Ecological security and agricultural production in the Arab League: Is financial development moderating the interaction?

The jeopardizing of ecological security due to the detrimental effects of human activities necessitates the adoption of various actions to reduce ecological intensity. Though some studies have explored the moderating impact of financial development (FND) towards achieving ecological security, in Arab World it has not been thoroughly investigated. Against this backdrop, we investigate combined role of agricultural production (AFP), gross domestic product (GDP), energy consumption, population, direct and moderating impacts of FND on ecological intensity for a panel of 12 Arab League member states from 1995 to 2021. The empirical outcomes unveiled that AFP and GDP have U-shaped nexus with ecological intensity. It posits that at early stages of AFP, ecological intensity is reduced to a certain level, beyond which higher AFPhinders ecological security supporting the evidence against the Borlaug hypothesis. Our findings further unfolded that environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis does not hold for the selected Arab League member states, denoting that real GDP has a U-shaped relationship with ecological intensity. Further findings confirm that energy consumption induces ecological deterioration in the absence of its interaction with FND, along with the interaction term. The causality results largely support these outcomes. Based on these findings, Arab League's climate-related policies should further explore FND to drive energy transition and environmentally friendly measures.

Decomposition analysis of electricity generation on carbon dioxide emissions in Ghana.

This study analyses the factors driving CO2 emissions from electricity generation in Ghana from 1990 to 2020. Employing Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) and Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) techniques, the research decomposes electricity generation into different factors and assesses their impact on CO2 emissions, considering both short and long-run effects. The LMDI analysis reveals that the total CO2 emissions from electricity generation amount to 3.33%, with all factors contributing positively in each subperiod. Notably, fossil fuel intensity, production, and transformation factors exhibit substantial contributions of about 1.16%, 0.49%, and 0.48%, respectively. Contrastingly, the ARDL results highlight that only electricity intensity and production factors significantly increase CO2 emissions by about 0.20% and 0.09% (0.38% and 0.10%) in the short-run (long-run), while other factors contribute to a reduction in electricity generation emissions. Overall, we conclude that electricity intensity and production factors are the primary drivers of CO2 emissions from electricity generation in Ghana. Nevertheless, effective measures to address all decomposition factors is crucial for effective mitigation of electricity generation CO2 emissions.

The role of green finance and governance effectiveness in the impact of renewable energy investment on CO2 emissions in BRICS economies.

In the context of sustainable development, this study investigates the intricate dynamics among good governance, renewable energy investment, and green finance in BRICS nations. The aim of the study is to assess how green finance and governance effectiveness moderate the impact of renewable energy investment on CO2 emissions. Utilizing the Cross-Sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) model, a meticulous analysis spanning two decades was conducted to unravel the relationships among key variables and CO2 emissions. The findings underscore a nuanced interplay where renewable energy investments, synergized with robust governance and strategic green finance, significantly mitigate CO2 emissions, contributing to sustainable economic development. However, the study reveals non-linear relationships, highlighting the necessity for optimal allocation and strategic planning to maximize environmental benefits. In the short-run, a government effectiveness policy threshold that should be attained in order for renewable energy investment to reduce CO2 emissions is provided. In the long-run, the negative responsiveness of CO2 emissions to renewable energy investment is further consolidated by green finance. Moreover, enhancing renewable energy investment in the long run is positive for environmental sustainability. It follows that policy makers should tailor policies aimed at enhancing renewable energy investment in the long-run as well as complementing renewable energy investment with green finance in the long-run in order to ensure environmental sustainability by means of reducing CO2 emissions. Policymakers in BRICS nations are urged to strengthen governance structures, promote renewable energy investments, leverage green finance, foster public-private partnerships, adopt a holistic approach, and address non-linear effects to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon economy.

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

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

A bibliometric review analysis into environmental kuznets curve phenomenon: A retrospect and future direction.

