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The current study thus explored the impact of technological innovation and trade openness on clean energy while accounting for economic growth, access to electricity, pollution, industrial restructuring, and urbanization using data from 1990 to 2020 for both the MINT and BRICS economies. A series of test were performed for a robust analysis using second generation econometrics approaches before proceeding to investigate the long-run linkages between renewable energy and the duo of innovation and trade using the Prais-Winsten regression model with panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE) while the Driscoll-Kraay standard errors test was applied for robustness checks. The results, firstly confirm the presence of heterogeneity, cross-sectional dependence, and cointegration among the selected variables. Secondly, technological innovation as a renewable energy determinant demonstrated negative elasticities in both BRICS countries and the full sample, but a positive elasticity in the MINT countries. Thirdly, concerning trade liberalisation, negative elasticities were obtained for the full sample and MINT countries, while the elasticities were positive for the BRICS bloc. Fourthly, the roles of economic growth and environmental pollution reveal a negative impact on renewable energy consumption for all samples while urbanisation and industrial restructuring promote renewable energy developments only in the BRICS bloc. Policy implications are discussed.

The present study draws motivation from United Nation Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) and its impact by 2030. To this end, the current study explored the nexus between energy consumption (SDG-7), climate action (SDG-13), and economic growth (SDG-8) while controlling for role of government apparatus such as like voice of accountability, rule of law, control of corruption and technology innovation in a balanced panel of 46 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies from 1996 to 2020. For a robust study, the present study leverages on secondgeneration estimator such as cross-sectional SUR, two-stage least square (2SLS), 2SLS is referred to as the superior estimators to traditional pool OLS due to its capabilities of including endogenous regressors and efficiency. Empirical findings show that all the coefficients associated with mobile subscription (lnTI) are negative and statistically significant at 1% level of significance (P-value <0.01). This indicates that higher (lower) mobile cellular subscriptions results in the reduction (rise) of renewable energy consumption, implying that technological innovation in terms of the expansion of mobile cellular subscription hinders access to clean energy in SSA. Conclusively, the present study presents interesting outcomes concerning technology innovation, Governance, and SDGs goal 7 (clean energy) and 13 (climate action) in Sub-Saharan African blocs. Policy strategies are outlined in the concluding section.

AbstractIn the wake of the growing threats to humanity from climate change, we analyzed the information and communications technology (ICT)/education—environmental nexus from three distinct blocs including BRICS, MINT, and the G7 economies between 1990 and 2020. Two models were examined to reach the study's objectives. The first model evaluates whether education and ICT are essential for environmental sustainability via potential reduction in carbon emission. On the other hand, the second model fills an existing gap in extant studies by examining the prospect of education and ICT in influencing citizens on the importance of transition to renewable energy usage. Driscoll and Kraay estimator was employed as a panacea tool for cross‐sectional dependence and slope homogeneity while the fixed effect approach provides sufficient robustness checks on the findings. While some outcomes vary per bloc, others are relatively similar across the three blocs. Education level in school enrollment perspectives shows a negative significant pollution reduction effect across the three blocs, while only the G7 bloc performed better from human capital perspectives. The combined sample bloc shows that ICT also significantly reduces carbon emission, however, an individual bloc analysis refutes this stance for the MINT bloc. Additionally, while renewable energy cushions emissions in all the blocs, rapid urbanization, shows a positive CO2 emission impact except in the G7 bloc. Last, ICT and education significantly boost renewable energy usage only in the G7. Hence, governments and stakeholders in the blocs should gravitate toward greater investments in quality education and greener ICT infrastructures for a sustainable environment.

