When would the dark clouds of financial inclusion be over, and the environment becomes clean? The role of national governance

Examination of the factors contributing to environmental degradation: does LPG consumption still matter?

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is one of the energy resources that deserve to be qualified as a transition fuel for developing countries that cannot abandon their dependence on non-renewable energy use and adopt renewable alternatives. The current study examines how environmental degradation is affected by financial development, LPG use, and economic growth in the BRICS-T countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and Turkiye) in the period of 1993-2018. For this purpose, four models were tested with Pedroni, Kao, PMG Panel ARDL cointegration and Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality methods. The results show that LPG consumption has a positive effect on the ecological footprint and an adverse influence on the CO2 emission of BRICS - T countries. The financial institutions exhibited to have a positive and significant impact on ecology. Economic growth displayed negative effects on environmental degradation and a positive influence on CO2. Additionally, there is significant evidence for the validity of the EKC hypothesis. Unidirectional causality exists between ecological footprint, LPG, financial market, and economic growth. The financial institution index shows bidirectional causality with the ecological footprint. There is also unidirectional causality between ecological footprint, LPG, financial market, and economic growth. Furthermore, the financial institutions' index shows a bidirectional causality with the ecological footprint. Also, economic development and financial institution index have a bidirectional relationship with CO2 emissions. On the other hand, the financial market index showed unidirectional causality with CO2 emissions. In short, our study highlights the need for a comprehensive and integrated approach to sustainable development in BRICS - T countries. Policymakers must balance economic growth with environmental protection and consider the potential trade-offs between policy options to promote sustainable and inclusive development.

Supply chain optimization for environmental sustainability and economic growth

As the globe strives to solve severe environmental challenges, the concept of a low-carbon economy that prioritizes low energy use, little pollution, and sustainable development is gaining support. The supply chain management industry is not safe from the possibilities and threats posed by this new development. In light of the emerging norm, it is imperative that all supply chain links be economically and ecologically sustainable. For conventional businesses, ensuring environmental advantages and practicing the issue of equitably dividing supply network node profits is exacerbated by green supply chain management. This paper was prompted by the increasing need for information on green supply chain management (GSCM). GSCM is based on the idea of incorporating ecological considerations into traditional SCM practices. Therefore, GSCM is vital in shaping the cumulative environmental effect of businesses engaged in supply chain operations. To assess environmental sustainability requirements, we provide a best-worst method (BWM), a subset of China-based sectors in order to fill this void. The BWM was used to evaluate and quantify the impact of a variety of industrial operations and criteria on environmental quality. To make sure this approach is effective and reliable, we polled 34 experts for their input on which indications from our preliminary literature analysis would be most useful. This study's findings, supported by a sensitivity analysis, indicated stated "waste management" was the single most important indication for China-area businesses to achieve environmental sustainability. The results of this study provide industry managers, decision-makers, and practitioners with the information they need to choose areas of focus during the implementation phase that will have the most impact on promoting social sustainability in their organizational supply chain and moving toward sustainable growth.

Revisiting the nexus between economic growth and environment health: an empirical study on 180 nations

Sustainability is considered to be one of the biggest issues in the current time. This study aims to understand the role of sustainability further by revisiting the much-debated and intricate relationship between economic growth and environmental performance and to provide guidance to policymakers. Using a large sample of data from 180 countries over the period from 2002 to 2017 a measure that captures the various aspects of environmental performance, the study performs a test of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, which defines the relationship between economic growth and environmental deterioration. Controlling for several associated macroeconomic and governance variables, the results suggest that for certain regions, viz. Asia, Eastern Europe, and North America, higher economic growth, as proxied by per capita GDP, has a negative association with environmental performance (measured by Environmental Performance Indices, EPI), indicating that the former may prove detrimental to the later. The results suggest a unidirectional relationship between the two variables and are also robust to endogeneity concerns that are often emphasized in the EKC literature. The study documents similar results for lower-income and lower-middle-income countries. Interestingly, the authors also find that small-sized governments in developing nations have a positive association with environmental performance.

Natural resources and financial development: Role of corporate social responsibility on green economic growth in China

While natural resource and financial growth have been researched extensively, the impact of corporate social responsibility on green economic growth through the incorporation of corporate regulations has received less attention. Empirical conclusions are supported by a balanced panel of data collected annually on resource-rich countries in China between 1992 and 2018. Multiple econometric issues, such as the existence of heterogeneity among the selected countries, can be tackled with the help of the PMG-ARDL method. There is evidence of cointegration between the variables according to the Johansen Fisher Panel Cointegration Test and the Kao Test. The findings of the PMG-ARDL suggest a favorable long-term relationship between resource income and public debt, but a negative short-term relationship. Public debt sustainability in the panel nations is threatened by their over-reliance on total natural resource rents if efficient fiscal and financial administration reforms are neglected. The Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) used in this panel establishes a causal relationship between available resources and the level of state debt. There is empirical data to back up the fiscal curse theory. If regulations are not in place to protect natural resources, they could impede economic development. The financial resource curse may be eased if China adopted more business-friendly regulations. Assuming this condition is met, policy recommendations for sustaining natural resource rent-related gains in economic development may be developed.

A causal link between financialization and ecological status: a novel framework for Asian countries?