The present study presents a retrospect into environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis (EKC). The EKC debate is dated over four decade long and worthy of empirical scrutiny. To this end, the present study leverages on over 200 previous studies curated from SCOPUS and Web of science (WOS) core collection database respectively. The present study also presented both literature schematic on the evolution, trends, gaps, and future directions on the EKC debate. This paper endeavors to enhance our comprehension of the inherent paradoxes present in sustainability discourses by delving into the fundamental assumptions underlying the Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). By conducting a bibliometric analysis, we aim to shed light on the factors contributing to the prominence of thematic keywords within sustainability discourses. This study seeks to provide valuable insights into these dynamics and implications on sustainability debates. Key empirical findings outlines predominant and influential studies and journal outlets on the theme under consideration. The present study bibliometric analysis displays that Ozturk i. with 13 published papers 3153 citations and a link strength of 2, Dogan e. Had 7 papers with 2190 citations with no link strength, Shahbaz. B 7 papers 1347 citations and 1 link strength, Saboori b.7 papers 677 citations 1 strength link and Liu y. 6 papers 582 citations with no link strength. From a policy dimension, the present bibliometric study presents valuable depth on the evolution and development of the EKC phenomenon by identifying's the extant literature leaders, action-step for future studies on environmental sustainability without compromise on economic growth as the EKC theme express the tradeoff between economic growth and environmental degradation. Further insights are rendered in the concluding section.

Clean cooking technologies, information, and communication technology and the environment.

In recent years, researchers and politicians have become concerned about the ever-increasing energy consumption of ICT gadgets. Any effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should take the ICT industry's carbon emissions into account, given the widespread usage of ICT products across all economic sectors. Employing Driscoll-Kraay Panel Corrected Estimators for E7 economies from 2000 to 2020, we examine the direct impacts of ICT on ecology as well as the indirect implications through connections with the availability of clean fuel and technology for cooking and trade while also adjusting for population and renewable energy. From the empirical findings, it was observed that the two proxies of ICT services (i.e., internet-penetration and mobile-subscriptions) were negatively significantly connected with E7's (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Turkey) carbon emissions. Similarly, access to clean fuel and technologies for cooking and renewable energy decreases emission levels within the E7 economies, while trade openness and population growth increase emission levels within the said economies. Moreover, the method of moment quantile regression used as a robustness check affirms the baseline technique. According to the findings, the E7 economies can safely boost internet usage and associated technologies to lower emissions. They may lessen their negative impact on the ecosystem by increasing the utilization of renewable energy and expanding access to clean fuel and cooking technologies.

Reducing agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in China: the role of food production, forest cover, income, trade openness, and rural population.

In the light of China's carbon-neutral goal, this study examines how food production, forest cover, trade openness, and rural population contribute to the quest of addressing China's agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. Time series data ranging from 1971 to 2018 was used for analysis in this study. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique was employed to evaluate potential cointegration as well as to ascertain the long and short-run effects of food production, forest cover, income, trade openness, and rural population on agricultural nitrous oxide emission. The Toda-Yamomoto causality analysis was also used to identify the causal relations between covariates (food production, forest cover, income, trade openness, and rural population) and the outcome variable (agricultural nitrous oxide emission). The long-run evidence is that rural population in itself tends to increase agricultural nitrous oxide emissions likewise food production. There is also validation of the existence of environmental Kuznets curve for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. Moreover, income interacts with rural population to reduce agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in the long-run. Causality analysis indicated rural population affects the level of forest cover; forest cover is found to cause agricultural nitrous oxide emissions but the converse is not established, and income as well as the interaction between income and rural population determines agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. The short-run dynamics results establish an oscillatory equilibrium convergence for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in event of structural disturbances. From the findings, the EKC hypothesis is relevant by offering avenue to reduce emission. Thus, income growth remains helpful in addressing nitrous oxide emission from the agricultural sector. However, research is needed to unravel why nitrous oxide tends to increase in many forest areas. Since food production cannot be halted, policy makers need to enhance the uptake of efficient food production technologies including developing and using more renewable energy for food production. It is important for authorities to attend to rural development in order to mitigate agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in China.

An environmental assessment of the impacts of corruption, foreign investment inflow and trade liberalization in the rapidly emerging Malaysian Economy.

