Examining the effect of information and communication technology, innovations, and renewable energy consumption on CO2 emission: evidence from BRICS countries

COP 28 Policy Perspectives: Achieving Environmental Sustainability through FDI, Technological Innovation Index, Trade Openness, Energy Consumption, and Economic Development in N-11 Emerging Economies

Despite remarkable success in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to achieve maximum economic growth, the Next-11 emerging economies grappling with an undesirable situation of environmental degradation have become a hot topic at COP28. Researchers have long focused on this connection, emphasizing the urgent need for international and national environmentalists to promote sustainable development (SD) in these rapidly growing economies under the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change action plans. As a result, this study examines the role of FDI in the N-11 emerging economies, focusing on energy usage and technological innovation within the theoretical framework of the Halo-Haven hypothesis, covering the period from 1990 to 2022. We utilize ARDL, FMOLS, and DOLS techniques to analyze both short-term dynamics and long-term equilibrium relationships, effectively managing heterogeneity, time dynamics, and cross-sectional dependence issues to produce comprehensive results. The long-term analysis supports the haven hypothesis, demonstrating an affirmative relationship between FDI, economic growth, and carbon emissions, whereas energy usage is negatively associated with carbon emissions. Furthermore, the D-H test established a reciprocal causal relationship between variables such as FDI, economic growth, trade openness, and environmental pollution. However, we found a one-way causal correspondence in the usage of green energy, the technological innovation index, and carbon emissions. Given the mixed findings, policymakers should focus on attracting FDI to the green energy sector while reinforcing regulations and implementing stringent oversight for FDI in energy-intensive industries. This approach will ensure that such investments adhere to high environmental standards, thereby benefiting future generations.

A sustainable study of competitive industrial performance amidst environmental quality: New insight from novel Fourier perspective

This paper uses the novel Fourier Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag within the load capacity curve framework to investigate the effects of economic growth, trade openness, renewable energy consumption, and competitive industrial performance on environmental sustainability. The results of the empirical analysis provide evidence that the load capacity curve is valid in Turkiye. Moreover, while trade openness jeopardizes environmental sustainability, renewable energy consumption and industrial competitiveness increase environmental quality. Policymakers should focus intensively on policies that can achieve SDG 9 and industrialization activities. It is essential to give privileges, especially to companies operating in the industrial sector, regarding the transition to renewable energy. Energy efficiency policies that will accelerate the transition to clean energy sources are also an alternative to escape from fossil energy immediately. Environmental factors should be considered when importing intermediate goods used in industry, and these policies should be guaranteed by law as soon as possible.

Can forests realize the carbon neutrality dream? Evidence from a global sample

The enlarge in economic activities and the urban population at the global level has brought about an increase in the demand for energy, food, and natural resources, as well as an exacerbation in global climate change concerns. In this respect, it is important to ensure the balance between global climate change and global economic activities. Therefore, a wide literature has emerged that searches for alternative solutions to improve climate change and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The majority of existing studies emphasize the importance of renewable energy sources in environmental improvement efforts. Few studies highlight the importance of forestation in environmental improvement efforts, highlighting the non-linear effects of forestation. To fill this gap, this study uses panel data from 181 countries between 1990 and 2022 and evaluates the non-linear impact of economic growth, forest extent, energy efficiency, and urban growth on per capita CO2 emissions using a dynamic panel threshold and dynamic panel quantile threshold methods. Furthermore, we extend the model and conduct robustness tests examining the non-linear threshold effects of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption on per capita CO2 emissions. Our findings provide pieces of evidence that forest extents are an alternative solution to renewable energy use and energy efficiency in environmental improvement efforts.

