. Our results indicate that the long-term pollution is positively correlated with exchange rate for developed countries and negatively correlated for developing ones. Since environmental degradation in developing countries is more vulnerable to any fluctuation in exchange rate, we suggest that policymakers in Mediterranean developing countries must pay more attention to exchange rate variation as well as boosting renewable energy consumption in order to decrease CO₂ emissions.

Can new energy demonstration city policy reduce carbon emissions? A quasi-natural experiment from China

Against achieving carbon peaking by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2060 context in China, the new energy demonstration city policy (NEDCP) has a crucial function to perform in promoting resource utilization efficiency, building the green development policy system, and facilitating carbon emission reduction. However, existing research has rarely investigated the contribution of NEDCP on carbon reduction. To investigate the policy effect of NEDCP, the differences-in-differences (DID) model is introduced to quantify the influence of NEDCP on carbon reduction, taking a statistical sample of 285 Chinese cities over the period 2005-2017 on the basis of exploring the intrinsic mechanism of NEDCP on carbon emissions. The statistical results reveal that NEDCP significantly inhibits carbon emissions. NEDCP's dampening impact on carbon reduction is more pronounced in the eastern area but not in other areas. City size and resource endowment heterogeneity results suggest that NEDCP significantly inhibits the output of carbon emissions in non-resource-based and large cities but insignificantly in resource-based and small- and medium-sized cities. Finally, we conclude that policy-makers should not only broaden the scope of NEDCP implementation continuously but also design relevant policy combination tools following the basic characteristics of each city to provide institutional guarantees for achieving carbon emission reduction.

The asymmetric and long-run effect of environmental innovation and CO2 intensity of GDP on consumption-based CO2 emissions in Denmark

The study explores the relationship between globalization, GDP, the carbon intensity of GDP, patents, and its effect on consumption-based carbon emissions (CCO2E). For analysis, novel econometric approaches include nonlinear ARDL and Fourier ARDL, and for robustness, dynamic OLS applied. The results from cointegration tests reveal that there exists a significant long-run relationship between CCO2E, globalization, economic growth, patents, and the carbon intensity of GDP. Additionally, the empirical results indicate that only positive shock in patents on environmental innovations have a negative and significant impact on CCO2E, while positive and negative shocks in GDP and carbon intensity of GDP significantly increase CCO2E. However, only a negative shock in globalization demonstrates the increase in CCO2E. Also, dynamic OLS findings confirmed the robustness. Given the outcome, it is recommended that the Danish government be cautious when approving policies intended to increase economic growth, as this could negatively affect environmental sustainability. More so, research and development must contribute to technological advancement in the Danish manufacturing sector. Despite this, it is important to prioritize patent promotion. Patent protection can enable Denmark to develop eco-friendly technologies that can reduce carbon emissions, thus enabling life to be more sustainable by utilizing fewer resources and energy. Denmark can reduce CO2E and foster economic development through a strong patent system on environmental technologies.

Analyzing the role of green innovation and public-private partnerships in achieving sustainable development goals: a novel policy framework

The environment's quality is the cornerstone for every country's long-term growth. Pakistan, like other countries, is embracing modern, efficient technologies to build a sustainable environment following the SDGs. In this situation, policymakers and experts have emphasized more on environmental factors. To do this, the study explores the impact of green innovation (GI), public-private partnerships in energy (PPP), energy use (EU), economic development (ED), and power prices (PP) on CO2 emissions in Pakistan from 1980 to 2019. The research uses a novel econometric technique for estimating environmental factors, notably the dynamic autoregressive distributed lag simulations (ARDLS) model and spectral frequency domain causality (SFDC), to examine positive and negative shocks for the prediction of the short-, medium-, and long-run impact of selected determinants, respectively. Additionally, robustness checks were performed using the fully modified OLS (FMOLS), dynamic OLS (DOLS), and canonical cointegrating regression (CCR) estimations. The short and long-term empirical findings indicate that GI lowers emissions; nevertheless, PPP, EU, and ED have a significant impact on emissions in the short run, while the EU increases emissions in the long run. PP, on the other hand, reduces emissions both short and long-term. The FMOLS, DOLS, and CCR estimations indicate significant discoveries. Additionally, the SFDC finding supports the long, medium, and short-term causation theories. This research advocates green innovation for a greener manufacturing process and PPP investment in renewable energy. In addition, the Pakistani government considers these variables while designing a comprehensive protracted environmental plan to meet SDGs 7 and 13.

