• Energy Research

AbstractGlobally, most countries have shown strong commitments toward the attainment of sustainable development goals before 2023. Thus, this study focuses on analyzing such commitments toward the attainment of SDGs (7, 8, 10, and 13), respectively. The study evaluates the role played by income inequalities, export diversification, and economic growth in restoring a sustainable environment in India from 1970 to 2019. To achieve its objective, the study employed the novel Fourier autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) method. Remarkably, the study utilizes the load capacity factor (LCF) as a unique indicator for environmental sustainability. The LCF, which takes into account both biocapacity and ecological footprint, is one of the most complete indicators of environmental quality to date. The study's findings revealed a long‐run relationship between the LCF and all the explanatory variables. According to the Fourier ARDL results, income inequality and renewable energy improve environmental quality. At the same time, economic growth and export diversification negatively impact the LCF in India both within the short and long‐run periods. Conclusion and policy prescriptions are included in the study.

The policymakers in emerging economies have accelerated their efforts to move toward sustainable development due to the associated challenges of environmental degradation and disparities in economic growth. The present study is an effort in that direction; it looks at trade-adjusted carbon emissions (TACE) to help policymakers develop a relevant policy response to mitigate climate change in the BRICST (comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and Turkey) regions. The study investigates the impact of financial inclusion, green finance, and sustainable economic development on carbon emissions adjusted for trade. The study utilizes the panel dataset of the BRICST regions from 2000 to 2023 by employing the econometric methods of the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) approach. It recommends green finance, financial inclusion, and sustainable economic development to curb TACE. The research findings indicate a noteworthy correlation between green finance, financial inclusion, sustainable economic development and TACE. The study recommends policy measures for the BRICST regions that align with the Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on green finance, financial inclusion, and sustainability. By promoting renewable energy, enhancing financial access, and encouraging international cooperation, these strategies aim to reduce TACE and foster sustainable development.

Abstract The Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region is facing environmental sustainability challenges due to its abundant reserves of strategic commodities like crude oil and gold. These commodities significantly contribute to economic growth through their extraction and export to the global commodity market, but this economic dividend comes at the cost of environmental degradation. The present study explores the SSA region from the dimension of environmental sustainability, as it has received very limited research attention. It empirically investigates the interrelationships between commodity prices, economic policy uncertainty, renewable energy consumption (green energy), and carbon emissions across 39 SSA countries from 1996 to 2022. The study uses the second-generation panel econometrics method, the Augmented Mean Group technique, for the primary estimation. It also uses the two-step system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) and FMOLS for robustness. The present study validates the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis and provides new insights into the environmental dynamics of the SSA region. The study findings show that strategic commodities drive the region's environmental crisis, while green energy consumption and economic policy stability promote sustainability. It suggests that SSA countries should focus on controlling illegal mining and exploration activities while accelerating investments in green energy to mitigate environmental deterioration. This research study makes policy recommendations to achieve sustainable development while balancing economic growth and environmental protection.

Most of the world's rising carbon emission results from industrial activities. Previous industrial revolutions did not put much thought into safeguarding the natural world. Governments worldwide have been continuously implementing regulations and policies for the mitigation of climate change to promote sustainable development. To achieve decarbonization, the climate change discussion is merged with Industry 5.0 (I5.0) where green finance (GF) plays a crucial role. This technological metamorphosis of transition from Industry 4.0 (I4.0) to I5.0 will affect humans and their society. I5.0 forms a symbiotic relationship with different aspects of Society 5.0 (S5.0) such as social (human‒machine centricity), ecological (zero emissions), and technological (green innovations). Thus, the I5.0 transition prioritizes greening the economy in pursuit of achieving S5.0. Through a systematic review of 196 articles, this research study concisely summarizes the rapidly expanding body of information. The research domain gave six major themes: Green Innovations (GI), Green Manufacturing Practices (GMP), Circular Economy (CE), Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM), Emerging Economies, and Net Zero Economy (NZE). Finally, a framework has been provided that illustrates the supporting role of GF for the I5.0 transition eventually followed by S5.0. This study provides an overview of these themes with their propositions and future research directions. The present study addresses the knowledge gap by providing valuable contributions to the burgeoning research domain of I5.0 and GF. Moreover, it aims to garner the attention of different stakeholders to integrate these two concepts of research to attain the goal of sustainable development.

