Do the asymmetric effects of eco-digitalization amidst energy transition make or mar the strides toward environmental sustainability in the USA?

The present era faces adverse effects of the strides recorded in economic advancements of the prior generations thus leading the present generation to growth dilemma. Consequently, there is a conscientious consideration for the ecological effects of economic growth. To resolve the preceding issue, due consideration must be given to harmless growth of which eco-digitalization, green financing, green technology, energy transition, and regularity quality are key determinants. Despite the aforesaid importance, empirical studies advancing this nexus are scarce. Hence, this study contributes to environment empirics by providing empirical evidence for the impacts of the highlighted indicators on sustainable environment in the USA. The study explores quarterly data from 1996Q1 to 2019Q4 based on the novel non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. The pretests' outcomes show that long-run nexus exists among the variables, whereas the Zivot-Andrew uncovers breakpoint years in the observations. The main findings show that eco-digitalization, green financing, green technology, and renewable energy promote sustainable environment. On the flip side, non-renewable energy and regulatory quality hinder the pathways to sustaining the environment in the USA. Robustness analyses conducted based on FMOL, DOLS, and CCR provide substantial support and validity for the main results. Furthermore, the causality nexus lends empirical support for the existence of bidirectional and unidirectional causalities in the empirical model. Policy insights that drive the paths to sustainability in the US are suggested based on the findings.

Neutralizing the surging emissions amidst natural resource dependence, eco-innovation, and green energy in G7 countries: Insights for global environmental sustainability.

The unrelenting surge in global warming in the current era suggests the inevitable need for governments across the globe to embark on policy measures that will help flatten the curve of the surging emissions. Consequently, the concept of carbon neutrality has become a vital policy approach for countries to achieve sustainable development. The present study extends the debates on carbon neutrality by examining the extent to which prominent factors such as natural resource dependence, eco-innovation, and green energy (biofuel and renewable energy) facilitate or hinder strides toward achieving carbon neutral environment in G7 economies. The study considers the additional roles of carbon tax, environmental policy stringency, and financial development in longitudinal data ranging from 1997 to 2019. The verification of the stated hypotheses hinges on a battery of estimators comprising cross-sectional ARDL, common correlated effects mean group, augmented mean group, and panel quantile regression. The empirical findings show that green energy, carbon tax, and environmental policy support the drive towards carbon neutrality by reducing the stock of CO2 emissions. On the other hand, natural resource dependence and financial development hinder the carbon neutrality agenda by escalating the surge in CO2 emissions. Robustness analyses are conducted from the angle of an additional outcome variable and estimation technique of which the results corroborate the empirical regularity of the main findings. Policy implications are derived from the empirical findings.

Probing environmental sustainability pathways in G7 economies: the role of energy transition, technological innovation, and demographic mobility.

Global warming remains the most devastating environmental issue embattling the global economies, with significant contributions emanating from CO2 emissions. The continued rise in the level of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions serves as a compelling force which constitutes the core of discussion at the recent COP26 prompting nations to commit to the net-zero emission target. The current research presents the first empirical investigation on the roles of technological advancement, demographic mobility, and energy transition in G7 pathways to environmental sustainability captured by CO2 emissions per capita (PCCO2) from 2000 to 2019. The study considers the additional impacts of structural change and resource abundance. The empirical backings are subjected to pre-estimation tests consisting of cross-sectional dependence, second-generation stationarity, and panel cointegration tests. The model estimation is based on cross-sectional augmented autoregressive distributed lag, dynamic common correlated effects mean group, and augmented mean group for the main analysis and robustness checks. The findings reveal the existence of EKC based on the direct and indirect effects of the components of economic growth. The indicators of demographic mobility differ in the direction of influence on PCCO2. For instance, while rural population growth negatively influences PCCO2 in the short-run alone, urban population growth increases PCCO2 in the short-run and long-run periods. Nonrenewable energy, information computer technology (ICT) imports, and mobile cellular subscriptions serve as positive predictors of PCCO2, while ICT exports and renewable energy moderate the surge in PCCO2. Policy implications that enhance environmental sustainability are suggested following the empirical verifications.

On energy transition-led sustainable environment in COP26 era: policy implications from tourism, transportation services, and technological innovations for Gulf countries.