A different look at the environmental Kuznets curve from the perspective of environmental deterioration and economic policy uncertainty: evidence from fragile countries

Environmental degradation is one of the most significant issues that developing nations confront and needs to be resolved right away in order for them to achieve sustainable development. Government policies are crucial in this situation since emerging nations frequently struggle with the issue of policy ambiguity, which can result in environmental deterioration. In this context, this study investigates how policy uncertainty affects environmental degradation in the five fragile emerging economies known as the Fragile Five-Brazil, India, Indonesia, South Africa, and Turkey. Using data from 1996 to 2019, we estimate a Panel Quantile Regression analysis. The empirical findings indicate that economic policy uncertainty and technology innovation increases the environmental degradation whereas environmental degradation is slowed down by financial development and renewable energy consumption. Empirical evidence also confirms the presence of EKC hypothesis in fragile economies. Based on the findings, we suggest both a policy and an environmental framework for achieving sustainable development in fragile economies.

The role of ICT investment, digital financial inclusion, and environmental tax in promoting sustainable energy development in the MENA region: Evidences with Dynamic Common Correlated Effects (DCE) and instrumental variable-adjusted DCE

His research investigates the interplay among investment in Information and Communication Technology [ICT], digital financial inclusion, environmental tax policies, and their impact on the progression of sustainable energy development within the Middle East and North Africa [MENA] region. Recognizing the distinctive hurdles impeding sustainable energy advancement, effective policy formulation and implementation in MENA necessitate a comprehensive understanding of these variables. Employing a Dynamic Common Correlated Effects [DCE] model alongside an instrumental variable-adjusted DCE approach, this study explores the relationship between ICT investment, digital financial inclusion, environmental tax, and sustainable energy development. The DCE model facilitates the analysis of dynamic effects and potential correlations, while the instrumental variable-adjusted DCE model addresses issues pertaining to endogeneity. The results indicate that both ICT investment and the promotion of digital financial inclusion significantly and positively impact sustainable energy development in the MENA region. Additionally, the study underscores the importance of environmental tax implementation in fostering sustainable energy advancement, highlighting the critical role of environmental policy interventions. Based on these findings, governmental prioritization of ICT investment and initiatives for digital financial service integration is recommended to bolster sustainable energy growth in MENA. Furthermore, the adoption of efficient environmental tax measures is essential to incentivize sustainable energy practices and mitigate environmental degradation. These policy recommendations aim to create a conducive environment for sustainable energy progression in the MENA region, contributing to both economic prosperity and environmental conservation.

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.

Does ICT influence carbon emissions in the context of universal connectivity: a global perspective?

The Connect 2030 initiative, launched by the International Telecommunication Union, is in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations Agenda 2030. Its main objective is to achieve universal connectivity, a goal that is closely related to environmental issues. This topic currently receives attention from researchers and policymakers. Given these considerations, our study investigates the impact of information and communication technologies on carbon dioxide emissions for a panel of 84 countries spanning the years 2009 to 2020. Using principal component analysis, we construct an ICT index that encompasses international bandwidth, reflecting the universal connectivity, and participation in international data exchanges. The empirical analysis applies the pooled mean group-panel autoregressive distributive lag (PMG-ARDL) approach to estimate both the long-run and short-run coefficients of CO2 emissions' determinants. Our findings show that ICT and renewable energy mitigate CO2 emissions, unlike financial development, GDP, and non-renewable energy, which contribute significantly to emissions for the full sample. These outcomes suggest that promoting ICTs in general and international bandwidth in particular, as part of universal connectivity, improves the quality of the global environment.

BRICS and the climate challenge: navigating the role of factor productivity and institutional quality in CO2 emissions

The BRICS countries are important contributors to global efforts aimed at preventing a climate catastrophe. These countries account for half of the total emissions generated by the G20 nations. In this context, this paper examines the relationship between total factor productivity (TFP) and CO2 emissions (CE) in BRICS countries from 1996 to 2022, with institutional quality serving as a moderating factor. Moreover, a diverse range of methodologies was employed to address the problem of cross-sectional dependence; i.e., the CS-ARDL technique is used to analyze the relationship between variables in both the long and short-run. The AMG and CCEMG methods are employed for robustness analysis, while the Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test is used to assess causality. Our empirical analysis demonstrates that TFP is positively associated with CE. Conversely, we find that institutional quality has a negative impact on CE. Furthermore, the study confirms that the interaction between TFP and institutional quality has a negative effect on CE. This implies that an improvement in institutional quality leads to a decrease in CE, as it strengthens the regulatory system governing CE and reduces pollution. Environmental policy must include economic flexibility and policy unpredictability in order to meet CO2 reduction targets. In addition, the study has identified bidirectional causal links between CE and variables such as TFP, institutional quality, and other control variables. According to our study, the BRICS countries should encourage digitalization and renewable energy production while preserving a reasonable standard of institutional quality since they have significant resource advantages in the renewable energy sector.

