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Energy efficiency offers a vast, low-cost energy resource for the economy, but only if the nation can craft a comprehensive and innovative approach to unlock it. One of the most viable options is to invest in energy productivity. This study examines the asymmetric and long-run effects of energy productivity on environmental degradation while controlling for renewable energy, economic growth, and financial development, utilizing the nonlinear autoregressive distributive lag model and other robust econometric techniques in the United Kingdom during the period 1990Q1–2020Q4. The United Kingdom is one of the world's wealthiest countries; its environment is being severely strained and is challenged in boasting massive investments to reduce CO2 emissions to 78% by 2035. Given the important scenarios for energy efficiency, this study outcome indicates that (a) energy productivity has been beneficial for reducing carbon emissions; (b) renewable energy sources significantly mitigate carbon emissions in the United Kingdom, and (c) economic growth and financial development cause to increase carbon emissions in the United Kingdom. Given the findings, some policy recommendations abound. The negative statistically significant coefficient of renewable energy is an indication that the expansion of renewable energy is essential to achieving clean and sustainable growth. Furthermore, policymakers should enact new environmental laws that prioritize R&D and embrace cleaner technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acceleration of ecological footprint and trade openness are two major hot subjects that have received much attention in recent years. Thus, the current study evaluates the interrelationship between ecological footprint and trade openness in Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey (MINT) nations. The study utilized time series and panel analysis between 1961 and 2018. The research provides thorough information regarding this relationship for various time and frequency sub-periods by employing the partial wavelet, wavelet coherence, and multiple wavelet coherence techniques. The results from the wavelet coherence show that in the short and medium term, there is significant co-movement between ecological footprint and trade openness for Mexico and Indonesia, with trade openness driving ecological footprint positively at high and medium frequencies. Moreover, at all frequencies, trade openness drives ecological footprint positively for Nigeria and Turkey. The study validates that trade openness leads to the ecological footprint hypothesis in each nation. Furthermore, the multiple and partial wavelet coherence undoubtedly strengthens the occurrences spotted through the wavelet coherence in each nation. Based on these findings, policy recommendations are put forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the effect of public–private partnership investment in energy and renewable energy consumption on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, taking into account the critical role of economic growth and trade openness in Pakistan from 1992 to 2019. The linear and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag models are employed to check the co-integration link between dependent and independent variables, further estimate short-run and long-run associations, and examine the symmetric and asymmetric effects of public–private partnership investment in energy on CO2 emissions in Pakistan. The empirical findings show that public–private partnership investment in energy reduces environmental quality by increasing CO2 emissions. Similarly, economic development and trade openness harms the atmosphere by raising CO2 emissions. On the other hand, renewable energy consumption significantly negatively affects CO2 emissions. In addition, the findings also authenticate the asymmetric link between public–private partnership investment in energy and the environment, as CO2 emissions are caused mainly by positive shocks in public–private partnership investment in energy in the short and long run. This study proposes financing renewable energy projects through public–private partnership is needed for an environmentally friendly future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study evaluates the effect of financial development (FD), economic growth (GDP), trade globalization (TGLO), renewable energy consumption (REC), and human capital (HC) on ecological footprint (ECF) in Italy using data between 1985 and 2018. We further assess the combined impact of trade globalisation and human capital on ecological footprint as well as the combined effect of trade globalisation and human capital on ecological footprint. In order to explore these associations, the present research utilizes autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) to catch both long and short-run associations between ecological footprint and its drivers. Furthermore, we use dynamic OLS (DOLS) and fully modified OLS (FMOLS) long-run estimators as robustness checks. Lastly, causality at different frequencies is captured using the frequency domain causality test. The outcomes of the ARDL estimator disclose that (a) a surge in ecological footprint is attributed to an increase in economic growth; (b) a decrease in ecological footprint is attributed to an increase in renewable energy, trade globalisation, and human capital; (c) the combined impact of human capital and trade globalisation lessen ecological footprint, and (d) combined effect of trade globalisation and human capital mitigate ecological footprint in Italy. Furthermore, the outcomes of the causality test revealed that all the exogenous variables can significantly predict ecological footprint in the long run with the exemption of financial development. Based on the study's findings, an SDG-focused policy framework is advocated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]