The role of economic growth, information technologies, and globalization in achieving environmental quality: a novel framework for selected Asian countries

This study examines the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT), GDP growth, population, and globalization on the environmental quality of 31 Asian economies (i.e., categorized as lower middle-income, upper middle-income, and high-income groups Asian economies). This analysis employed the time series data from 1990 to 2018. The robust second-generation econometric technologies are used in this analysis. This study applied the Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) premises under the extended "STIRPAT model" to add population and GDP (per capita) and information technologies (ICTs) by employing ecological footprint. To estimate, the estimators of this study used the CS-ARDL estimates, and for robustness check, this study used the augmented mean group (AMG) test. The co-integration test found the long-run association between ecological footprint and its main determinants. The results of CS-ARDL have confirmed the imperative role of information technologies in mitigating the ecological footprint in the higher, upper-middle, and lower-middle-income economies of Asian economies. The statistical findings of this study are robust to diagnostic tests and alternative estimation proxies and techniques. Moreover, policymakers need to identify the direction of the information technology-ecological footprint nexus through cooperation in combating climate change with financial assistance in the ICT sector.

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.

The nexus between natural resources, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon dioxide emission in BRI countries

This study investigates the nexus between natural resources, renewable energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon emission in 35 belt and road initiative (BRI) countries from 1985 to 2019. By employing OLS, fixed effect, generalized method of moments, and seemingly unrelated regression models, the results show that carbon dioxide and renewable energy are the driver factors of economic growth while natural resources reduce economic growth. The effect of economic growth and natural resources on carbon dioxide is positive; however, renewable energy consumption significantly reduces carbon emission. Economic growth rise renewable energy consumption while carbon dioxide and natural resources reduce it. The findings of this study have considerable policy implications for the belt and road countries that how natural resources and income inequality influence the interlinkage of renewable energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon dioxide emission.

Asymmetric impact of renewable energy consumption and technological innovation on environmental degradation: designing an SDG framework for developed economy

Many European nations, including Spain, are having difficulties achieving their Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) objectives. Resultantly, the current research discusses the development of an SDG framework for Spain, which can be utilized as a model for other EU nations. This research examines whether GDP growth, technological innovation, and energy sources (renewable and non-renewable) have any effect on CO₂ emissions utilizing data from 1980 to 2018. The study applied the non-linear ARDL (NARDL) to investigate these interrelations. The outcomes from the NARDL revealed that positive (negative) shocks in renewable energy improve environmental quality in Spain. Furthermore, positive (negative) shocks in technological innovation lead to a decrease (increase) in CO₂. Lastly, positive (negative) shocks in energy consumption lead to an increase (decrease) in CO_2. The results reveal that Spain is on the right path towards decarburization. This research has important policy ramifications for the policymakers and government of Spain as well as neighbouring countries.

Do renewable energy consumption and green innovation help to curb CO2 emissions? Evidence from E7 countries

Global climate change is profoundly affecting human survival and development and is a major challenge facing the international community today. Therefore, this study aims to examine the effect of renewable energy consumption and green innovation on CO2 emission reduction in E7 countries within the framework of macroeconomic indicators, and whether they can contribute to achieving carbon neutrality targets. To achieve the purpose of the study, firstly, the fully modified OLS, dynamic OLS, classical cointegration regression, Bayer-Hanck cointegration, and ARDL bounds test are employed in this study. The existence of a long-term cointegration or long-term linkage is confirmed by empirical evidence. Secondly, the empirical outcomes of FMOLS, DOLS, and CCR reveal that a 1% increase in renewable energy consumption and financial innovation reduces the CO2 emissions by 0.357% (0.301%), 0.428% (0.336%), and 0.348% (0.306%), while a 1% rise in economic growth and inflation raises the CO2 emissions by 0.881% (0.015%), 0.946% (0.043%), and 0.875 (0.022%), respectively. Similarly, the results of ARDL demonstrate that renewable energy consumption and financial innovation contribute to the improvement of environmental quality, while economic growth and inflation exacerbate the deterioration of environmental quality. However, green innovation has no apparent impact on environmental sustainability. Finally, in the short term, the paths of renewable energy consumption and economic growth on environmental sustainability under macroeconomic conditions are almost identical to those in the long term, while green innovation significantly improves the environmental quality of economic development in E7 countries. To sum up, to achieve sustainable economic and environmental development in the context of carbon neutrality, policy makers in developing countries should fully consider the role of renewable energy and green innovation, and actively strive to promote green and low-carbon energy development, to make new contributions to global environmental governance.

