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Amid global imperatives to combat climate change and achieve sustainable economic development, the convergence of digital transformation and the transition to clean energy has emerged as a critical focal point for oil-exporting nations. This study comprehensively investigates the interplay of digital technology, clean energy transition, climate change, and economic growth among selected oil-exporting nations. Drawing upon a diverse set of economic and geographical contexts, this study uses panel data analysis of data from the World Bank's Economic Indicators and the United Nations Development Program for the period from 2006 to 2020. The results show that digital technology reduces climate change by improving environmental quality, but internet and mobile access have insignificant and negative effects on environmental quality, respectively. Meanwhile, all technology variables negatively impact green energy and economic growth, while the Happy Planet Index and financial development positively impact the green energy transition. This study is important for regulators, producers, and consumers, as it provides a better understanding of the crucial role of digital transformation in sustainable development within oil-export countries. This study's findings can be used to develop policy recommendations for a low-carbon economy, the promotion of digital transformation through green energy, and the management of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The critical aspects of SDG 13 and 7 in Canada explored. • Economic growth worsens ecological deterioration. • Renewable electricity and financial development improve clean environmental in the later periods. • Financial development and renewable electricity promote economic growth in all periods. While Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 13 and 7 are increasingly being explored in climate change research, financialization remains a fundamental part of the discourse on clean and renewable energy development. This study focuses on a policy reconfiguration that may be necessary to further advance clean environment in Canada. More precisely, the research evaluates the co-movement of carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions, financial development, renewable electricity and economic growth. The data, which encompass the quarterly periods from 1984Q1 to 2021Q4, are analysed via the novel wavelet local multiple correlation method. This method is capable of capturing the effect of two or three independent variables on the dependant variable at different frequencies and periods. In this study, the results show that economic growth intensifies ecological deterioration in all periods even as renewable electricity utilisation and financial development restrict ecological deterioration in the medium and long term. Additionally, financial development and renewable electricity consumption promote economic growth in the short, medium and long term. On the basis of these findings, a policy agenda that builds on the SDGs is proposed. Although this policy framework aims to achieve the objectives of SDG 13 and 7 in Canada, it may be extended to other developed countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intelligence relieving energy consumption and economic growth nexus is important for green development. To explore the potential power for sustainability, this paper uses entropy weight method to measure the intelligent level, adopts decoupling indicator between energy consumption and economic growth for green growth performance, and builds a spatial model to diagnose the mechanism of decoupling system. The results show that the achievements of intelligent development in the three regions are remarkable, and the intelligent level in the eastern region is the most prominent of all. Regardless of regional differences, intelligence is the main and stable driver deepening decoupling indicator; Notable pushing-out or pushing-in spilling power on regional decoupling through many channels can be identified, namely urbanization, income and FDI. Clean energy can help promote the driving effects of intelligence on decoupling and is not confined by regions. The fierce green competition race in the form of "anti-typicality" mode exists in various regions, especially in the Western region; only in the Middle region, the intelligent spatial spillover effect can form the driving force for decoupling. Accelerating the intelligent development and the application of clean energy is an effective measure to achieve the green environmental targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to rapid population growth and industrialization, the demand for electrical energy and its consumption has reached a critical point where it is no longer sustainable or stable. Therefore, it is imperative to explore new and reliable energy generation alternatives considering technical and economic perspectives, regardless of whether the community is isolated or urbanized. The research introduces a mixed-integer non-linear programming model of an energy supply chain that combines the roles of a manufacturer and retailer within a dynamic solar energy framework. The study highlights the manufacturer's significant efforts to sustain itself in a competitive market and emphasizes the importance of government subsidies to support this approach. To meet the demands of a dynamic environment, a non-continuous demand function is utilized to generate and transmit energy at a highly sustainable level, promoting ecological balance. The