Pathways to improve energy efficiency under carbon emission constraints in iron and steel industry: Using EBM, NCA and QCA approaches

Improving environmental performance of energy- and carbon-intensive sectors represented by the iron and steel (IS) industry is of utmost importance to address the challenges of resource depletion and climate change worldwide. This article adopts a global-super-Epsilon-Based Measure (EBM) model with undesirable output for IS energy efficiency estimation, identifies efficiency determinants based on Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, and analyzes various pathways for efficiency improvement by grouping Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). Empirical testing using statistical data of the G20 economies during 2010-2020 demonstrates that: 1) energy efficiency in the IS industry in G20 countries has risen amidst fluctuations, with developed countries performing more efficiently than developing countries; 2) individual factors do not constitute a compulsory condition to achieve high energy efficiency in the IS industry; 3) three different paths to achieve high energy performance are found, that is, technology-structure driven, regulation-economy-technology driven, and regulation-technology-production driven. Heterogenous policy recommendations for efficiency gains in the IS sector of different countries with divergent features are proposed accordingly.

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.

Assessing the connection between competitive industrial performance on load capacity factor within the LCC framework: Implications for sustainable policy in BRICS economies

Industrialization plays a crucial role in socio-economic development as it holds significant potential for creating new jobs, tightening the income gap, and promoting the use of advanced technology. As global competition intensifies, emerging economies emulate industrialized economies in accelerating manufacturing activity to improve national welfare and join the new global order. However, policymakers' understanding of how competitiveness in the industrial sector helps developing countries accomplish their sustainable development goals must be deepened. This paper aims to analyze the connections among competitive industrial performance, renewable energy consumption, urbanization, and load capacity factor (LCF) in the BRICS economies for the period between 1990 and 2018. Robust evidence from the continuously updated fully modified (CUP-FM) and continuously updated bias-corrected (CUP-BC) models shows that greater industrial competitiveness enhances environmental quality. The findings also reveal that income growth ultimately evolves as an ecologically friendly factor, confirming the validity of the load capacity curve (LCC) hypothesis. Another outcome of the econometric analysis indicates that renewable energy consumption contributes to the LCF, whereas urbanization damages the environment. Therefore, BRICS policymakers should concentrate on maintaining their competitiveness, implementing resilient urban planning, and promoting the usage of renewable energy to safeguard the environment while simultaneously achieving rapid economic growth.

Digitalized world and carbon footprints: does digitalization really matter for sustainable environment?

There is a growing demand for energy to support economic and social development. There will be many shifts in the energy sector as a result of digitization. Hence, we aim analyzing the linkage between digitalization and environment sustainability by incorporating energy consumption as a moderating factor using data of UK from 1990 to 2020. Different dimensions of digitalization are used as explanatory variables, ecological and carbon footprints are used as outcomes and energy consumption is used as moderator. The findings of autoregressive distributed lag model show that internet users and technological advancement (fixed telephone subscription and mobile cellular) are negatively (positively) linked with ecological and carbon footprints. Energy consumption causes to enhance ecological and carbon footprints and plays an antagonistic role in the nexus of internet users, technological advancement, and ecological and carbon footprints. The effects of mobile cellular and fixed telephone subscription have increased in the presence of energy consumption as moderator which exhibits that energy consumption plays an enhancing role in the links between mobile cellular, fixed telephone subscription and ecological and carbon footprints. The results underscore the importance of taking a holistic approach to addressing the environmental impact of digital technologies. By promoting sustainable communication practices and investing in the development of more energy-efficient technologies, practitioners, managers, and society as a whole can work together to reduce the carbon and ecological footprints of digital technologies and create a more sustainable future for all.

