ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Environ. Sci.
Sec. Environmental Economics and Management
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fenvs.2025.1604011
Decoupling Growth from Degradation: A CS-ARDL and MMQR Panel Analysis of Ecological Footprints and Sustainable Economic Growth
Provisionally accepted
- Brown University, Providence, United States
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This study examines how natural resource rents, technological advancement, renewable energy use, and economic growth affect ecological footprints in ten developing economies (Brazil, China, Bangladesh, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, and Ethiopia) from 1990 to 2020. Using advanced econometric techniques, including CS-ARDL and MMQR models, the analysis tests both long-run and distributional relationships while addressing cross-sectional dependence and heterogeneity. The results indicate that renewable energy use and technological innovation significantly reduce ecological footprints, supporting the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in these contexts. Additionally, environmental taxes and regulations are found to mitigate environmental degradation effectively. However, continued reliance on fossil fuels remains a major challenge for these economies.The study's findings highlight the need for stronger environmental governance, investment in green technologies, and policy reforms to promote sustainable development. By providing robust empirical evidence, this research contributes to the literature on sustainable growth strategies in resource-dependent developing countries.
Keywords: Green growth, GDP, Renewable Energy, technological innovation, Green economies
Received: 01 Apr 2025; Accepted: 15 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Smith. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Lisa Smith, Brown University, Providence, United States
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