model's validity is confirmed through experimental evaluation using two case studies. Furthermore, by increasing the demand by 50%, this study demonstrates the potential for economic growth, resulting in a 20% profit for the manufacturer in the retail sector. This research ensures improved energy efficiency and greener consumption practices and addresses the optimal distribution of renewable energy to minimize imbalances. Finally, it reveals a pathway to sustainable development that promotes technological advancements while minimizing costs, offering a cost-effective scenario for the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy is unquestionably necessary for economic progress, but it also results in carbon emissions, which are the leading cause of environmental deterioration and climate change. From this perspective, clean energy can contribute to both sustainable development and ecological sustainability, as it consists of non‐carbohydrate energy sources that do not or rarely emit greenhouse gases. In this context, this paper investigates economic policy uncertainty (EPU), economic expansion (EE) and clean energy consumption (EC) on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Russia from 1995 to 2021. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model was used to illustrate the interdependence of factors. The error correction model (ECM) is also used to check the relationship among the study's desired factors. The long‐term investigation found that EPU harms the environment by increasing emission levels. The economic expansion increases CO2 emissions and reduces the environmental quality, supporting the ecological modernization argument. The consumption of clean energy negatively impacts CO2 emission; hence its higher amount reduces the carbon. Thus, the study found a causal relationship between EPU, EC, EE and CO2 emissions. Based on the study's findings, a policy framework is proposed to address the sustainable development goals and environmental quality. Adding the other variables like environmental regulations can be taken as future direction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the importance of sustainable water and energy solutions in achieving poverty eradication, economic growth, and global prosperity. It highlights the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on water and energy and emphasizes the increasing global demand for these resources due to population growth and economic development. The article emphasizes the interdependence of water and energy and the need for a coordinated and integrated approach to address their challenges. It also highlights the role of water and energy in climate change mitigation, health crises, and the pursuit of sustainable development. The article concludes by discussing the potential for integrated water-energy systems to improve efficiency and accessibility and contribute to a more equitable and resilient world. The Special Issue on Sustainable Water and Energy Solutions includes contributions and examples of the nexus approach in different parts of the world. [Extracted from the article]

In accordance with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Kyoto protocol and the United Nations Sustainable development goals (UNSDGs) on climate action (SDG-13), there has been a need across economies for transition from fossil-fuel-based energy sources such as coal energy consumption to cleaner energy options i.e., a transition to a low-carbon economy. To this end, the present study explores the asymmetric relationship between coal energy consumption, economic growth, rising urban population and emission level in South Africa. The present study span is conducted on an annual frequency basis from 1965-2018. This study applies the novel Non-linear Autoregressive distributed lag methodology (NARDL) for the highlighted variables. Empirical results validate the asymmetric relationship between the variables under review over the study period. The NARDL regression further shows positive shock by GDP increases CO2 emission level while negative impact affects otherwise in the long run. On the other hand, coal consumption positive shock exhibits a detrimental impact on environmental quality in South Africa. This is insightful for policymakers. The urban population shows non-significant effect on emission levels over the sampled period. The knowledge of both positive and negative shock effects of GDP, coal energy consumption and urban growth is vital for policy construction in terms of both economic and environmental sustainability. Thus, policy prescription ranges from energy transition to alternative and cleaner energy sources like renewables and responsible energy consumption (SDG-12) should be pursued in South Africa. More far-reaching environmental policies are highlighted in the concluding section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoirs are major indicators of sustainable socio-economic development, agriculture and energy. This study focused on genetic algorithm based optimization of rule curves for maximizing the hydropower and associated benefits through cascade reservoirs. Optimization has been carried out using RESOOSE model for maximizing hydro-power, irrigation and evacuation of sediment from multipurpose Diamer Basha and Terbela Reservoirs on Indus River in Pakistan. The best methods and values of Genetic Algorithm computed through sensitivity analysis were tournament selection method with 2 teams, population size 288, single point crossover method with crossover probability 0.8 and adapt feasible mutation