Les promesses et les engagements des gouvernements des pays riches ont été pris lors du sommet de la COP26 à Glasgow, ravivant ainsi l'espoir des nations de relever le défi du changement climatique. Ainsi, l'étude examine la complémentarité du développement financier et des émissions de carbone, tout en tenant compte de l'influence conditionnelle de la bonne gouvernance sous trois indicateurs désagrégés – la gouvernance économique, institutionnelle et politique pour les économies des BRICS, de la MONNAIE et du G7. Tout d'abord, l'étude révèle que le développement financier en fonction de l'indicateur adopté a des effets mitigés sur les niveaux de pollution de l'environnement. Plus précisément, le développement financier déclenche l'effet de pollution le plus élevé via le crédit national au secteur privé par rapport aux investissements directs étrangers, tandis que l'indice de développement financier réduit la pollution environnementale. Deuxièmement, la gouvernance économique favorise la qualité de l'environnement en réduisant la pollution de l'environnement grâce à une réglementation de la qualité. Troisièmement, la gouvernance institutionnelle par le biais d'un État de droit plus faible induit la pollution, tandis que le contrôle de la corruption s'oppose aux niveaux de pollution. En outre, seule la voix de la responsabilité soutient l'effet d'atténuation de la pollution de la gouvernance politique. Sur une analyse comparative bloc à bloc, l'efficacité de la gouvernance favorise la pollution environnementale dans les trois blocs économiques, mais à des amplitudes différentes, tandis que la voix de la responsabilité n'exerce un impact souhaitable significatif sur la pollution que dans les pays du G7. Enfin, les énergies renouvelables et la libéralisation du commerce exercent respectivement une influence négative et positive sur la dégradation de l'environnement. En la cumbre de Glasgow COP26 se hicieron promesas y compromisos de los gobiernos de las naciones ricas, lo que rejuvenece la esperanza entre las naciones para enfrentar el desafío del cambio climático. Por lo tanto, el estudio examina la complementariedad del desarrollo financiero y las emisiones de carbono, al tiempo que tiene en cuenta la influencia condicional de la buena gobernanza bajo tres indicadores desagregados: gobernanza económica, institucional y política para las economías BRICS, MINT y G7. En primer lugar, el estudio revela que el desarrollo financiero en función del indicador adoptado tiene efectos mixtos en los niveles de contaminación ambiental. Específicamente, el desarrollo financiero desencadena el mayor efecto de contaminación a través del crédito interno al sector privado en comparación con las inversiones extranjeras directas, mientras que el índice de desarrollo financiero reduce la contaminación ambiental. En segundo lugar, la gobernanza económica promueve la calidad ambiental al reducir la contaminación ambiental a través de la regulación de la calidad. En tercer lugar, la gobernanza institucional a través de un estado de derecho más débil induce a la contaminación, mientras que el control de la corrupción antagoniza los niveles de contaminación. Además, solo la voz de la rendición de cuentas respalda el efecto mitigador de la contaminación de la gobernanza política. En un análisis comparativo de bloque a bloque, la efectividad de la gobernanza promueve la contaminación ambiental en los tres bloques económicos, aunque en diferentes magnitudes, mientras que la voz de la rendición de cuentas ejerce un impacto significativo deseable sobre la contaminación solo en los países del G7. Por último, la energía renovable y la liberalización del comercio ejercen una influencia negativa y positiva en la degradación ambiental, respectivamente. Pledges and commitments from governments of wealthy nations were made at the COP26 Glasgow summit, thereby rejuvenating hope among nations to confront the climate change challenge. Thus, the study examines the complementarity of financial development and carbon emissions, while accounting for the conditional influence of good governance under three disaggregated indicators – economic, institutional, and political governance for the BRICS, MINT, and the G7 economies. First, the study reveals that financial development depending on the adopted indicator has mixed effects on environmental pollution levels. Specifically, financial development triggers the highest pollution effect via domestic credit to the private sector compared to foreign direct investments, while financial development index reduces environmental pollution. Secondly, economic governance promotes environmental quality by reducing environmental pollution through quality regulation. Third, institutional governance through weaker rule of laws induces pollution, while the control of corruption antagonizes pollution levels. Furthermore, only the voice of accountability supports the pollution-mitigating effect of political governance. On a bloc-to-bloc comparative analysis, governance effectiveness promotes environmental pollution in all the three economic blocs albeit at different magnitudes while the voice of accountability exerts a significant desirable impact on pollution only in the G7 countries. Lastly, renewable energy and trade liberalization exerts a negative and positive influence on environmental degradation respectively. تم تقديم تعهدات والتزامات من حكومات الدول الغنية في قمة غلاسكو COP26، مما جدد الأمل بين الدول في مواجهة تحدي تغير المناخ. وبالتالي، تبحث الدراسة في التكامل بين التنمية المالية وانبعاثات الكربون، مع مراعاة التأثير المشروط للحوكمة الرشيدة في إطار ثلاثة مؤشرات مصنفة – الحوكمة الاقتصادية والمؤسسية والسياسية لاقتصادات بريكس ومينت ومجموعة السبع. أولاً، تكشف الدراسة أن التنمية المالية التي تعتمد على المؤشر المعتمد لها تأثيرات متباينة على مستويات التلوث البيئي. على وجه التحديد، تؤدي التنمية المالية إلى أعلى تأثير للتلوث عن طريق الائتمان المحلي للقطاع الخاص مقارنة بالاستثمارات الأجنبية المباشرة، في حين يقلل مؤشر التنمية المالية من التلوث البيئي. ثانياً، تعزز الحوكمة الاقتصادية الجودة البيئية من خلال الحد من التلوث البيئي من خلال تنظيم الجودة. ثالثًا، تؤدي الحوكمة المؤسسية من خلال ضعف سيادة القوانين إلى التلوث، في حين أن السيطرة على الفساد تستعدي مستويات التلوث. علاوة على ذلك، فإن صوت المساءلة وحده يدعم التأثير المخفف للتلوث للحكم السياسي. عند إجراء تحليل مقارن بين الكتلة والكتلة، تعزز فعالية الحوكمة التلوث البيئي في جميع الكتل الاقتصادية الثلاث وإن كان ذلك بأحجام مختلفة في حين أن صوت المساءلة له تأثير مرغوب كبير على التلوث فقط في بلدان مجموعة السبع. وأخيراً، تؤثر الطاقة المتجددة وتحرير التجارة تأثيراً سلبياً وإيجابياً على التدهور البيئي على التوالي.