Impact of subsectors of agriculture and economic growth on CO2 emissions in Pakistan: evidence from Environmental Kuznets Curve

Modernization produces carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions but is also able to achieve sustainable agriculture growth by introducing the concept of renewable energy into the agriculture sector, and through this process reduce the CO₂ emissions in the country. The main objective of this research is to check the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis with CO₂ emissions and economic development in renewable energy and agriculture subsectors such as fisheries and crop production in Pakistan. This study covers the time period 1984 to 2020. We have applied the autoregressive distribution lag (ARDL) bound test. The results indicate the existence of long-term association among all variables in the model. The result of co-integration in the short run shows a negative relationship between CO₂ emissions and crop production in the current time period, and it shows a positive correlation with the first lag of CO₂ emission, which means that current crop production reduces the CO₂ emissions by 32% during a year, while in the lag period, it will increase in the short run. In the long run, a 1% increase in crop production will reduce the CO₂ emission by 86%. Renewable energy shows a negative relation with CO₂ emissions in the short run; a 1% increase in renewable energy will reduced the CO₂ by 0.017%. Our results support the existence of the EKC hypothesis for Pakistan. In light of the findings, it is suggested that policy makers should focus more on renewable energy to decrease the level of CO₂ as much as possible. Moreover, the government must provide subsidies for machines used for cropping and give special attention to subsectors such as livestock and fisheries.

Pakistan CO2 Emission Modelling and Forecasting: A Linear and Nonlinear Time Series Approach

Pakistan is considered among the top five countries with the highest CO₂ emissions globally. This calls for pragmatic policy implementation by all stakeholders to bring finality to this alarming situation since it contributes greatly to global warming, thereby leading to climate change. This study is an attempt to make a comparative analysis of the linear time series models with nonlinear time series models to study CO₂ emission data in Pakistan. These linear and nonlinear time series models were used to model and forecast future values of CO₂ emissions for a short period. To assess and select the best model among these linear and nonlinear time series models, we used the root mean square error (RMSE) and the mean absolute error (MAE) as performance indicators. The outputs showed that the nonlinear machine learning models are the best among all other models, having the lowest RMSE and MAE values. Based on the forecasted value of the nonlinear machine learning neural network autoregressive model, Pakistan's CO₂ emissions will be 1.048 metric tons per capita by 2028. The increasing trend in emissions is a frightening and clear warning, suggesting that innovative policies must be initiated to reduce the trend. We encourage the Pakistan government to price CO₂ emissions by companies and entities per ton, adapt electricity production from hydro, wind, and different sources with no emissions of CO₂, initiate rigorous planting of more trees in the populated areas of Pakistan as forest covers, provide incentives to companies, organisations, institutions, and households to come out with clean technologies or use technologies with no CO₂ emissions or those with lower ones, and fund more studies to develop clean and innovative technologies with less or no CO₂ emissions.

Energy mix with technological innovation to abate carbon emission: fresh evidence from Mexico applying wavelet tools and spectral causality

The global warming issue arises from climate change, which draws scientists' attention toward cleaner energy sources. Among clean sources, renewables and nuclear energy are getting immense attention among policymakers. However, the significance of nuclear energy in reducing CO₂ emissions has remained ambiguous, necessitating further research. Therefore, the present study draws impetuous attention to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals-7 (affordable clean energy) & 13 (climate change mitigation) by looking at the relationship between energy mix (fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear), economic growth, technological innovation, and CO₂ emissions in Mexico from 1980 to 2019 using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. In addition, to assess the direction of causality, this study applied wavelet techniques and spectral causality. The findings affirm that renewable and nuclear energy use and technological innovation tend to curb CO₂ emissions, whereas fossil fuel consumption and economic expansion trigger CO₂ emissions. The study lends support to the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) phenomenon in Mexico. The FMOLS and DOLS tests show that our long-run estimates are reliable. In different time scales, the wavelet coherence result is also consistent. Finally, the results of the spectral causality approach demonstrate a significant causal association between the variables tested at various frequencies. As a result, in order to achieve SDGs 7 and 13 and support an environmentally friendly ecosystem, Mexico's energy mix must be changed to renewables and nuclear.

Does political stability contribute to environmental sustainability? Evidence from the most politically stable economies

The study evaluates the effect of political risk on CO₂ emission in the top 10 most politically stable economies (Australia, Canada, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland) from 1991/Q1 and 2019/Q4. To the investigators' understanding, this is the first empirical analysis that inspects the effect of political risk on CO₂ emissions in the top 10 most politically stable economies. Therefore, the current paper fills a gap in the existing literature. Innovative quantile-on-quantile regression and quantile causality approaches are applied to explore this nexus. The quantile-on-quantile regression results reveal that in the majority of the quantiles, political risk enhances environmental quality for the case of Norway, Sweden, Canada, and Switzerland. Moreover, political risk degrades the quality of the environment in Australia, Germany, and Denmark, while the outcomes were mixed for the rest. Since political stability has encouraged international corporations to invest. As a result, guaranteeing political stability will attract more foreign investment, pressuring the governments of these countries to treat the climate catastrophe more urgently. Moreover, reforms should be aimed at sustaining existing environmental policies related to the green economy, while local and international firms should vigorously pursue investments in renewable energy sources and energy-saving-efficient technologies.