method. The policy equations on storage, outflows and hydropower for the cascade reservoirs in series were formulated. The maximum annual overall benefits were 3380 Million US$ for multi-objective optimization of joint operation of Terbela and Diamer Basha Reservoirs, where hydropower was major contributor among all the associated benefits with highest annual benefits of 2724.7 Million US$. The results demonstrate that hydropower has been optimized along with maximization of the associated benefits. The optimized rule curves of the cascade reservoirs developed in the study have enhanced the overall benefits for achieving SDGs of zero hunger, affordable clean energy, economic growth and water availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's adoption of an "ecological civilization" strategy since 2012 demonstrates its vision to move toward more sustainable development models while promoting green energy and strengthening environmental protection. However, China's continuing heavy reliance on fossil fuels, especially coal, masks the complex positive trends in energy use, more sustainable economic development, and environmental management. Through examining the evolving energy-GDP relationships in China over the past few decades, we elucidated the underlying complex nonlinear processes using environmental Kuznets curve analysis and showed that the energy–GDP relationship has fluctuated between positive and negative decoupling. Furthermore, fluctuating trajectories manifested as sharp regional divergences when early-transitioning coastal areas restructured toward services and exhibited robust decoupling, whereas the industrial interior remained fossil fuel reliant. We identified various forces related to these provincial disparities, where rapid urbanization, industrial realignment, and income growth were all important. By promoting service transitions and enabling low-carbon technologies in coastal hubs, these drivers also exposed infrastructure deficits and entrenched fossil fuel usage in the interior. These problems led to China's latest strategic plans emphasizing "higher quality" growth underpinned by clean energy transitions and coordinated regional policies. Ongoing declines in coal and the rise in renewable energy usage highlight promising momentum, but stable decoupling remains contingent on sustained policy coordination. The intricate balance between growth and environmental pressures in China provides essential lessons to help emerging economies achieve sustainability by catalyzing green transitions and attaining developmental milestones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2030 agenda of the United Nations provides a framework of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 232 indicators for its members to fulfill. The overall achievement critically depends on how nations understand the interactions between these SDGs and set priorities for development pathways. This study provides a comprehensive network analysis of global SDG complementarities, measured by the co-occurrences of SDG pairs' comparative advantages in the same region by adopting the 'product space' concept from economics. We construct the 'SDG space' at goal and indicator levels with the most recently available data and then validate its robustness by comparing it to the commonly used correlation network and confirm its predictive power using historical data. Network analysis reveals a strongly connected socioeconomic-related core and an environmental-related periphery, with 'bridge' indicators connecting different clusters. The goal-level space identifies the 'bridge' goals as SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 15 (Life on Hand) in the environmental-related cluster, while identifying SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 6 (Clean water and Sanitation), and SDG 16 (Justice and Strong Institutions) in the socioeconomic cluster. The indicator-level space provides details to explain how they act as 'bridges' in the network. In particular, 16–9: Free Press Index is the 'bridge' indicator with the highest betweenness centrality value and acts as the bottleneck indicator in China for its overall sustainable development. Improving it can enhance connected indicators' performance, leading to positive cascading effects on different aspects of sustainability. • A comprehensive network analysis of global SDG complementarities, measured by the co-occurrences of comparative advantages in the same region. • Network analysis reveals a strongly connected socioeconomic-related core and an environmental-related periphery, with 'bridge' indicators connecting different clusters. • The goal-level space identifies the 'bridge' goals as SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 15 (Life on Hand) in the environmental-related cluster, while identifying SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 6 (Clean water and Sanitation), and SDG 16 (Justice and Strong Institutions) in the socioeconomic cluster. • The indicator-level space provides details to explain how they act as 'bridges' in the network.16–9: Free Press Index is the 'bridge' indicator with the highest betweenness centrality value and acts as the bottleneck indicator in China for its overall sustainable development. • 16–9: Free Press Index is the 'bridge' indicator with the highest betweenness centrality value and acts as the bottleneck indicator in China for its overall sustainable development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Countries in the global South, or developing and emerging economies, are