Formulating sustainable development policies for China within the framework of socioeconomic conditions and government stability

The nexus of carbon disclosure and green technology innovation: An empirical analysis based on Chinese listed companies

The level of carbon information disclosure is crucial in directing the decision-making processes and activities of enterprises, particularly in the realm of green technology development. It serves a crucial function in meeting environmental standards. This research analyzes publicly traded firms on the Shanghai and Shenzhen Stock Exchanges in China from 2013 to 2020. This study used a mediating effect model to examine the influence of carbon information disclosure quality on green technology innovation. The results indicate that improving the precision of carbon data mitigates financial limitations, hence promoting innovation in green technology. The research clarifies the moderating effects in the sequence of "carbon information disclosure - financing constraints - green technology innovation," specifically about the interaction between financing constraints and green technology innovation. It illustrates that government subsidies and media focus substantially mitigate financial limitations, hence fostering innovation in green technologies, as shown by robustness tests. The study reveals discrepancies in the impact of carbon disclosure quality on the advancement of green technology, ascribed to differences in ownership, geographical variables, managerial political affiliations, and industry traits. This study enhances corporate environmental standards and provides critical insights for policymakers and business leaders, facilitating China's shift towards a sustainable, low-carbon economy.

Exploring the nexus of industrial production and energy consumption on CO2 emissions in Bangladesh through ARDL bounds testing insights

Elevated CO2 emissions are a primary cause of the sustainability challenges, including rising sea levels and extreme weather patterns, faced by Bangladesh and the world. This study examines the intricate relationship between CO2 emissions and various economic and industrial factors in Bangladesh, using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound test. By analyzing data from 1971 to 2020, the research identifies both short-run and long-run dynamics influencing CO2 emissions. The findings reveal that industrial production and non-renewable energy consumption have a significant positive impact on CO2 emissions, while agricultural activities and fertilizer consumption exhibit a negative effect.The study underscores the need for Bangladesh to transition towards renewable energy sources and improve agricultural practices to mitigate CO2 emissions. Advanced econometric techniques, including the ARDL Bound Test, CUSUM, and CUSUMSQ, are employed to ensure the robustness of the results. The ARDL framework yields key metrics: RMSE = 0.034, MSE = 0.001, AIC = -160.002, BIC = -139.651, R-squared = 0.801, and adjusted R-squared = 0.753, to explore the CO2 emissions nexus in Bangladesh.The study concludes that, while industrial and energy factors significantly contribute to CO2 emissions, enhancing renewable energy use and adopting climate-smart agricultural practices are essential for sustainable environmental management. Policy recommendations include promoting renewable energy adoption, implementing carbon capture technologies, and revising carbon tax policies to achieve long-term sustainability and environmental conservation.

Do the effects of aggregate and disaggregate energy consumption on different environmental quality indicators change in the transition to sustainable development? Evidence from wavelet coherence analysis

In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations (UN) member states in 2015, half of the target period has been exceeded. However, China, whose energy consumption relies heavily on fossil resources, remains at the top of the list of global polluters. Therefore, investigating the environmental impacts of energy types is essential to China's path towards Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)-7 and SDG-13. Based on this motivation, the paper offers new insights into the energy-environment literature for China with wavelet coherence analysis (WCA). This approach can investigate the relationship between variables in a periodic manner based on the frequency behavior of the models. The paper separately analyzes the effects of primary energy consumption (PEC), fossil energy consumption (FEC), renewable energy consumption (REC), nuclear energy consumption (NEC), GDP, and population (POP) on three different environmental indicators in China. Using two environmental pollution indicators (carbon emission (CO2) and ecological footprint (EF)) and one environmental quality indicator (load capacity factor (LCF)), the paper allows for comparison and robustness checks on the environmental impacts of energy indicators. Empirical findings reveal the following: (i) Except for REC and POP in the CO2 model, the variables in all three models largely move together during the period under observation; (ii) variables other than POP have consistent coefficient signs; (iii) PEC, FEC, NEC, and GDP increase CO2 and EF while decreasing LCF; (iv) the effect of NEC on LCF is more obvious until 2000; (v) unlike the others, REC affects CO2 and EF negatively and LCF positively; (vi) there is bidirectional causality between PEC and environmental indicators but not for REC; (vii) the causality relations of other variables with environmental indicators differ in terms of model, time, and direction of causality. In light of the findings, the paper highlights that only the REC improves environmental quality in China. Other energy indicators contribute to environmental degradation. China, whose ecological deficit has increased dramatically in recent years, urgently needs to reduce its dependence on fossil energy sources by accelerating investments in REC. Governments should also review nuclear energy policies, which are expected to help achieve carbon neutrality.