How can environmental degradation and income disparities influence national health: an eye bird view on China's provinces

Growing socio-economic disparity is a global issue that could disturb community health. Numerous case studies have examined the health influences of income disparities as well as the patterns that implicate those disparities. Therefore, this study attempts to examine the core determinants of mortality rate, which are environmental degradation, green energy, health expenditures, and technology (ICT) for the 25 provinces of China over the period of 2005-2020. This study uses a series of estimators to investigate the preferred objectives in which CS-ARDL and common correlated effect mean group (CCE-MG). Estimated results show the significant contribution of environmental deterioration and income inequality to the mortality rate. Furthermore, health expenditures, ICT, and green energy significantly reduce the mortality rate. Similarly, the moderate effect of income inequality on health expenditure, green energy, and ICT significantly reduces the mortality rate in selected provinces of China. More interestingly, the current study suggests policy implications to reduce the rising trend of mortality rate.

The role of quality institutions and technological innovations in environmental sustainability: Panel data analysis of BRI countries

The majority of countries struggle to accomplish sustainable development and environmental sustainability; nevertheless, environmental degradation issues can be resolved by enhancing technological innovations and institutional effectiveness. This study assesses the impact of technological innovations and institutional quality on carbon dioxide emission in the Belt and road initiative countries for the time period of 2002 to 2019. Fixed effect, OLS, and generalized method of moment estimators were applied to the panel data for analysis. The results shows that energy from fossil fuels, economic growth and technological innovations increase environmental degradation by rising carbon dioxide emission. Renewable energy consumption, the rule of law, and the quality of institutions make a significant contribution to the improvement of environmental quality. In particular, the Environmental Kuznets Curve and Innovation Claudia curve is valid in the Belt and Road Initiative countries. In the presence of quality institutions, countries can achieve sustainable growth and environmental sustainability by expanding their use of green technology and renewable energy. The findings provide suggestions to the sample countries on the improvement of institutional framework and technological innovations in order to achieve sustainable development.

Decarbonization through sustainable energy technologies: Asymmetric evidence from 20 most innovative nations across the globe

Since the discharge of carbon is one of the main causes for ongoing global warming issue and change in climate, most nations have committed to decarbonizing their economies at the COP26 summit. Thus, this investigation aims to explore the consequences of innovations in sustainable energy technologies on decarbonization in the 20 most innovative nations across the globe. In assessing the cause-and-effect relationship, we have used “Panel Non-linear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (P-NARDL)” technique. The findings demonstrated that the variables have a lasting relationship. The positive asymmetric shock in the innovations in sustainable energy technologies has a positive influence on the decarbonization of these nations, while the negative asymmetric effect is insignificant. According to the findings, clean energy negatively consequence on carbonization whereas growth in economy is favorably and considerably connected with it. The findings demonstrate that there is bidirectional causation between all variables under investigation, with the exception of the unidirectional causality flows from the usage of sustainable energy technology and emissions of CO2. In a global context, this research suggests that government should identify the roles of new sustainable energy technologies by reforming patenting regulations to rectify the environmental damages.

The asymmetric effect of ICT on CO2 emissions in the context of an EKC framework in GCC countries: the role of energy consumption, energy intensity, trade, and financial development

This study examines how "information and communication technology (ICT)" affects carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations asymmetrically, controlling energy consumption, its intensity, trade, and financial development following an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) approach. It employs panel data covering 1995-2019, 2^nd generation unit root, Westerlund cointegration tests, nonlinear pooled mean group (PMG) estimate, and Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality check. The Westerlund test validates a long-run association among variables. The study confirms the EKC proposition for the GCC countries. It reveals that a decrease in CO₂ emissions is associated with both positive and negative parts of ICT and the expansion of financial development. While per capita GDP increases pollution, squared GDP per capita reduces it; energy consumption, intensity, and trade amplify carbon emissions. D-H causality check yields several bidirectional and one-way causalities and verifies the robustness of PMG outcomes. Our findings suggest that promoting ICT becomes one of the critical techniques to decrease CO₂ emissions in GCC nations due to its significant negative influence on CO₂ emissions.