In the wake of various catastrophic consequences of climate change, Malaysia, a rapidly developing economy, is also inevitably experiencing environmental degradation that merits prompt and serious attention from policymakers and its government. Hence, this study simultaneously highlights the short and long-run dynamic connections between carbon emission in Malaysia and the trio of corruption levels, foreign investment inflow, and trade liberalization. The study also controls for a combination of other factors including energy use, GDP, and urbanization. A robust empirical analysis was conducted on time series observations for the country based on the recent Dynamic ARDL simulation. It was observed that Malaysia's per capita pollution levels significantly reduces based on the corruption perception levels during the sampling period while the economic expansion's effect on emission levels is positive. Additionally, urbanization, trade levels and energy use all aggravate the emission levels. On the other hand, although FDI poses an insignificant environmental damage in the short run, its environmental sustainability enhancement roles were supported by its long-run negative impacts on carbon emission. Lastly, the EKC was established and as such, essential policy directions were provided for stakeholders in the rapidly emerging Malaysian economy.

Taking stock of business strategy and environment (sustainable development): evidence of disparities in research efforts and knowledge gaps - a bibliometric review.

Despite a spike in publications on business strategies focused on environmental awareness subjects in recent years, business-environment nexus research has recently been criticized for failing to address urgent issues like climate change. Therefore, we endeavored to do a trend analysis to find knowledge gaps in business studies related to the interaction between businesses, the environment, and society using bibliometric. Our study reveals that the area of business sustainability has evolved over the past decade from an internal conquest to include external indices like the environment, such as the debate over the relative merits of social and economic performance and the greening of management. Our findings point to three (3) main conclusions. (1) Many corporations see the urgency of green practices and have distinctive organizational sustainability and business strategies for environmental crises. (2) Business strategy and environment research are concentrated within developed countries to the neglect of developing countries. (3).The literature on business sustainability has not yet given much attention to the managerial implications and effects of climate change. Therefore, scholars must test and develop business-environmental nexuses to aid in sustainable production and consumption improvement.

Green industrial transition: Leveraging environmental innovation and environmental tax to achieve carbon neutrality. Expanding on STRIPAT model.

Anthropogenic global warming strategies on carbon mitigation are driven by encouraging green innovation and using carbon taxes, yet an empirical model to validate this is non-existing. Moreover, the existing stochastic effects by regression on population, wealth, and technology (STIRPAT) model has been found to lack policy tools on taxes and institutions that cut carbon emissions. This study amends the STIRPAT model with environmental technology, environmental taxes, and strong institutional frameworks to create a new model STIRPART(stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, regulation, and technology) to understand the factors impacting carbon pollution using the emerging 7 economies. Using data from 2000 to 2020, the Driscoll-Kraay fixed effects are employed in this analysis to conduct evidential tests of the impacts of environmental policies, eco-friendly innovations, and strong institutions. The outcomes indicate that environmental technology, environmental taxation, and institution quality decrease E7's carbon emissions by 0.170%, 0.080%, and 0.016%, respectively. It is recommended that E7 policymakers should adopt the STIRPART postulate as the theoretical basis for policies favoring environmental sustainability. The key contribution is the amendment of the STIRPAT model and the enhancement of the market-based mechanisms, such as patents, strong institutions, and carbon taxes, to enable environmental policy to be carried out sustainably and cost-effectively.

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

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

Realizing the 2050 Paris climate agreement in West Africa: the role of financial inclusion and green investments.

International organizations have emphasized the importance of global economies supporting efforts to combat climate change. The Paris Agreement or Agenda 2050 urges nations to ensure that the increase in global temperature is limited to 1.5 °C. Studies have analyzed the factors that contribute to harmful emissions, particularly carbon dioxide emissions, in order to limit temperature rise. However, since there are other equally harmful pollutants, this study evaluates the impact of financial inclusion and green investment on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The study uses data from West Africa, where environmental pollution has significantly increased. The study employed regression analysis while controlling for economic growth, foreign direct investment (FDI), and energy consumption. The study's key findings reveal that financial inclusion and green investment have a monotonic effect on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, the study confirms the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis and the pollution haven effect for the region. Technological innovation reduces pollution, but green investment and financial inclusion reinforce this effect. Therefore, the study recommends that governments in the sub-region commit to supporting green investment and environmentally friendly technological innovations. It is also crucial to strictly enforce laws regulating the operations of multinational corporations in the region.