Comparing developed and emerging nations' Economic development with environmental footprint for low-carbon competitiveness

This study delves into the intricate relationship between economic growth and its ecological repercussions, employing a comprehensive assessment of ecological footprint across 131 nations. The time period considered for the research spans from 2009 to 2019. Utilizing the CS-ARDL methodology, the results indicate a correlation between reducing ecological footprint and bolstering private sector domestic credit. Additionally, a relationship between diminishing private sector domestic credit of banks and augmenting private sector domestic credit within the financial sector has been identified. In conjunction with other indicators of financial advancement, the significance of domestic lending to the private sector has been underscored. The study reveals a notable reduction in human population's adverse impact on the environment. However, increased levels of energy consumption, foreign direct investment and per capita GDP are associated with an improvement in global quality of life. Particularly noteworthy is the validation of the "pollution haven hypothesis" in the global economic context. The implications of this research are substantial; suggesting that global economic dynamics may support efforts towards environmental conservation. However, outcomes may vary across regions or countries, particularly regarding the emphasis placed by the financial sector on environmental preservation. This study comprehensively examines the complex nexus between economic progress and its ecological consequences, keeping in consideration factors such as financial growth, urbanization, energy consumption and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

Eco-consciousness to eco-consumption: unraveling the drivers of sustainable consumption behavior under the mediated-moderated Model

The impact of climate change has malformed the world's ecosystem, thus making humans call for environmental protection. Climate change, the biggest trauma of the twenty-first century, has made humans switch towards natural consumption. In this regard, the growing phenomenon of industrialization has spurred consumers to invest more in ecological products. Consuming eco-friendly products has several benefits; however, countries are still unable to satisfy the consumer's concern for the environment. The current study presents literature on environmental concerns, psychological well-being, willingness to pay for pro-environmental products, pro-environmental self-identity, and pro-environmental consumer behavior, which are required to ensure the consumer's organic behavior. The research used a questionnaire-driven methodology to gather data from 379 participants. Data analysis was conducted using statistical software packages, specifically SPSS (Version: 4.1.0.0). The suitability of the measurement model was evaluated through structural equation modeling (SEM), which was performed utilizing the SmartPLS. According to the research findings, there is a positive relationship between variables in the study, and individuals with greater levels of psychological well-being are more likely to engage in behaviors that promote sustainable consumption. In order to foster more sustainable consumption patterns in society, policymakers, marketers, and educators may find these findings to be valuable insights. As a result of its empirical exploration of these relationships, the study contributes to the growing body of literature on environmental psychology and sustainable marketing, emphasizing the important role psychological factors play in promoting a greener environment.

Can digital economy development contribute to urban carbon emission reduction? - Empirical evidence from China

In the context of global digitalization, fostering the expansion of the digital economy holds immense importance in promoting energy efficiency and reducing emissions. Utilizing a sample of 281 prefecture-level cities in China from 2003 to 2019, this research analyzes the impact of the digital economy on urban carbon emissions in China. This study employs various methods, including principal component analysis, fixed-impact model, and mediating effect model. Based on the research findings, the development of the digital economy has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions in metropolitan areas. Moreover, these effects are especially noticeable in cities located to the east of the Hu Huanyong Line. These cities are characterized by limited reliance on resources and a high level of marketization. Further research reveals that promoting technical innovation and modernizing industrial structures can reduce the intensity of carbon emissions in metropolitan areas. This study provides empirical evidence supporting the effective reduction of carbon emissions in developing countries during the evolution of the digital economy. It acts as a crucial cornerstone for guiding policies and executing strategies aimed at fostering top-tier economic development in the future. The findings of this study confirm the inhibitory effect of the digital economy on urban carbon emission intensity. However, this study has limitations in data samples, research scope, and depth of mechanism analysis, which prevent a full exploration of the spatial spillover effect of the digital economy and other factors. Therefore, the conclusions drawn in this study can only provide empirical evidence for identifying the relationship between the digital economy and carbon emission intensity to a certain extent. Future research should aim to expand on these aspects.