Examining the nonlinear impact of human capital on environmental degradation in N-11 countries: an application of the PSTR approach

The emergence of globalization and human capital has played a crucial role in the economic integration of countries, leading to the growth of the economies and a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions. This study highlights the importance of investing in human capital development to control ecological degradation and promote sustainable economic growth. This paper employs the PSTR method to investigate the threshold impact of GDP, globalization, information communication technology, and energy consumption on CO₂ emissions. The study examines two regimes, with a single threshold to analyze the transition of human capital on these variables. The results reveal that human capital developments play a central role in controlling ecological degradation due to reduced CO₂ emissions. Based on the empirical findings, this research study offers corresponding policy suggestions.

Industrial co-agglomeration, Internet utilization, and the development of green and low-carbon cycle - based on the empirical study of 41 cities in the Yangtze River Delta of China

The construction of green and low-carbon circular (GLC) development economic system is conducive to the promotion of "carbon peaking and carbon neutral." The level of GLC development in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region is related to the realization of the ambitious goal of "carbon peaking and carbon neutrality" in the region. This paper use principal component analysis (PCA) to process GLC development level of 41 cities in the YRD from 2008 to 2020. Then, we constructed panel Tobit model and threshold model from the perspective of industrial co-agglomeration and Internet utilization and empirically tested the influence of the two key variables on GLC development of the YRD. We found that (1) the YRD's level of GLC development showed a dynamic evolution trend of "fluctuation, convergence, and rise." The four provincial-level administrative regions of the YRD are in the order of  GLC development level: Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Anhui. (2) There is an inverted "U" Kuznets curve (KC) between industrial co-agglomeration and the development of GLC of the YRD. In the left segment of KC, the industrial co-agglomeration promotes GLC development of the YRD. In the right segment of KC, the industrial co-agglomeration inhibits GLC development of the YRD. Internet utilization enhances GLC development of the YRD. And the interaction of industrial co-agglomeration and Internet utilization cannot significantly enhance GLC development. (3) Double-threshold effect of opening-up is manifested as follows: industrial co-agglomeration on GLC development of the YRD goes through an insignificant-inhibited-improved evolutionary trajectory. Single-threshold effect of government intervention is manifested as follows: the impact of Internet utilization on GLC development of the YRD shifts from insignificant role to significant enhancement. In addition, there is an inverted-N type KC effect between industrialization and GLC development. Based on the above findings, we proposed suggestions in terms of industrial co-agglomeration, Internet-like digital technology application, anti-monopoly, and rational industrialization.

The effect of institutions and urbanization on environmental quality: evidence from the Belt and Road Initiative countries using dynamic panel models

Increased globalization in urban areas raise energy consumption that leads to high carbon dioxide discharge and degrade environmental quality. Other economic activities also produce emission; however, a well-established institutional framework can overcome the issues of environmental degradation and minimize the effect of harmful factors on the environment. In this regard, this study investigates the effect of urbanization, energy consumption, and industrialization on carbon dioxide emission by taking into consideration the role of institutional quality in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries for the period of 2002 to 2019. Employing dynamic panel techniques, the results are in line with theories which show that increased urbanization, energy consumption, industrialization, and economic growth raise carbon dioxide emission and lead to environmental degradation. The study also found that international trade and political stability reduce emission; however, institutional quality as a whole positively affects carbon dioxide emission. The study also found a U-shape relationship between urbanization and carbon dioxide emission. The interaction term between institutional quality and urbanization significantly mitigates carbon dioxide emission and raise environmental sustainability. The findings of this study have considerable policy suggestions for the sample countries.

