• Energy Research

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.

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.

The BRICS nations are often seen as being at the vanguard of the push to implement sustainable energy technologies, even at the household scale, as part of the transition to sustainable societies. Given that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are interconnected and that achieving one is a good springboard for achieving others, we see the SDGs as having three dimensions: socio-economic-environmental sustainability. However, energy is central to attaining these tenets in the UN-SDG. Therefore, this work aims to use three germane methods-feasible generalized least square (FGLS), fixed effects model, and quantile regression-to discover empirical evidence to back up these statements. When different econometric estimate methods were used, these findings remained reliable. The research also showed that clean energy is essential when determining strategies to achieve environmental sustainability, human development, and foster green economic growth. Thus, investments in green resources and technological innovation promote the country's transition to sustainable development. They also show a substantial beneficial influence of clean and green energy and technology on supporting the main tenet of UN-SDG in BRICS across most quantiles. As a result of these major analytical findings, some relevant policies are proposed to enable the BRICS countries to achieve some of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are closely related to undergoing green energy transition (SDG-7) and achieving environmental sustainability (SDG-13) through the channel of innovation (SDG-9). The study consequently suggests that to combat climate change, promote green economic growth, and assure human development, which will increase the likelihood of the UN-SDGs, investment in clean energy should be given top priority on the BRICS agenda.

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.