Asymmetric and time-frequency co-movements among innovation-themed investments and carbon emission efficiency: Thematic investing and hedging opportunities

This study is aimed at investigating the asymmetric and time-frequency co-movements and the hedge or safe-haven properties of carbon efficient indices, the MSCI ACWI Sustainable Impact, and MSCI World EGS indices, in relation to technology and innovation-themed investments. In doing so, the ADCC-GJR-GARCH and wavelet coherence techniques are applied to a daily return series ranging from January 2019 to January 2023. Findings of the ADCC-GJR-GARCH model show negative and insignificant asymmetric linkage among underlying indices during the sample period. The S&P 500 carbon efficient index (CEI) acts as a strong hedge or safe-haven for technology and innovation-themed indices during tranquil and tumultuous periods. The MSCI ACWI Sustainable Impact, MSCI World EGS, and carbon efficient indices except for S&P 500 CEI exhibit weak hedge or safe-haven attributes. Wavelet coherence reveals negative (positive) co-movements between the thematic and carbon efficient indices in short-term (medium-term and long-term) horizons with consistent leading behavior of thematic indices to carbon efficient indices outcomes. It justifies the presence of short-lived hedging or safe-haven characteristics in the thematic domain for investors. These strong and weak hedge or safe-haven characteristics of low carbon and sustainability indices reveal that adding low carbon efficient and sustainable investments to a portfolio result in considerable diversification benefits for investors who tend to take minimal risk in both tranquil and tumultuous periods. The current findings imply that financial institutions, thematic investing companies, and governments need to encourage carbon efficient technology transfer and innovation-themed investments by increasing the fund allocations in underlying asset classes. Policy-making and regulatory bodies can encourage investors to make carbon-efficient and thematic investments and companies to issue carbon-efficient stocks or investments to safeguard social and economic risks during fragile periods. These investments can offer greater opportunities to combat the intensity of economic shocks on portfolios for responsible or sustainable investors.

Intelligent industry, energy regulation and ecological transformation-Taking equity financing as the moderating variable

With the panel data of 21 China's industrial industries from 2008 to 2020, the relationship models between intelligent industry, energy regulation and ecological transformation are constructed and tested from two dimensions of resource saving and environmental friendliness, then equity financing is introduced into this model as moderating variable to discuss the moderating effects on the relationships between intelligent industry, energy regulation and ecological transformation. Results show that: ⑴China's industrial industries significantly transformed to the resource-saving type, and the environment-friendly level stayed in a slow progression. ⑵Intelligent industry affected ecological transformation positively and significantly. The impact of energy regulation on ecological transformation was nonlinear. The regulation of energy consumption can significantly stimulate the transformation of resource saving, and restrain the transformation of environmental friendliness; the regulation of energy structure can significantly stimulate the transformation of environmental friendliness. ⑶ Equity financing can positively moderate the relationship between intelligent industry and ecological transformation, and it can also moderate the regulation of energy structure and promote the transformation to environmental friendliness, especially in the low consumption industries.

Geopolitical risk, economic policy uncertainty, and dynamic connectedness between clean energy, conventional energy, and food markets

The global financial markets suffered unprecedented shocks, leading to significantly increased uncertainty in the markets due to various economic and financial recessions and geopolitical tensions, resulting in substantial fluctuations in market prices. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the response of the clean energy, conventional energy, and food markets to economic uncertainty and political tension while considering the influence of numerous crises and political conflicts. To achieve this, we employ the DCC-GARCH-based connectedness approach and the quantile-on-quantile model on monthly data spanning from May 2008 to June 2023. The results provide evidence of the sensitivity of dynamic volatility spillovers between financial assets to GEPU and GPR during major economic and financial crises and geopolitical events. Notably, this sensitivity increases significantly during the global financial crisis (GFC), the European debt crisis, Brexit, the US presidential election, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian-Ukrainian war. However, the investigation of the tail dependence structure reveals that the relationship between uncertainties and total volatility connectedness across various market conditions appears to be asymmetric and heterogeneous. Our findings assist policymakers and green investors in designing the most effective policies to mitigate the impact of uncertainties on both conventional and green investments. This is achieved through insightful knowledge about the primary drivers of contagion among these indices, all while not compromising sustainability goals.