Sustainable finance and green trade are essential to accomplish the green growth agenda. Though the literature prevails, little is known about the inclusive influence of financialization and trade openness on ecological status rather than just focusing on air pollution or inconclusive element. This study aims to analyze the role of financial dimensions and trade openness with environmental performance in the context of three panels of Asian countries consisting of low, middle, and high-income over the period 1990-2020. The estimated outcomes from the novel panel, the Granger non-causality technique, demonstrate that financialization further contributes to environmental deterioration instead of preserving the environmental quality. Regarding the low and middle-income economies, the authorities should enhance gains from trade openness to develop energy efficiency and ecological status policies. In the case of high-income Asian countries, they are even more desperate to consume energy and ignore the ecological challenges. The findings of this research offer various policy suggestions to accomplish sustainable development objectives.

Do financial inclusion and environmental regulations affect the green economy? An empirical study with a generalized linear model

Reducing carbon emissions is an efficient strategy to cope with global warming, which continues to be a frightening element for environmental protection. However, the energy industry is responsible for a lot of pollution in the atmosphere. To promote a low-carbon growth model, it is essential to endorse financial inclusion and environmental regulations. This research uses panel data from 70 nations, covering 1995 to 2021, to examine the interplay between economic growth, human capital, urbanization, trade openness, and environmental regulation as the primary defining element of efficient energy. Several tests have been used to ensure that the data are typically distributed; these include the cross-sectional dependence test, the KMO test, and the Bartlett test. The generalized linear model and Driscoll-Kraay standard errors have also been implemented for interim and final analysis. Results show that low-carbon energy sources are guaranteed for certain economies when financial inclusion and environmental regulation are implemented. Economic development, urbanization, trade openness, and human capital significantly impact green economic recovery. In light of these findings, policymakers are working to increase energy efficiency and boost their citizens' living standards by promoting financial inclusion and environmental regulation like imposing environmental taxes and governmental laws for industries.

Moving towards sustainability: how do low-carbon energy, current account balance, and reserves induce environmental deterioration in the Big 3?

Promoting financial sustainability is the focus of current state policies while addressing the concerns of environmental pollution. The alarming impacts of climate change on economies motivate us to revisit an intensive empirical study to explore the dynamic relationships of low-carbon energy, current account balance, and reserves with carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the most polluted countries across the globe for the years 1981-2020. We applied the dynamic autoregressive distributive lag (D-ARDL) simulation model to investigate the short and long-run connection. The empirical outcomes of the study uncover that in the short run, a 1% increase in renewable energy reduces CO₂-based emissions by 0.417%, 0.169%, and 0.619% in China, the USA, and India, respectively. We further explored that China's and the USA's economic growth causes environmental deterioration. In contrast, a 1% increase in current account balances improves the environmental quality of China and India by 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively. This research concludes that model variables significantly impact the environment. Therefore, it is necessary to draw policy implications to increase the consumption of low-carbon energy to sustain economic growth by limiting the adverse impacts of economic activities.

Sustainable environment, energy and finance in China: evidence from dynamic modelling using carbon emissions and ecological footprints

This study investigates sustainable finance along with sustainable economic factors on both carbon emissions and ecological footprints in China. A novel Dynamic Autoregressive Distributed Lag technique is applied; results revealed sustainable finance exerts positive/negative influence on carbon emissions in the long and short run, respectively. Results are robust with ecological footprints that sustainable finance placed a lucrative cause to preserve the environment. Sustainable economic factors show a positive impact on carbon emissions in the long run, whilst economic growth, energy consumption and exports improve environmental quality. Conversely, in the short run, urbanisation supports the environment whilst economic development, energy use and exports exert a positive impact. In addition, this study suggests useful policy implications for the stakeholders.

Does industrial up-gradation, environment regulations, and resource allocation impact on foreign direct investment: Empirical evidence from China

Because of China's tremendous increase in foreign direct investment (FDI) over the past two decades, this method of internationalization has become increasingly significant for companies worldwide. Heavy industry's dominant role in China's industrial structure must be modernized to ensure the country's long-term growth and prosperity. There are 30 provinces in China covered by this dataset, which dates back from 2005 to 2018. Augmented mean group (AMG) and common correlated effects mean groups (CCE-MG) estimations demonstrate that China's industrial upgrading and resource allocation considerably impact FDI inflows. The findings show that FDI inflows appear to be negatively affected by environmental rules. The results show that industrial upgradation and environmental regulations have not had the expected effect on FDI in China without the participation of other stakeholders. For the selected panel, the results from the control variable show that population aging reduces foreign direct investment inflows, whereas, economic growth increases FDI inflows. According to our findings and those of the empirical study, we make some policy proposals to help Chinese provinces attract more foreign direct investment by encouraging and upgrading the screening of such investments.

Impact of financial inclusion and globalization on environmental quality: evidence from G20 economies

Sustainable development and addressing climate change are among the most pressing issues faced by countries around the world. This research investigates the dynamic associations between financial inclusion, globalization and CO₂ emissions of G20 nations from 2005 to 2018, considering the effects of industrial structure, corruption, green energy utilization and economic growth as control variables. In this study, both financial inclusion and globalization index were measured using principal component analysis (PCA). This study examines long-term associations using cross-sectional augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) technique that offers more accurate outcomes. In addition, the VECM Granger causality method was applied to find causal relationships between study variables. Findings show that in financial inclusion, globalization has positive significant effect on carbon emissions. Moreover, corruption and economic have positive impact on carbon emissions, and renewable energy shows negative impact on environmental quality. The findings of this research are critical for achieving sustainable development and pollution control goals. Governments need to work to bring into line the financial inclusion goals with renewable energy consumption habits and environmental strategies.