Considering how crucial environmental quality is to development, production often takes precedence over the development process when certain macroeconomic policies are being implemented. This phenomenon has been the subject of several studies conducted in various regions and nations. In this context, the recent article explores the nonlinear effects of industrial output, renewable energy, technological innovations, energy efficiency, and urbanization on CO2 emissions in the top ten industrialized countries. It recommends contradictory policy approaches due to its reported conflicting outcomes, opening up new research directions. To this end, the study relies on advanced econometric tools such as panel QARDL (Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag) and the nonparametric quantile Granger causality (NPQGC) test to attain robust results. The findings suggest that industrial output and urbanization significantly deteriorate environmental quality by increasing CO2 emissions across various time horizons. However, renewable energy, technological innovations, and energy efficiency have a significant influence towards enhancing environmental quality. Notably, industrialization and urbanization become environmentally friendly when energy efficiency is integrated with these variables. Additionally, the NPQGC test supports the main results by confirming the Granger causality between the modelled series. Based on the outcomes, the study suggests that the integration of energy efficiency with industrialization and urbanization can significantly contribute to achieving a sustainable environment.

In recent times, the green transition, by promoting carbon neutrality, has become highly imperative to meet environmental challenges. The present literature review study seeks to explore the intersecting role of greener innovations in facilitating financial inclusion for a sustainable future. Within the global agenda is the goal of carbon neutrality, with the aim of reducing environmental impact and mitigating climate change. Aim: The present study aims to investigate the role that technological innovations play in the financial inclusion of achieving climate neutrality. Method: Through a systematic literature review, we investigate how new innovations generate new investment opportunities and promote sustainable development. However, fair, accessible, and inclusive financing is crucial. Findings: the analyzed documents in this study shows that technological innovations can play an important role in financial inclusion for carbon neutrality and provide some important policy implications. Indeed, a favorable regulatory environment could generate positive effects already in the short term, with important environmental, economic, and social repercussions.

Sustainable Development has become a key concern throughout the world after the United Nations set 2030 as the SDGs deadline. A lot of concerted efforts have already been taken and currently undergoing to combat the global menace of climate change, carbon dioxide removal, adoption of renewable energy, and many more. All of these cannot be achieved with the sole support of public funds or traditional sources of finance. This is where venture capital (VC) steps in and fulfill the gap. Over the past few years, VCs have also been channelizing their investment flows as per the ‘triple bottom line’ towards startups and businesses which comes under the aspect of cleantech, sustainable entrepreneurship, technological innovations, green innovation, and sustainability. These VCs which focus on environmental protection are the Green Venture Capital (GVC). This research study provides a holistic overview of the available literature to highlight the significance of GVCs for attaining sustainable development. The present study has summarized 179 research articles from the time period 2002 to 2022 through a systematic literature review. The research articles gave four major thematic clusters, namely- Transition towards GVC, GVC and Cleantech, GVC and Sustainability, and Policy-Push for GVC. The present study provides a brief summary of these themes and the future research directions which can be explored.

Worldwide, all countries have been facing the crisis of climate change problem. They have been addressing this issue by focusing on implementing green energy innovation initiatives and promoting a sustainable future through environmental sustainability. In this research study, we focus on examining the role of green finance through green energy innovations, which are taking place in several sectors across different regions to promote environmental sustainability. The study has analysed 152 articles on this research domain through a systematic literature review to understand the present state of existing knowledge. The current study examines the Scopus-indexed research articles from the time period 2002 to 2023. Six emerging themes have been examined to understand their development and the potential impact of green initiatives for environmental sustainability. Various institutional theories have been explored to understand their association with the investigated research area. The paper has discussed multiple challenges that need to be addressed for the speedy implementation of green innovations. Finally, future research questions have been proposed based on the findings from the extant literature and the existing research gaps.