The criticality of financial risk to environment sustainability in top carbon emitting countries

This research examines the linkage between financial risk and carbon emissions using a quarterly dataset spanning from 1991 to 2019 for top carbon emitting countries. To achieve the study objective, this study apply quantile-on-quantile regression (QQR), the quantile regression (QR) approach for robustness check, and the nonparametric predictive test that identifies causality in mean and variance. Empirical findings from the QQR technique disclose the following: (i) financial risk decreases carbon emissions in the USA, Russia, Germany, and Canada; (ii) in China, India, Japan, Brazil, and Indonesia, financial risk enhances carbon emissions (iii) while we find mixed reactions in the case of South Korea. The outcomes of the conventional quantile regression also confirm the QQR outcomes, while that of nonparametric causality discloses evidence of causality in majority of quantiles from financial risk to carbon emissions. Based on these empirical outcomes, policymakers in the financial risk-induced-environmental degradation regions should consider implementing policies or reforms that would keep financial systems sound, in order to prevent shocks to the environment, and its attendant multiplier impact on the environmental sustainability targets implemented to protect both the immediate and the future generations.

International trade, Chinese foreign direct investment and green innovation impact on consumption-based CO2 emissions: empirical estimation focusing on BRI countries

Recently, The literature has directed concern towards the consumption-based carbon emission (CCE), which is adjusted for trade. This study aims to examine trade, Chinese foreign direct investment (CFDI), and green innovation (GI) to portray the overall impact of the factors influencing CCE in belt and road initiative (BRI) countries over the period 2003 to 2018. By employing the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) model, the findings reveal that CFDI and imports positively influence the CCE both in the long run as well as in the short run. The results of GI and exports are found negatively significant in the host countries. The study further employs augmented mean group (AMG) and common correlated mean group (CCEMG) estimators for robustness. Like CS-ARDL, the outcomes of both estimators reveal the same findings that imports and CCE hold a positive relationship in all sample regions. Overall, the study exposes that strategies related to CCE accredited by trade and FDI should recognize their environmental repercussions and implement policies that are environmentally friendly such as green innovation and renewable energy sources to achieve a sustainable development.

The effect of financial globalization and natural resource rent on load capacity factor in India: an analysis using the dual adjustment approach

Currently, the most crucial economic and ecological issues are related to environmental degradation and sustainability. On this backdrop, this paper examines the impact of financial globalization and natural resource rent on load capacity factor, using the novel dual adjustment approach and time-frequency domain causality approaches, in the case of India. This study contributes to the extant body of knowledge in the area of environmental economics. First, it is the first attempt to analyze the factors responsible for load capacity factor, specifically for India. As such, studies on environmental concerns on both the supply and demand sides are put into consideration. Empirical results show that only renewable energy consumption lessens the load capacity factor, while economic growth and financial globalization are positively correlated with the load capacity factor, and natural resource rent is insignificant in the short run. In the long run, only economic growth is negatively correlated with load capacity factor, while the other series positively influence load capacity factor. To reap greater ecological merits, policymakers should focus on transitioning from conventional non-renewable energy sources that contribute to rising carbon emissions to more cost-effective and dependable renewable sources of energy that support sustainable growth and a healthy environment.

Toward the Fourth Industrial Revolution among E7 Economies: Assessment of the Combined Impact of Institutional Quality, Bank Funding, and Foreign Direct Investment

Technological innovation and its paradigm, that is, the Fourth Industrial Revolution-4IR, have shown strong impact on income levels of adopters across the globe. To this end, this analysis examines the impact of bank funding and institutional quality on technological advancement. This study adds additional variables such as high-technology exports and foreign direct investment (FDI) as control variable. Our study period spans from 2000 to 2018 on an annual frequency for E7 economies (Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, India, Turkey, Russia, and China). This study leverages on cross-sectional ARDL, Augmented Mean Group (AMG), and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group Estimates (CCEMG) estimation techniques to examine long-run relationship between the outlined variables. Empirical findings show that institution quality, bank finance, income, high-technology exports, and foreign direct investments exert a positive effect on advancements in technology. Furthermore, the interaction between bank finance and institution quality on technological advancement is also positive and statistically significant. Based on the findings, it is concluded that large-scale funding is crucial for businesses to leverage revolutionary technology. Likewise, access to large capital sources if made easier encourages technology affordance as well as innovation and operational excellence. Thus, economies with established legal and financial systems stand to offer businesses such security, which encourages business innovation. Consequently, E7 economies ought to improve their financial and legal systems to boost financial security, creativity, and competitiveness of businesses.