The effect of income inequality and economic growth on carbon dioxide emission

Most of the developing and emerging countries are focusing to increase economic growth, enhance the living standard of the people, and reduce income inequality. Increasing economic growth through the factors such as agriculture, energy use for production, and other related activities can harm the environment. Considering this situation, this study utilizes data from the Belt and Road Initiative countries for the period of 1999 and 2018 to explore the nexus between income inequality, agricultural value added, and carbon dioxide using two-step system GMM model. The findings of the study indicate that income inequality, economic growth, energy consumption, and agriculture significantly contribute to an increase in carbon emissions and a decrease in environmental quality. On the other hand, the findings also indicate that manufacturing and service industries significantly contribute to an improvement in environmental quality by reducing carbon emissions. The findings lend even more credence to the environmental Kuznets curve, but the results do not indicate that there is a strong relationship between income inequality and economic growth. The outcomes of this study have crucial policy implications for the sample countries to build environmental regulations.

Can artificial intelligence achieve carbon neutrality? Evidence from a quasi-natural experiment

Introduction

As the global climate crisis worsens, carbon neutrality has attracted the attention of various nations.

Methods

Based on panel data from 282 Chinese prefecture-level cities from 2008 to 2019, this research considers the execution of the artificial intelligence strategy as a quasi-natural experiment. It uses the difference-in-differences (DID) model to evaluate the effect of artificial intelligence construction on carbon emission reduction.

Results

The findings indicate that implementing the artificial intelligence strategy into practice can lower carbon emissions and advance carbon neutrality, and this conclusion still passes after various robustness tests. The mediating effects reveal that developing green technologies and upgrading the industrial structure are crucial mechanisms for achieving carbon neutrality. The implementation effect varies with time, geographical location, natural resource endowment, and city level.

Discussion

This article examines the influence of artificial intelligence on urban carbon neutrality at the city level, adding to the notion of urban carbon neutrality and providing research support for urban development transformation.

Evaluating the symmetric and asymmetric effects of fossil fuel energy consumption and international capital flows on environmental sustainability: a case of South Asia

South Asia is primarily affected by environmental degradation. As a result, it is worthwhile to explore the impact of international capital flows on the ecological sustainability of the South Asian region. There are many studies in the literature on the CO₂-remittances nexus, CO₂-FDI nexus, and CO₂-economic growth; however, no study has yet taken remittances and FDI into account in the symmetric and asymmetric model for the South Asian region. To address the research gap, this study investigates the effect of international capital flows, fossil fuel energy consumption, and economic growth on South Asian carbon emissions. This study examines the effect of fossil fuel energy consumption, remittances, foreign direct investment, and economic growth on the environmental sustainability of the South Asian region from 1975 to 2020. Autoregressive distributive lag (ARDL) and non-linear ARDL (NARDL) models are used to estimate the symmetrical and asymmetrical relationships among the variables. The findings of the ARDL models reveal that fossil fuel energy consumption and economic growth increase while remittances and FDI decrease carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the long run. According to the NARDL empirical findings, positive remittances and negative FDI shock reduce CO₂. Besides, the positive and negative fossil fuel energy consumption shock increases CO₂. Moreover, the positive (negative) economic growth shock increases (decreases) CO₂. The cumulative dynamic multipliers revealed the adjustment pattern to new long-run equilibria. The study recommends that policymakers regard remittances and FDI as policy instruments, particularly when developing long-term strategies and policies connected to environmental quality.

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.

