Shaping a greener future: The role of geopolitical risk, renewable energy and financial development on environmental sustainability using the LCC hypothesis.

The recent progress report of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2023 highlighted the extreme reactions of environmental degradation. This report also shows that the current efforts for achieving environmental sustainability (SDG 13) are inadequate and a comprehensive policy agenda is needed. However, the present literature has highlighted several determinants of environmental degradation but the influence of geopolitical risk on environmental quality (EQ) is relatively ignored. To fill this research gap and propose a inclusive policy structure for achieving the sustainable development goals. This study is the earliest attempt that delve into the effects o of geopolitical risk (GPR), financial development (FD), and renewable energy consumption (REC) on load capacity factor (LCF) under the framework of load capacity curve (LCC) hypothesis for selected Asian countries during 1990-2020. In this regard, we use several preliminary sensitivity tests to check the features and reliability of the dataset. Similarly, we use panel quantile regression for investigating long-run relationships. The factual results affirm the existence of the LCC hypothesis in selected Asian countries. Our findings also show that geopolitical risk reduces environmental quality whereas financial development and REC increase environmental quality. Drawing from the empirical findings, this study suggests a holistic policy approach for achieving the targets of SDG 13 (climate change).

From brown to green: are Asian economies on the right path? Assessing the role of green innovations and geopolitical risk on environmental quality.

Preserving the sustainability of the natural environment has emerged as a critical focus on policy agendas worldwide. Therefore, this study examines the relationship between environmental quality and key determinants, focusing on geopolitical risk (GPR), green innovations (GI), economic growth, FDI, renewable energy consumption, and urbanization. Dataset is used for the time period of 1990-2020 across selected Asian economies including China, India, Japan, Malaysia, and South Korea. Using load capacity factor (LCF) as a comprehensive proxy for environmental quality, the research utilizes panel quantile regression (QR) to provide empirical outcomes. Results of panel QR method reveal a negative impact of economic growth and GPR on LCF. On the other hand, green innovation, FDI, and renewable energy are found as supportive factors to boost environmental quality. In addition, urbanization also shows positive linkage with LCF. The application of Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) further validates the robustness of the findings. Adoption of green innovations, practicing sustainable growth patterns, transition toward cleaner energy practices, and integrated urban planning are advocated to enhance environmental quality among Asian nations. Based on empirical findings study suggests comprehensive policy measures that can help in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) including SDG-7 (energy efficiency), SDG-8 (sustainable economic growth), SDG-11 (sustainable cities), and SDG-13 (climate action) among Asian countries.

Impact of economic policy uncertainty and renewable energy on environmental quality: testing the LCC hypothesis for fast growing economies.

This study investigates the influence of economic policy uncertainty and trade openness on load capacity factor for fast growing countries for time period of 1996-2019. The empirical outcomes verify the presence of the LCC hypothesis in fast growing economies. Results also show that economic policy uncertainty reduces environmental quality for lower quantiles, whereas renewable energy consumption is a useful tool for improving environmental quality. Moreover, the negative sign of the coefficient of trade openness demonstrates that the current pattern of trade is not providing the desired outcomes. Based on these empirical findings, we suggest a comprehensive policy framework to attain the targets of SDG 07 (renewable energy), SDG 08 (economic growth), and SDG 13 (climate action).

Old wine in a new bottle: Applying the novel dynamic ARDL simulations approach to explore the impact of energy efficiency, financial development, economic growth, foreign direct investment, and urbanization on CO2 emissions.

Achieving carbon neutrality targets is crucial while considering the adverse impacts of carbon dioxide emissions (CE) on human life and the ecosystem. Therefore, its socioeconomic drivers have frequently been probed in the existing body of literature. Therefore, we investigate the impact of energy efficiency, FDI, financial development, urbanization, and economic growth on CE in Pakistan from 1975 to 2020. For this purpose, we apply the novel dynamic ARDL simulation approach to retrieve the short- and long-run estimates. The empirical results confirm that cointegration exists among the considered variables. Further, both the short- and long-run results reveal that energy efficiency impedes emissions, whereas urbanization, financial development, and FDI increase emissions. Considering the outcomes, there is a need to enhance energy efficiency in Pakistan. For this purpose, investment in technological advancements and innovations is required. Moreover, R&D in the energy sector should be promoted.

Role of geopolitical risk, currency fluctuation, and economic policy on tourist arrivals: temporal analysis of BRICS economies.

The tourism industry is vulnerable to a range of economic and political factors, which can have both short-term and long-term impacts on tourist arrivals. The study aims to investigate the temporal dynamics of these factors and their impact on tourist arrivals. The method employed is a panel data regression analysis, using data from BRICS economies over a period of 1980-2020. The dependent variable is the number of tourist arrivals, while the independent variables are geopolitical risk, currency fluctuation, and economic policy. Control variables such as GDP, exchange rate, and distance to major tourist destinations are also included. The results show that geopolitical risk and currency fluctuation have a significant negative impact on tourist arrivals, while economic policy has a positive impact. The study also finds that the impact of geopolitical risk is stronger in the short term, while the impact of economic policy is stronger in the long term. Additionally, the study shows that the effects of these factors on tourist arrivals vary across BRICS countries. The policy implications of this study suggest that BRICS economies need to develop proactive economic policies that promote stability and encourage investment in the tourism industry.

Covid-19 and oil and gold price volatilities: Evidence from China market.

Gold and crude oil are the influential commodities of the stock markets and real economy of the world in financial crises as well as in COVID-19 periods. However literature mainly focused on the effects of these commodities' prices only, and the volatilities in the prices of these commodities altogether with the prices got little attention. To fill in a major research gap, our study intends to estimate the dynamic relationship between oil prices, gold prices, oil prices volatilities and gold prices volatilities on the stock market of China. Using daily data over the period from 2009 to 2021, the study applied Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) bound test approach for the purpose of empirical estimation. Moreover, Non linear ARDL and asymmetric Causality analysis has also been applied for more comprehensive asymmetric estimation. The findings of our study indicated that gold prices and oil prices negatively affect stock market of China in the long run. In terms of implied volatility index of these commodities, study finds negative impact of price volatility of oil but positive impact of the price volatility of gold on the country's stock market in the long run. However, in the short run, only oil price and gold prices have significant effect on the China's stock market. On the basis of our findings, we recommend the investors to make rational decisions in response to the uncertainties in these markets and should consider gold as a safe haven to hedge themselves in times of uncertainty. Policymakers should take appropriate actions and adopt proper mechanisms for dealing with the quick uncertainty flow of information from the oil to the stock market.