Refereed/Peer-reviewed The dark side of the consumption of Natural Resources (NTR) is the carbon dioxide emissions (CO2) resulting from the extraction of NTR as well as the increasing level of consumption within the economy. Besides, the massive expansion and growth of the Chinese economy have also meant its CO2 is at an all-time high, thus making China one of the leading contributors to global warming. Hence the current study fills a knowledge vacuum by analyzing the relationships governing NTR and technological innovation (TIN) in countering the environmental damage due to CO2, by revisiting the EKC in the Chinese context through “Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag” (QARDL). The results validate the EKC where NTR consumption worsens the environment further; however, TIN is a potential solution in countering CO2. In accordance with the findings, it is recommended that government institutions need to ensure the preservation of NTR without conceding the economic benefits and prosperity.