The impact of information and communication technology on carbon emissions in China: spatial effect and mechanism discussion

Information and communication technology (ICT) has exerted a great impact on the socio-economic development; however, this development has come with some potential influence on climate change. The academics are divided over this issue; some argue that ICT has contributed to carbon reduction, while others consider that ICT has increased carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Undoubtedly, the existing literature abounds in the relationship between ICT and CO2 emissions, but little attention has been paid to the spillover effect of ICT and CO2 emissions, especially in developing countries. Hence, with the panel data of 285 China's prefecture-level cities from 2004 to 2018, this study innovatively discusses the spatial and mechanism effects of ICT on CO2 emissions, further exploring the heterogeneous impact of ICT on CO2 emissions from multiple perspectives. The empirical results confirm the positive relationship between ICT and CO2 emissions and identify the spatial spillover effect in the relationship. Furthermore, notably, the intermediary effect of energy consumption on the impact of ICT on CO2 emissions is identified. Finally, due to the differences in the geographical position, population size, and urban agglomeration of prefecture-level cities in China, the impact of ICT on CO2 emissions varies in different cities. The findings not only contribute to advancing the existing literature but also have a significant and targeted policy guiding significance for the cities to maximize the favorable influences of ICT and promote the low-carbon transformation of the whole society.

The effects of ICT and FDI on CO2 emissions in China

With the rapid development of information and communication technology (ICT) and counter-cyclical expansion of foreign direct investment (FDI), most foreign-invested companies in China are highly polluting. Meanwhile, new research shows that the impact of ICT on the environment is uncertain. This study is an effort in dividing ICT into hardware and software, aiming to explore its effects on carbon (CO₂) emissions from 2003 to 2017 in 31 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities in China and further explore the impacts of its application to foreign-invested enterprises on environmental quality. The findings show that ICT software has a significant negative effect on CO₂ emissions, but ICT hardware and FDI have significant positive effects on CO₂ emissions. However, when ICT software and hardware are applied to foreign-invested enterprises, they can significantly improve the environmental quality. Moreover, the durative innovation of ICT software ensures environmental sustainability. A set of government measures are published to help stimulate the positive effect of ICT software on CO₂ emissions, such as taxes and fees cuts, and no-interest loans. This could provide guidelines for other countries.

The effect of political stability, carbon dioxide emission and economic growth on income inequality: evidence from developing, high income and Belt Road initiative countries

The reduction of income inequality and environmental frailty are important factors which can help achieve sustainable development. In this context, it is important to investigate the nexus between income inequality and carbon dioxide emission by considering the role of political stability. This paper examines the effect of political stability, economic growth, financial development, and carbon dioxide on income inequality in developing countries, high-income countries, and the Belt Road initiative (BRI) countries from 2002 to 2019. By employing a two-step generalized method of moments and panel quantile regression, the findings show that carbon dioxide emission, financial development, and political stability rise income inequality while economic growth significantly reduces income inequality in developing countries. In the case of high-income countries, political stability and carbon dioxide negatively affect income inequality while financial development rise income inequality. In the case of BRI countries, political stability, economic growth, and carbon dioxide emission significantly reduce income inequality. Our findings have considerable policy implications regarding reducing income inequality in the sample countries.

Digital Economy and Environmental Quality: Insights from the Spatial Durbin Model

Recent developments in attaining carbon peaks and achieving carbon neutrality have had enormous effects on the world economy. Digitalization has been considered a viable way to curtail carbon emissions (CE) and promote sustainable economic development, but scant empirical studies investigate the link between digitalization and CE. In this context, this study constructs the digitalization index using the entropy value method and spatial Markov chain, and the spatial Durbin model is employed to analyze its impact mechanism and influence on urban CE in 265 prefecture-level cities and municipalities in China from 2011 to 2017. The results indicate that: (1) The overall development level of the digital economy (DE) posed a significant spatial effect on urban environmental pollution. However, the effect varies according to the different neighborhood backgrounds. (2) The DE impedes urban environmental deterioration directly and indirectly through the channels of industrial structure, inclusive finance, and urbanization. (3) The development of the DE significantly reduces pollution in cities belonging to urban agglomerations, while the development of the DE escalates emissions in nonurban agglomeration cities. Finally, based on the results, important policy implications are put forward to improve the environmental quality of cities.