Energy productivity and environmental deregulation: the case of Greece

Among the EU countries, Greece relies heavily on coal the most, and it has lagged behind in cutting emissions. Further, following the oil crisis of the 1970s, Greece has strategically invested in lignite. Solid fossil fuels such as lignite are classified as fossil fuels that are detrimental to environmental performance. This continued burning of fossil fuels has emerged as one of the most serious concerns in Greece, even globally. The aim is to capture the effect of energy productivity on carbon dioxide emissions (CO2E) in Greece while controlling trade openness, energy consumption, and economic growth. Toward this end, we employ a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) model and other econometric robust techniques. The findings of the study are as follows: (i) trade openness positively impacts carbon emissions growth; (ii) economic growth adds to increased CO2E; (iii) expanding energy productivity is beneficial to the environment as it causes CO2E to decline; and (iv) increase in energy consumptions further results in CO2 cutbacks. The recommendation of our study suggests some innovative policies to counter the detrimental effects of carbon emissions by an increase in energy efficiency for the Greek economy. The study recommends that embracing a low-carbon, resource-efficient, and circular economy is of paramount importance to Greece in order to ensure environmental protection, as well as to boost green growth, create new jobs, and combat unemployment. Greece should ensure that energy efficiency techniques are promoted, and renewable energy sources are expanded in order to increase the options for cleaner alternatives and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, thus preserving the environment.

New insights into an old issue: modelling the U.S. food prices

The study attempts to add significant outcomes to the U.S. food prices literature by performing a dynamic regression model and a frequency domain causality test to explore the causality and relationships between U.S. food prices, energy prices, economic policy uncertainty, and the value of the U.S. dollar. It is shown that dollar price negatively affects the food price index at both high and low volatility periods. Furthermore, it is presented that there is a permanent long-run causal relationship running from the dollar index to the food price index. The results indicated that there is a significant positive relationship between the energy price index and the food price index. Moreover, energy is found to be a long-run and permanent cause of the food price index. The effect of uncertainty has not been sufficiently explored in the food pricing field, the outcome of this study reveals that uncertainty increases the food price index at high volatility times. Besides, uncertainty is shown to be the long-run and permanent cause of the food price index.

The energy transition in Europe-a solution for net zero carbon?

Climate change has generated intense concerns from public authorities and international institutions with regard to shaping the behavior of companies, consumers, investors, and other stakeholders so as to manage this challenge as efficiently as possible. In order to address the climate emergency in the post-pandemic era, recovery plans need to trigger decarbonization, and a green transition, including specific investments and providing a more adaptive structure of the sources of energy in different regions, able to meet the need for a systemic shift towards a more sustainable economy that works for both people and the planet. The main measurable effect of energy production and consumption is by far represented by carbon emissions. In the present paper, we aim to identify the statistical significance of several factors influencing the carbon dioxide emission per capita in the European countries-level of economic development, level of globalization, trade openness, and the intensity of energy transition measured by the share of renewable energy in total energy consumption. The results show an increased interest of the experts in energy consumption model shift through green energy increased share, with relatively high differences among the 42 European countries analyzed. The analysis was conducted for the period 1990-2018 and policy differences depending on variables (GDP/capita, globalization index, trade openness, and renewable energy share in total energy consumption) were identified. The results showed that the carbon dioxide emission per capita evaluation designed model is representative of the European countries. The fact that the targets set by European non-EU member states for reducing CO2 emissions are lower than for the EU is influencing the dynamics of the energy transition, with implications for the size and destination of funds to finance the development of renewable energy.

Determinants of load capacity factor in South Korea: does structural change matter?

By likening biocapacity and ecological footprint, the load capacity factor follows a specified ecological threshold, permitting for an in-depth analysis of ecological damage. It can be seen that as the load capacity factor is reduced, the ecological damage intensifies. Until now, scholars have used carbon dioxide, ecological footprint, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and other indices to objectively examine ecological problems. The utilization of these metrics can cause the supply side of ecological concerns to be overlooked. To make up for this weakness, this paper evaluates the impact of structural change and trade globalization on the load capacity factor. The research also considers other drivers of load capacity factors such as economic growth and energy. We utilized the nonparametric such as nonparametric causality and quantile-on-quantile (QQ) regression approaches to scrutinize these interconnections for South Korea between 1970 and 2018. The findings from the QQ approach disclosed that in the majority of the quantiles, the influence of economic growth, structural change, energies (renewable and nonrenewable), and trade globalization mitigate the load capacity factor. Moreover, the nonparametric causality test divulged that in variance and mean, all the independent variables can predict the load capacity factor. Policy proposals for South Korea's sustainable development are offered based on the findings.