The present generation is witnessing the most devastating effects of global warming far beyond what was evident in the pre-industrial era. To forestall further ecosystem destruction, nations are working assiduously toward achieving sustainable global environment in decades to come, specifically by 2050. This ambitious goal prompts the convergence of countries in the last climate conference tagged COP26 which provides the roadmap to global sustainability. The resolutions of COP26 motivate the present study to assess the energy transition-led sustainable environment in Gulf countries, considering tourism, transport services, and technological innovation. The study employs annual data from 2005 to 2019 by relying on advanced second-generation estimators comprising cross-sectional ARDL (CS-ARDL), common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG), and augmented mean group (AMG). The study conducts robustness checks using quantile regression (QR) and quantile plots (QP). The results reveal that nonrenewable energy, tourism, and transport services hinder sustainable environment due to their inducing impacts on carbon emissions. Renewable energy and technological innovations promote sustainable environment by moderating the surge in carbon emissions. The QR results reveal that the regressors' effects are not one-off. For instance, the moderating effects of renewable energy correspond to increasing levels of the quantiles. In contrast, nonrenewable energy posits the opposite, thus confirming the energy transition-led sustainable environment hypothesis in the Gulf countries. Policy implications that drive sustainable environment are suggested based on the findings.

The Spread of and Death from Infectious Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for FDI Attraction.

Are "economic bads" of infectious diseases and "economic goods" of foreign direct investment antagonistic to each other? This is the salient question that this research inquiry unravels for 34 African economies from 2000 to 2017. The empirical evidence revealed the following through a generalized method of moments (SGMM) inter alia: First, the mitigating roles of infectious diseases, such as malaria, HIV prevalence rate and AIDS, on global FDI inflows are unconditionally certified from a statistical and economic sense. Second, the diminishing influences of other confounders, such as low per capita GDP, shallow financial development, excruciating inflationary trend, and natural resource rents curse, are empirically endorsed, on the one hand, while the persistent nature of FDI and trade openness as boosting mechanisms for FDI are unambiguously applauded, on the other hand. Finally, a reduction in the numerical strength of the estimates after accounting for the outliers' effect from the models and the inclusion of additional controls do not diminish the robustness of already established findings, except for the HIV prevalence rate. On the policy front, if the foreign direct investment is truly pro-development outcomes, any policy interventions that eliminate infectious diseases will be Pareto-improving.

The environmental aspects of renewable energy consumption and structural change in Sweden: A new perspective from wavelet-based granger causality approach.

The current paper assessed the time-frequency analysis interrelationship between CO2 emissions and financial development, economic growth, renewable energy use, structural change, and non-renewable energy use in Sweden. We utilized a quarterly dataset stretching from 1980-2019. In order to unlock these interrelationships, we leverage wavelet tools (wavelet-based Granger causality and wavelet coherence). The wavelet-based Granger causality (WGC) test accounts for the issue of multiple time scales in a time series analysis. Another uniqueness of the WGC lies in its resistance to distribution assumption and misspecification in a time series model. Additionally, the wavelet coherence estimator instantaneously evaluates correlation and causality among the interacting indicators in a model. The outcomes of the wavelet coherence exposed that renewable energy, financial development, economic growth, structural change, and trade openness enhance the environment's quality while non-renewable energy intensifies CO2. Moreover, the WGC shows that all the variables can predict each other. Based on these findings, policymakers in Sweden should focus more on improving public understanding of renewable energy and environmental preservation. We believe that Sweden's shift to service-sector-led growth will help to safeguard the environment.

Post-COP26: can energy consumption, resource dependence, and trade openness promote carbon neutrality? Homogeneous and heterogeneous analyses for G20 countries.

The need to halt the pervasive issue of global warming has triggered commitments from policymakers, international organizations, and research pundits with an ambitious goal of neutralizing carbon emissions, forming the core of COP26 in November 2021. Consequently, the carbon neutrality agenda is globally debated in the environment and economic growth literature. Given the preceding narratives, this study examines the tripartite effects of energy consumption, resource dependence, and trade openness on carbon neutrality in G20 economies from 2001 to 2019. The empirical evidence relies on homogenous and heterogeneous dynamic models based on a system generalized method of moments (GMM), fully modified ordinary least squares (FM-OLS), and quantile regression estimators. The following results are evident from the empirical analyses. Among the heterogeneous indicators, nonrenewable energy, oil rents, coal rents, and imports contribute to the surge in carbon emissions, while renewable energy, gas rents, and exports moderate carbon emissions. The homogenous impacts show that total energy consumption, total natural resource rents, and trade openness promote significant carbon emissions. Further, the long-run results from FM-OLS and the disintegrated mean effects from quantile regression are robust for the main short-run results based on the two-step system GMM. Based on the empirical fallout, investing in renewable energy and diversifying from natural resource exploration are among the emanating policy that can enhance the sustainability of the G20 environment.

Beyond COP26: can income level moderate fossil fuels, carbon emissions, and human capital for healthy life expectancy in Africa?