Role of technology management for carbon neutrality in Gulf economies: the role of social globalization and financial development

This study is founded on the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030, particularly SDGs 8, 11, 12, and 13, among others. Investigating the impact of nonrenewable energy, social globalization, financial development, and ICT on CO2 emissions in the Gulf nations, data from 1992 to 2019 was employed using advanced panel methodologies. Both linear and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag techniques, along with a panel causality approach, were utilized for a comprehensive analysis. These extensive investigations offer robust insights into the ecological sustainability dynamics within the Gulf nations. The empirical findings highlight that positive (negative) shifts in social globalization, economic growth, ICT, and nonrenewable energy correlate with an increase (decrease) in CO2 emissions, while positive (negative) shifts in financial development contribute to a decrease (increase) in CO2 emissions. These results emphasize the need for a policy framework aligned with the SDGs, advocating an inclusive policy framework tailored for the Gulf nations, aiming to drive progress towards achieving SDGs 7, 8, 9, 13, and 16.

Exploring the economic impact of institutional entrepreneurship, social Innovation, and poverty reduction on carbon footprint in BRICS countries: what is the role of social enterprise?

The world is facing challenges to reduce carbon emissions, the complex interplay between socioeconomic dynamics and environmental sustainability is of utmost importance. In the context of the BRICS nations-Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa-this study explores the intricate interactions between institutional entrepreneurship, institutional innovation, poverty reduction, social globalization, urbanization, and social entrepreneurship as well as their combined effects on the carbon footprint over the period of 1990 to 2021. This work examines the multi-dimensional interactions inside this nexus using a thorough analytical strategy that includes the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), Three-Stage Least Squares (3SLS), and Robust regression approaches. Institutional entrepreneurship and innovation are the main forces behind institutional change and may have an impact on how people behave in terms of the environment. Strategies for reducing poverty frequently involve greater resource usage, which has an impact on carbon footprint. Examining social globalization's impact on carbon footprints is necessary given how it affects consumer habits and economic activity. Rapid urbanization is a dual problem because it spurs both increased energy demand and novel sustainability measures. With its emphasis on community-driven solutions, social entrepreneurship can provide regional solutions to reduce poverty and carbon emissions. The study's findings provide policymakers, practitioners, and researchers with insights into the complex web of socio-economic factors that underlies carbon footprint fluctuations. This research paves the way for informed policy decisions, sustainable business practices, and the pursuit of harmonious development that addresses both economic aspirations and environmental imperatives within the BRICS countries by illuminating the connections between institutional entrepreneurship, innovation, poverty reduction, social globalization, urbanization, social entrepreneurship, and carbon emissions.

Analyzing asymmetric ecological performance under structural change, technological innovation, and trade diversification: fresh insights from the USA

The present research scrutinizes the influences of trade diversification, air transportation, technological innovation, and economic complexity on ecological footprint from 1990 to 2019. The findings of the both time series unit root (with and without structural break) tests confirm that none of a single variable is stationary more than the first difference. Furthermore, the Wald and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag bound methods check asymmetry and long-term cointegration relationship between the intended variables, respectively. Moreover, this study uses the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model to estimate the short-run and long-run coefficients/elasticity of the ecological footprint function. Following the empirical evidence, the findings revealed that positive (negative) components in trade diversification curtail the ecological footprint in the long-run. In addition, a positive shock in air transportation leads to an increase in ecological footprint in the long-run. Nevertheless, a negative shock in air transportation exerts a significant and adverse influence on the level of ecological footprint in the long-run. Furthermore, a positive (negative) shock in technological developments significantly reduces environmental pollution in the US economy in the long-run. Besides, the outcomes from economic complexity discovered a positive shock will significantly overcome the pressure on the environment in the long-run. However, in the short-run, it is observed that negative shock in trade diversification will lead to increase the ecological footprint level in USA. Similarly, a positive shock in air transportation will lead to increase the pollution level in the short-run. In contrast, a negative shock in air transportation will lead to reduce the pressure on the environment in the short-run. Besides, in terms of policy realization, the present research recommends adopting trade synchronization, harmonic trade strategies, and investment in technological innovations to diminish the existing level of ecological footprint in the region. For sustainable development, this study put forward for instantaneously encouraging the expansion of the digital economy and reducing air pollution, accelerating the green transformation, and impelling the industrial agglomeration process in the USA.