Does political risk spur environmental issues in China?

China is one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the world. Therefore, it is essential to explore the determinants of CO₂ emissions in China. But previous studies so far have not examined how the political risk of this country can affect its CO₂ emissions due to the lack of a long-term dataset. Hence, this study aims to capture the effect of political risk on China's CO₂ emissions while controlling renewable energy consumption, technological innovation, and the economy's economic growth. We employ Bayer and Hanck cointegration, FMOLS, DOLS, CCR, and frequency domain causality tests to establish the relationship among the variables mentioned above. The outcome of the study reveals that political stability is an important predictor of environmental degradation in China. Moreover, political stability is helpful to lower CO₂ emissions, while technological innovation and renewable energy consumption can reduce CO₂ emissions, economic growth further deteriorates environmental quality by increasing its carbon emissions. Therefore, the present study recommends that policymakers in China should control political tension in the country to control CO₂ emissions and, at the same time, promote technological innovation and renewable energy consumption.

Impacts of globalization and energy consumption on environmental degradation: what is the way forward to achieving environmental sustainability targets in Nigeria?

One of the major problems the world is currently facing is climate change. This is due to the use of fossil fuel combustion, which increases the presence of CO₂ emissions and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere in several countries of the world, which Nigeria is not exempted from. Against this background, this study examines the impacts of globalization, real income, urbanization, and energy consumption on environmental degradation; and proffer way forward to achieving environmental sustainability targets in Nigeria, using quarterly frequency time series data over a period 1971-2018. To achieve our study objectives, this study makes use of quantile-quantile (Q-Q) approach, developed by Sim and Zhou J Bank Financ 55:1-8, (2015). This approach groups together nonparametric estimation and quantile regression. Empirical results show that, in all quantiles, globalization, real income, urbanization, and energy consumption impact positively on environmental degradation. Thus, we are of the opinion that for the nation to achieve any meaningful environmental sustainability targets, (i) it must shift from economic activities that are dependent and driven by non-renewable energy sources; (ii) enact environmental laws and regulations that prevent indigenous and multinationals firms from using non-renewable energy sources in production activities; (iii) discourage rural-urban migration by enacting policies that would improve life in the rural areas, such as diverting investment of indigenous and multinational companies to be situated in the rural areas; and lastly, (iv) learn from jurisdictional experiences that have successfully replaces non-renewable energy sources with renewable ones for an overall economic growth and environmental sustainability targets for both the immediate and future generations.

Towards a sustainable consumption approach: the effect of trade flow and clean energy on consumption-based carbon emissions in the Sub-Saharan African countries

Environmental degradation has accelerated rapidly in recent decades. Researchers and policymakers around the world have concentrated their efforts on this phenomenon because of its effect on human beings. Because of the expanding desire for fossil fuels in developed and developing nations, there has been minimal worldwide agreement on how energy consumption and carbon emissions can be reduced in recent years. On the other hand, several nations are implementing steps to adhere to the Paris Climate Agreement, which was signed in 2015. Therefore, this research intends to examine the effect of trade, economic growth, natural resources, clean energy, and urbanization on consumption-based carbon emissions (CCO₂) for economies in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 1990 to 2018. The study employed second-generation techniques including CS-ARDL, which revealed that trade flow, income, natural resources, and urbanization exert a positive impact on CCO₂ emissions. Furthermore, the interaction between trade and income contribute to the increase in CCO₂ emissions. In addition, clean energy impacts CCO₂ emissions negatively. From the causality analysis, it is observed that there is a feedback causality between CCO₂ emissions and income, clean energy, and urbanization, while a one-way causality was detected running from natural resources rent to CCO₂ emission. These outcomes might help policymakers to adopt measures that are eco-friendly such as the utilization of clean energy in order for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa to attain a green environment.