A step towards carbon neutrality in E7: The role of environmental taxes, structural change, and green energy.

To achieve sustainable production and consumption patterns in the modern world, emerging countries are concentrating more on how economic variables may employ carbon neutrality targets appropriately. Using renewable energy, structural changes initiative, and imposing environmental taxes are all part of the plan to achieve the carbon neutrality goal in terms of reduced carbon emissions (CO2), haze pollutants, and greenhouse gases (GHG). Environmental taxation, renewable energy, structural changes, trade openness, and foreign direct investment (FDI) are aspects taken into account in this study, along with the long-term viability of the natural ecology in the E7 (China, Turkey, India, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico) economies. The Driscoll Kraay fixed effect OLS technique and the Method-of-Moment quantile (MMQ) regression technique were adopted for the baseline analysis for the data span of 2000 to 2020. From the empirical analysis, it was discovered that environmental Tax, structure change, and renewable energy have a negative connection with carbon emissions for the understudy countries. Moreover, the pollutant haven hypothesis (PHH) was confirmed since the findings discovered a positively significant relation involving FDI and carbon emission. Similarly, trade openness was seen to have a positive connection with carbon emissions. Thus, it is concluded that effective environmental taxation, renewable energy enhancement, and structure changes mitigate pollution while trade openness and FDI inflow enhance carbon emission for the E7 economies. According to the results, rigorous environmental tax rules will enable enterprises to transition manufacturing to green and sustainable alternatives. Finally, the report recommends that transferring tax money to research and development of sustainable technology programmes will enable governments to meet the SDG-7 and SDG-13 objectives of the United Nations.

Can environmental taxes and green-energy offer carbon-free E7 economies? An empirical analysis in the framework of COP-26.

The main cause of environmental degradation is carbon emissions, which puts environmental sustainability in jeopardy. This ecological worry, the obligation for which falls on all economic actors, has not gone undetected, and so in 2021, the Glasgow Climate Pact (COP: 26) was organized, with the primary aim of decreasing global carbon emissions. Because the Post-Glasgow Agreement goals represent a significant challenge to achieving ecological responsibility, pressure is applied to the participating nations. However, earlier literature lacked sufficient investigation of factors useful for the mitigation of carbon emissions in E7 (China, Turkey, India, Russia, Brazil, Indonesia, and Mexico) economies. Hence, we aim to fill this research vacuum by predicting the impact of clean fuels and cooking technology availability, renewable energy, and environmental taxes on E7 economies' carbon emissions from 2000 to 2020, while taking urbanization and population expansion into account. Evaluation is done using four different cross-sectional dependence (CSD) methods, as well as unit root tests (CIPS and CADF), cointegration analysis (Westerlund and Kao), and the Driscoll-Kraay and quantile-on-quantile long-run factor estimate methods. The long-run analysis revealed from our findings that environmental tax, renewable energy, and access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking decrease carbon emission for the E7 economies. On the other hand, urbanization and population growth enhance emissions for the E7 economies. Finally, our results hold up under a variety of policy interpretations that would aid in reducing carbon emissions and their negative effects on the environment.

Exploring the impact of economic growth on environmental pollution in South American countries: how does renewable energy and globalization matter?

Most emerging economies and the South American Countries are no exception to the negative consequences of trade-off between economic growth and environmental sustainability decisions. This study draws strength from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs-7, 11, 12, and 13). Therefore, this study examines the environmental nexus between economic growth, globalization, renewable, and non-renewable energy, in South America from 1995 to 2020. We deployed the pooled mean group (PMG), mean group (MG), and dynamic fixed effects (DFE). Cross-sectional dependence, panel unit root, and cointegration tests were performed. Finally, we used the Dumitrescu and Hurlin test of causality to determine the long-run association between variables. The finding indicates that while environmental pollution increases with increasing economic growth, it decreases with increasing renewable energy both in the short and long term. Whereas economic globalization positively affects environmental pollution in the long term, social globalization and the moderation effect between political globalization and renewable energy improves environmental quality in the long run. Finally, a bidirectional causality was found between economic growth and environmental pollution, with a unidirectional causality running from economic, political, and social globalization, renewable, and non-renewable energy to environmental pollution. Given these findings, we discussed potential policy measures.