The growing concerns on the need to moderate the unceasing surge in global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions believed to be detrimental to the environment and wellbeing of the human race have generated concerted efforts from governments and policymakers worldwide. Among many other factors, fossil fuels which remain the most consumed energy resource have been identified as the primary culprit to demeaning life expectancy. To this end, this study probes how income mediates between fossil fuels and carbon emissions to promote life expectancy in selected oil-abundant African economies from 1980 to 2019. The roles of human capital through investment in education are considered in the current inquiry. The empirical evidence is anchored on second-generation tests comprising cross-sectional dependence, slope homogeneity, and Westerlund cointegration tests. The empirical model is estimated based on advanced panel techniques comprising cross-sectional dependence autoregressive distributed lag model, common correlated effects mean group, augmented mean group, and quantile regression. Findings from the study reveal that fossil fuels and carbon emissions reduce life expectancy. Besides, income level promotes healthy life expectancy while equally subduing the negative impacts of fossil fuels on it. Additionally, the life-improving roles of human capital are empirically confirmed. Based on the findings, withdrawing the subsidies on fossil fuels and making aggregate income inclusive are among the key policies formulated.

Environmental impacts of income inequality: evidence from G7 economies.

This study probes the environmental consequences of income inequality (INQ) in G7 economies from 1971 to 2015. INQ is captured by four indicators comprising GINI coefficients, Palma ratio, Theil index, and Atkinson index on per capita carbon emission as a proxy for environmental degradation using both fully modified OLS (FM-OLS) and dynamic OLS (D-OLS). The empirical data are subjected to pre-test using cross-sectional dependence (CSD) test and panel unit root and panel cointegration tests. The following results are established. First, the absence of CSD and presence of cointegration is confirmed. Second, positive effects of INQ indices are reported for the panel analyses. Third, the results of country-specific analyses are divergent and mixed among the G7 economies. For instance, positive impacts are reported for Canada, Japan, and the USA and negative for France and Germany; and insignificant impacts are evident in the case of Italy and the UK. Fourth, the effects of other covariates emerge from two directions entailing both positive and negative. While per capita GDP (LGDPPC) and trade openness (OPN) are aligned with the former a prior, per energy use (PEU) and inflation (INF) satisfied the latter. Consequently, embarking on pro-poor programs such as social welfare funds, private initiative support fund, and state intervention aimed at checkmating the excesses of the capitalists is seen as sacrosanct to solving the INQ-pco2 nexus disharmony.

Disaggregated environmental impacts of non-renewable energy and trade openness in selected G-20 countries: the conditioning role of technological innovation.

This study examines the disaggregated impacts of non-renewable energy (NRE) indicators comprising coal, gas, and fuel, and trade openness (TO) entailing imports and exports on environmental quality proxied by (carbon emission per capita, co2pc) in selected G-20 countries with the conditioning role of technological innovation (ecoi) from 1990 to 2018. The empirical analyses are evaluated using a battery of estimation techniques comprising augmented mean group (AMG), common correlated effect mean group (CCEMG), and mean group (MG), respectively. The following major results are evident from the analyses. First, coal, gas, fuel, and imports increase co2pc while exports reduce it. Second, the unconditional and conditional effects of technological innovation (ECOI) significantly reduce co2pc. These results are consistent with the robustness checks based on CCEMG and MG estimators. On the policy front, promoting technological innovation remains a veritable option to curtailing the devastating impacts of co2pc.

Nonrenewable and renewable energy consumption, trade openness, and environmental quality in G-7 countries: the conditional role of technological progress.

The present study empirically investigates the tripartite impacts of renewable energy (RE), nonrenewable energy (NRE), and trade openness (TO) with the conditioning role of technology on environmental quality (CO2 emission) for the G-7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, USA, and United Kingdom) for the period straddling 1990-2019. The empirical analyses are anchored on a set of estimation procedures including; cross-sectional dependence test, second generation panel unit root test, Westerlund cointegration test, Hausman test, and pooled mean group (PMG). The following results emanate from the findings. First, the presence of cross-sectional dependence and long-run relationships are confirmed for the countries. Second, RE significantly lessens the prevalence of carbon emissions across the estimated models. This further underscores the mitigating effects of RE on CO2 emissions for the G-7 countries. Third, the impacts of NRE and TO are found to contribute to surge in CO2 emissions. Fourth, the effects of technological progress captured by research and development (RD) and eco-innovation significantly reduce the stock of CO2 emissions using both unconditional (single effect) and conditional (interactive effect) methods. Fifth, the existence of Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) receives empirical support for the G-7 countries. Other covariates such as foreign direct investment (FDI), Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GCFC), and service value-added (SVA) exert diverging impacts on CO2 emissions. Sixth, the country-level analyses show the heterogeneous nature of the G-7 countries as evident from each country's findings.