Influencing Factors and Realization Path of Power Decarbonization-Based on Panel Data Analysis of 30 Provinces in China from 2011 to 2019

2011-2019 was the critical period of the low-carbon transformation of the power industry, reflecting the deepening influence of market mechanisms. Decarbonization of the new power system is a systematic project that needs to strengthen the top-level design and overall planning. Therefore, the paper first evaluates the decarbonization of the existing power system and controls the grid architecture, power structure, energy utilization, supply chain, and trading market to further optimize the system by strengthening the basic theoretical research of the new power system, exploring the key elements of the low-carbon development of the power system, promoting the breakthrough of the key subjects, and formulating the new power system decarbonization path. In the international push for carbon neutrality goals, identifying key factors in the decarbonization of the power system is critical to achieving low-carbon development in the power sector. Combined with the characteristics and development trends of the power industry, the five dimensions of "Power generation decarbonization (SP)", "Energy utilization efficiency (EU)", "Supply chain decarbonization (SC)", and "Power grid decarbonization (PG)", and "the Trading system (TS)" are selected to construct an evaluation index system for the power decarbonization and identify the key factors. The Analytic Network Process (ANP) Method is used to calculate the index weight and measure the decarbonization level of the power industry in 30 provinces in China from 2011 to 2019. The evaluation results reveal that the overall decarbonization level of the power industry is on the rise and has stabilized after peaking in 2016. The regression results of the systematic GMM estimation show that "the intensity of cross-regional transmission", "the degree of carbon market participation", "technology innovation", and "policy support" can significantly promote power decarbonization, and different regions have heterogeneity. Therefore, we propose to achieve technological innovation and upgrading in the eastern region, strengthen the construction of smart grids in the central region, optimize the power structure in the western region, and improve the market mechanism as a whole, to form a low-carbon development path for the power industry.

The role of financial development and institutional quality in environmental sustainability: panel data evidence from the BRI countries

The belt and road countries are mostly emerging and developing countries and heading to attain economic prosperity; however, this development process leads to ecological footprint. The factors of ecological footprint need to be identified and sound level of quality institutions might be helpful to overcome the issue of environmental degradation. Utilizing data from 1985 to 2019 of the belt and road initiative (BRI) countries, this study explores the effect of institutional quality indicators and financial development on carbon dioxide emission by including energy consumption and economic growth to the model. By using OLS, fixed effect, and two-step generalized method of moments, the results indicate that financial development, economic growth, and energy consumption increase carbon dioxide emission and degrade environmental quality. Three out of six institutional quality indicators that include government effectiveness, voice and accountability, and corruption control effect carbon dioxide emission positively, while the other three that include rule of law, regulatory quality, and political stability significantly rise environmental quality. The interaction terms of voice and accountability, government effectiveness, and political stability with financial development also give negative coefficients and reduce emission; however, the interaction of control of corruption with financial development is positive and the interaction of rule of law and regulatory quality with carbon dioxide is insignificant. The findings have considerable policy implication for the sample countries on each individual institutional quality indicator and financial institutions in rising environmental sustainability.

Linking natural resources, innovations, and environment in the Belt and Road Initiative countries using dynamic panel techniques: the role of innovations and renewable energy consumption

The issue of natural resources and environment are a matter of clashing argument in recent studies. An increase in natural resources raises economic growth which in turn increases carbon emission, that is a challenge for environmental sustainability. There is a lack of research on weather innovations playing any important role by acquiring renewable energy sources, enhancing energy efficiency, and boosting economic growth by lowering the use of natural resources to raise environmental quality. Consequently, this study investigates the effect of natural resources, innovations, economic growth, and renewable energy consumption on carbon dioxide emission in 39 Belt and Road Initiative countries from 1981 to 2019. OLS, fixed effect, and generalized method of moments models were used for analysis, where the results indicate that natural resources, innovations, and economic growth significantly increase carbon dioxide emission, while renewable energy reduces emission and raises environmental quality. The square term of natural resources is negative; thus, it indicates that natural resource use reduces emission when it reaches a certain level. Likewise, our results validate the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in the Belt and Road initiative countries. The findings have considerable policy implications for the Belt and Road countries regarding natural resource use, innovations, and renewable energy consumption.