Since the industrial era, the selection of energy sources to facilitate economic advancement has been criticized because of the resulting ecological calamity. This has prompted the introduction of radical approaches such as ISO 14001, which tackles the drivers of pollution. Therefore, this study analyses the ISO 14001—environment nexus from three distinct points of view: BRICS, MINT, and G7 countries from 1999–2020. Also, our work fills an extant gap in assessing structural change and innovation’s role in augmenting the relationship. The Driscoll and Kraay estimator is employed as an analytical tool for cross-sectional dependence and slope homogeneity, while the fixed effects approach provides sufficient robustness checks on the findings. While some outcomes vary per bloc, others are relatively similar across the three blocs. That is: (1) ISO 14001 shows an abatement portfolio for only the G7 bloc, and the Full sample. (2) Structural change showed potential for abating carbon emissions in all blocs. (3) Technology led to an increase in pollution in all blocs except for the MINT economy. (4) ICT in the form of mobile phones also help reduce carbon emissions in all three blocs except for their composite. (5) Renewable energy helps reduce carbon emission in all blocs except for G7. ISO 14001 shows the potential to encourage green growth. As a result, policymakers should work to enhance ISO 14001 certification, which might serve as a management tool to promote sustainable development.

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.

Alternative energy has been hailed as a feasible resolution to the environmental degradation and energy problems that have plagued Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) recently. The expansion of the clean energy sector, on the other hand, relies on economic growth, effective governance, and financial considerations. As a result, it is important to investigate the links between these variables in SSA. This study investigated the influence of economic growth, institutional quality, foreign direct investment (FDI), and financial development on renewable energy at the national threshold in SSA using a two-step difference GMM model based on panel data collected from 2002 to 2019. The outcome shows that economic growth and all three financial development indicators (FD1, FD2 and FD3) have a positive significant relationship with renewable energy. Furthermore, for SSA countries, FDI, as well as all six proxy factors for institutional quality, had a negative significant influence on renewable energy. Our empirical findings propose a variety of policies that might help the renewable energy sector grow.