Threshold effects of capital investments on carbon emissions in G20 economies.

Investment in capitals is sacrosanct to launch a country to a greater path of sustainable development. Notwithstanding, its deleterious impacts on environment are equally incontestable. In light of this stark reality, this paper examines the threshold effects of capital investments on carbon emissions in G20 economies over the period, 1992-2014, for which data are available. The study uses both exogenously determined and endogenously determined thresholds to uncover the relationship. While the former relies on median approach to determining the threshold on the one hand, the latter uses both the fixed effects panel threshold model proposed by (Hansen J Econ 93:345-368, 1999) and the bootstrap method by (Hansen Econometrica 68:575-603, 2000) to assess the statistical relevance of the threshold effects on the other hand. The results of the exogenously determined thresholds show higher statistical significant environmental impacts of capital investments at a median threshold of above 3.068 than when it is lesser. The findings of the latter approach indicate the relationship between capital investments and carbon emissions to be non-linear for the G20 countries. More specifically, this study establishes a single-threshold level of capital investment on carbon emissions for the group of countries. The threshold estimator of 3.434 is established at the 95% confidence interval. Beyond this point, the environmental impacts of capital investments are imaginable. On the policy front, keeping to the limit set by threshold effects would go a long way to stemming environmental pollution and mitigating climatic change impacts.

Easing of lockdown measures in Nigeria: Implications for the healthcare system.

The year 2020 was ushered in with a historical novel virus (COVID-19) pandemic in a manner that the world has never witnessed before. The human-to-human transmission rates of the virus are not only alarming and worrisome but also, the respiratory dysfunction and unwavering deaths it caused have risen global concerns. We employ the daily situation data on reported cases of COVID-19 to explicate the implications of the lockdown lifting in Nigeria using both qualitative and descriptive statistics. The study is particularly motivated by the urgency of need to inform policymakers and the government on the pending danger of an unplanned phased lifting of lockdown, which contravenes medical standards at the local and international fora. Of the three episodes of COVID-19 identified in Nigeria, the easing up phases witness the highest cases of the virus with the addition of over 32,000 in just 73 days. Besides, there are clear indications that the pre-planning processes that led to easing the lockdown did not adhere to the global practices and guidelines as stipulated by WHO. Every day of the easing phase of the lockdown has witnessed an increasing number of cases indicating the possibility is that the COVID 19 cases may escalate in future dates. By implication, the healthcare system is at the risk of being overwhelmed and thus unable to rescue the situation which could further aggravate the number of untimely death afflicting the citizens.

Estimating the impacts of lockdown on Covid-19 cases in Nigeria.

The study examines the extent to which lockdown measures impact on COVID-19 confirmed cases in Nigeria. Six indicators of lockdown entailing retail and recreation, grocery and pharmacy, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential, are considered. The empirical evidence is anchored on the negative binomial regression estimator, due to the count nature of the dataset on the daily cases of the virus. The study established the key following findings: First, retail and recreation, grocery and pharmacy, parks, transit stations, and workplaces are statistically significant and negatively signed as relevant predictors of the virus. Second, the impact of residential is positive and statistically significant at the conventional level. Lastly, the results are robust to an alternative estimator of Poisson Regression. The emanated policy message centres on the need to direct efforts toward ensuring total compliance to the lockdown rules as it holds the key to keeping the virus under check.

Modeling the Political Economy and Multidimensional Factors of COVID-19 Cases in Nigeria.

Both the clinical and epidemiological significance attached to COVID-19 cases by a small, but growing literature on coronavirus are not in any way undermined by the relevance of political economy and multidimensional impacts of other factors on the virus, particularly from country specific stance. In light of the stark reality, this study unravels the political economy and multidimensional factors of COVID-19 cases in Nigeria using the daily data spanning 27th of February through 26th of May, 2020. This paper deploys a variety of count data estimators to estimate the effects of political economy and ethno-religious factors on COVID-19 cases in Nigeria. The parameter estimates reveal that the odds of the Hausa ethnic group in human-to-human transmission of the virus, to be in the "Certain Zero" group is relatively less as compared to other ethnic groups in the country. A plausible reason, particularly for the vulnerable group can be attributed, in part, to their low levels of educational attainment as well as their staunch religious belief with respect to the act of soul taking as being the exclusive property of the creator than the created. Thus, addressing ethno-religious concerns together with socioeconomic factors remain the formidable mitigation policy choices to combating the scourge of the global virus of COVID-19.