Quantile relationship between globalization, financial development, economic growth, and carbon emissions: evidence from Vietnam

Environmental quality and economic activity have a strong relationship. Carbon emissions remain one of the world's most dangerous environmental issues. Both international and local governments are developing initiatives to address this problem. Capitalizing on the limitations of the existing literature, this article investigates the dynamic nexus of financial development, economic growth, and globalization on carbon dioxide emissions in Vietnam for 1990-2020 using the quantile-on-quantile regression. The findings unveil a positive feedback link between globalization and carbon dioxide emissions at the middle and high quantiles. In addition, there is a negative nexus between financial development and carbon emissions at most quantiles, while CO₂ emissions and economic growth have a positive association at all quantiles. More importantly, our empirical results also provide the bidirectional causality between financial development, economic growth, globalization, and carbon dioxide emissions in Vietnam at different quantile levels. The consistency of the outcomes uncovers that the findings are trustworthy and appropriate for guiding policy to reduce CO₂ emissions in Vietnam. Therefore, they can help policymakers understand how financial development and globalization can achieve sustainable economic growth and tackle environmental issues in this country.

China's 2060 carbon-neutrality agenda: the nexus between energy consumption and environmental quality

This study examined the nexus between energy consumption and environmental quality in light of China's 2060 carbon-neutrality agenda utilizing annual frequency data from 1971 to 2018. In order to obtain valid and reliable outcomes, more robust econometric techniques were employed for the analysis. From the results, all the variables were first differenced stationary and cointegrated in the long-run. The elastic effects of the predictors on the explained variable were explored through the ARDL, FMOLS, and the DOLS techniques, and from the discoveries, energy utilization worsened environmental quality in the country via more CO2 emissions. Also, industrialization and urbanization deteriorated the country's environmental quality; however, technological innovations improved ecological quality in the nation. On the causal connections between the variables, a unidirectional causality from energy consumption to CO2 effluents was discovered. Also, feedback causalities between industrialization and CO2 secretions, and between urbanization and CO2 exudates were disclosed. However, there was no causality between technological innovations and CO2 emanations. Based on the findings, the study recommended among others that, since energy consumption pollutes the environment, the country should transition to the utilization of renewable energies. Also, the government should allocate more resources to the renewable energy sector. This will help increase the portion of clean energy in the country's total energy mix. Furthermore, research and development that are linked to the utilization of green energies should be supported by the government. Data constraints were the main limitation of this exploration. Therefore, in the future, if more data become available, similar explorations could be conducted to check the robustness of our study's outcomes.

Environmental sustainability and public-private partnerships investment in energy in Bangladesh

The current paper examines the effect of public-private partnerships investment in energy (PPIE) on CO₂ emissions while taking economic growth (GDP), foreign direct investment (FDI), and trade openness (TOP) into consideration for Bangladesh from 1997 to 2019. This paper utilizes Bayer and Hanck cointegration approach, fully modified ordinary least squares, dynamic ordinary least squares, canonical regression, and frequency domain causality technique. The outcome of this paper reveals that (i) the cointegrating association among PPIE, GDP, FDI, TOP, and CO₂ emissions is verified; (ii) PPIE, GDP, and TOP affect environmental sustainability negatively; (iii) in the long term, PPIE, FDI, and TOP Granger-cause CO₂ emissions in Bangladesh. This research suggests technical development for a greener production procedure and public-private partnership funding in green energy. Therefore, as a policy endorsement, this study proposes to invest in the latest technological advancements to manufacture environmentally sustainable goods via public-private partnerships.

Does political risk drive environmental degradation in BRICS countries? Evidence from method of moments quantile regression

As a contribution to the political risk-environmental degradation literature, this study examines whether political risk drives environmental degradation in a multivariate framework. To achieve our study objective, we employed the method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) approach to analyze the effect of renewable energy use, economic growth, political risk, and globalization on quantiles of carbon emissions. The study utilized dataset stretching between 1990 and 2018 to investigate this interrelationship in the BRICS nations. The results generated from the MMQR mimic those of the three heterogeneous linear panel estimation techniques conducted (for robustness check), in terms of coefficient sign, magnitude, and significance. Using the MMQR technique, empirical results show that across quantiles (0.1-0.90), political risk, economic growth, and globalization positively affects environmental degradation. Renewable energy consumption, on the other hand, curb environmental degradation across all quantiles (0.10-0.90). Furthermore, the outcomes of the FMOLS, DOLS, and FEOLS corroborated the MMQR outcomes. In addition, the outcomes of the Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality revealed that renewable energy use, political risk, economic growth, and globalization can significantly predict CO₂ emissions in the BRICS nations. The findings offer intuition for policymakers to lessen CO₂ emissions in BRICS nations via diversification and clean energy technologies such as carbon capture and storage.