Do natural resource volatilities and renewable energy contribute to the environment and economic performance? Empirical evidence from E7 economies.

The economies of the emerging seven (E7) are not insulated from the climate change challenges, which is a key concern for most countries. The E7 nations have undertaken part in initiatives to combat climate change, particularly in terms of reducing CO2 emissions from the trajectory of productivity expansion in their countries. It is for this reason that this study examines the impact of resource volatility, renewable energy, and fossil fuel on both economic performance and CO2 emission from 1990 to 2018. The present study used panel quantile regression and Driscoll-Kraay fixed effect-OLS estimators to examine these associations. From model I, the outcome shows that economic performance, natural gas rent, coal rent, and fossil fuel impact CO2 emission positively. Moreover, oil rent, renewable energy, investment in energy, and the interaction between investment in energy and renewable energy also negatively and significantly impact CO2 emission. On the other hand, model II which has economic performance as a dependent variable shows that all the understudy variables have significant positive relations with economic performance. Based on the empirical outcome, policy ramifications are provided.

Environmental sustainability and ecological balance dilemma: accounting for the role of institutional quality.

Global warming is a global menace mainly driven by human anthropogenic activities. There is a need for environmental sustainability amidst increased economic growth. To this end, this study draws motivation from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) with special focus on climate change mitigation and ecological balance. Thus, the present study analyses the dynamic relationship between economic growth, conventional energy consumption, access to technological innovation, economic globalisation, and the pertinent role of institutional quality for the case of the Russian Federation. This study employed novel combined Bayer and Hack cointegration test in conjunction with Pesaran's ARDL bounds testing for robustness. Both tests validate a long-run equilibrium relationship between the outlined variables. Furthermore, empirical results show that increase in economic activities and consumption of energy that stem from a fossil-fuel basis both have deteriorating effect on environmental sustainability for Russia. Additionally, effect of globalisation shows mixed results, such as, in the short run, economic globalisation dampens environmental quality as increase in global integration exacerbates environmental quality, while, in the long term, globalisation improves the quality of the environment. On the contribution of institutional quality, it improves environmental sustainability over the investigated period. Interestingly, renewable is seen as a panacea for environmental sustainability in the Russian Federation given its pertinent effect to improve the environment of Russia. From a policy lens, there is need for a paradigm shift to renewables and clean technologies to mitigate the effect of climate change issues. The concluding section presents more policy strategies.

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.

Environmental consequences of foreign direct investment influx and conventional energy consumption: evidence from dynamic ARDL simulation for Turkey.

The preponderance of emerging economies confronts significant trade-offs between economic growth and environmental sustainability considerations, and Turkey is no exception. This study draws strength from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs-7,11,12 & 13). To this end, the present study explores the role of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for the case of Turkey for annual frequency data from 1970 to 2020. The present study leverages on the novel dynamic autoregressive-distributed lag (DARDL) methodology and Bayer and Hanck combined cointegration test. The combined Bayer and Hanck cointegration test alongside ARDL bounds test traces equilibrium relationship between economic growth, urbanization, FDI, energy use, and CO2 emission over the investigated period. Empirical results from the DARDL simulation analysis validates the EKC hypothesis. These results suggest that environmental quality is being compromised for economic growth at the earlier stage of economic growth (scale stage). The EKC phenomenon is affirmed as a 1% increase in economic growth increase emission level by 0.1580% and quadratic economic growth decrease emission by 0.1095% in the short and long run, respectively. Similarly, urbanization and energy used in both the short and long run also worsen environmental quality while FDI influx in the long run improves environmental quality in Turkey. These outcomes have far-reaching environment-urbanization growth implications. From a policy lens, the current study subscribed to the environmental stick policies and investment on strategies on a paradigm shift from fossil-fuel energy consumption base to renewables. Further insights are highlighted in the concluding section.