The asymmetric effect of renewable energy and trade on consumption-based CO2 emissions: The case of Italy

Although numerous studies in the literature have been conducted to model CO₂ emissions, there is a lack of empirical knowledge of consumption-based CO₂ emissions, which are adjusted for international trade, specifically. Therefore, the present study aims to close this gap in the literature in the case of Italy, while capturing the asymmetric effect of trade, renewable energy, and economic growth on consumption-based CO₂ emissions. The present study uses the Gregory-Hansen test for cointegration with regime shifts, Markov switching regression, nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL), and frequency domain causality test. The study's outcomes reveal that (1) the asymmetric effect of import on consumption-based CO₂ emissions is positive, implying that rising import is associated with declining consumption-based environmental quality; (2) export, renewable consumption, and economic growth reduce consumption-based CO₂ emissions in Italy. Moreover, these outcomes are supported by the outcomes of the frequency domain causality test. These innovative insights may prompt policy-makers to implement eco-friendly methods, such as renewable energy distribution and environmental innovation, to achieve a greener future. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022;18:784-795. © 2021 SETAC.

Estimating Long-Run Relationship between Renewable Energy Use and CO2 Emissions: A Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) Approach

The long-run relationship between economic growth and environmental quality has been estimated within the framework of the environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC). Several studies have estimated this relationship by using statistical models such as panel regression and time series regression. The current study argues that there is a nonlinear relationship between environmental quality indicators and economic and non-economic predictors and hence an appropriate nonlinear model is required to predict it. An adaptive and nonlinear model, namely radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) has been developed in this study. CO2 emission is used as the target output and renewable energy consumption share, real GDP, trade openness, urban population ratio, and democracy index are used as the predictors to estimate the EKC relationship for nineteen major CO2 emitting countries that account for 78% of the global emissions. The model developed in this study could predict the CO2 emissions of all the countries with more than 95% accuracy. This finding underlines the usefulness of the RBFNN model which can be used to predict emission levels of other pollution indicators at the global level. Further, comparing two models, one with all the predictors and the other excluding the renewable energy share, it was found that the model with renewable energy share predicts CO2 emissions more accurately. This reinforces the already strengthening campaign to encourage industries and governments to increase the share of renewable energy in total energy use.

The role of economic complexity in the environmental Kuznets curve of MINT economies: evidence from method of moments quantile regression

In the face of mounting climate change challenges, reducing emissions has emerged as a key driver of environmental sustainability and sustainable growth. Despite the fact that research has been conducted on the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC), few researchers have analyzed this in the light of economic complexity. Thus, the current research assesses the effect of economic complexity on CO2 emissions in the MINT nations while taking into account the role of financial development, economic growth, and energy consumption for the period between 1990 and 2018. Using the novel method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) with fixed effects, an inverted U-shape interrelationship is found between economic growth and CO2 emissions, thus validating the EKC hypothesis. Energy consumption and economic complexity increase CO2 emissions significantly from the 1st to 9th quantiles. Furthermore, there is no significant interconnection between financial development and CO2 emissions across all quantiles (1st to 9th). The outcomes of the causality test reveal a feedback causal connection between economic growth and CO2, while a unidirectional causality is established from economic complexity and energy use to CO2 emissions in the MINT nations. Based on the findings, we believe that governments should stimulate the financial sector to provide domestic credit facilities to industrialists, investors, and other business enterprises on more favorable terms so that innovative technologies for environmental protection can be implemented with other policy recommendations.

Key drivers of consumption-based carbon emissions: empirical evidence from SAARC countries

To devise an appropriate climate policy dealing with environmental degradation, reliable measurement of CO₂ emissions is essential. In the recent past, most researchers have utilized production-based emissions in their studies, ignoring the important role of consumption-based emissions in environmental degradation. Therefore, the present research examines the drivers of consumption-based CO₂ emissions in SAARC nations over the period 1990 to 2018. By employing traditional and second-generation panel cointegration methodologies, the study, more specifically, explores the link between consumption-based CO₂ emissions and its five macroeconomic determinants, namely, GDP growth, energy consumption, FDI, trade openness (measured by composite trade share index), and urbanization. The study also applies the FMOLS and DOLS techniques for calculating the long-run elasticities of regressors with respect to the explained variable. The results establish a cointegration relationship between the variables and validate an "N-shaped EKC" for the SAARC region. It is also found that in the long run, energy consumption and urbanization amplify the consumption-based CO₂ emissions while FDI and trade openness improve the environmental quality by plummeting emissions. Most importantly, the study rejects the "pollution-haven hypothesis" for the SAARC region based on the outcomes of FDI and trade openness. Lastly, based on the results, some policies are recommended for the abatement of environmental degradation in SAARC countries. As the SAARC nations rely heavily on fossil-based energy, it is suggestive for these economies to enhance the level of energy efficiency and augment the share of renewable energy sources in the energy mix. Furthermore, the policy designers in this region should encourage trade openness and liberalize inward FDI for containing consumption-based emissions.