experiencing rapid economic growth, and increased economic integration with other countries in the global South, including trade. Some analysts have raised concerns that such South-South trade might encourage the use of outdated conventional energy technologies, and lock developing countries into high carbon growth paths. Here, trade data from the UN Comtrade database is analyzed with a gravity model of trade. Results show that levels of clean energy technologies in South-south trade were relatively low up until the first half of the 2010's, but that these are entirely comparable to North-North or other trade flows in recent years. The analysis thus finds no evidence to support concerns that South-South trade might encourage high carbon development. South-South trade contains particularly high levels of solar PV, hydropower, and electric two-wheeler technologies, whilst exporters in the global North are more competitive in markets for wind power equipment and electric vehicles. Trade in electric vehicles is the fastest growing class of clean energy technologies, and the dominance of Northern countries in their exports may mean that South-South trade could, in the foreseeable future, once again lag behind in levels of clean energy technologies. • UN Comtrade data is used to identify shares of clean energy tech in international trade. • Trade between countries in the global South is compared with other trade flows. • South-South trade contains as much clean energy technologies as other trade flows. • South-South trade has high levels of PV, hydropower, and electric two-wheelers. • South-South trade has low levels of wind power and electric vehicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of human carbon emissions on climate has generated widespread global concern. We selected 24 countries as research objects and analysed the changes in carbon emissions in different countries between the establishment of emission reduction actions in 1990 and 2014. Then, we selected 19 factors representing four categories (economy, population, technology and energy) to explore the key factors that led to changes in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in different countries. Emission reduction actions since 1990 did not lead to marked improvements, and only five countries (Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and France) achieved reductions in carbon emissions. The factors that influenced CO2 emissions varied among countries. In most developing countries, reductions in CO2 emissions were caused by reductions in poverty and inherent natural conditions. Moreover, the extent of influence of a given factor on CO2 emissions differed among countries. The global economic crisis may cause similar fluctuations in CO2 emissions in many countries. Adjustments to energy and industrial structures are the main reason for the reduction in carbon emissions, whereas economic growth and urbanization are the two major contributors to the growth of carbon emissions. According to historical carbon emissions data, a green energy revolution must be implemented to address global climate change and ensure the sustainable development of human societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, there has been an urgent need to fully implement renewable energy sources to realise green energy transitions and combat environmental pollution. This study uses a benchmark estimation model to analyse the links between green economic growth, green financing, and green energy from 2010 to 2020 and green energy advancement in China. Within the context of renewable energy, scholars have investigated various, unequal, and mediating influence connections. According to the extant literature, green economic expansion and green finance are significantly linked with renewable energy, but with diverse influences in various types of renewable technology and in various regions. The effect of green growth in the economy on green energy is non-linear, while green finance is coherent. Green technological advancement is efficiently facilitates green productivity expansion and green energy, and the investment impact is partially mediated. This study contributes significantly to the formulation of several practical initiatives to strengthen the green energy sector and facilitate sustainable growth. The results indicate that it is essential to maximise the potential of green economic activity to advance the green energy sector through the full utilisation of green accomplishments in their transformed forms. • Urgent need for renewable energy: Implementing renewables for green transitions. • Linking green growth, financing, and energy: Analyzing connections in China. • Diverse influences on renewables: Varied impacts by region and technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of research related to the SDG7 sustainable development implementation analysis. The goal is to provide affordable and clean energy. Its implementation will allow for development that will simultaneously provide the possibility of economic growth and the achievement of an optimal level of citizens' health and life. The research was conducted for the countries of the European Union EU-27. During the analysis, the indicators proposed by Eurostat were used. The research aimed to examine the progress in EU member states' energy markets integration. In order to carry out the indispensable research, it was necessary to use a spatial information system. Cluster analysis, as well as TSA analysis, were applied. The conducted research made it possible to verify the posed hypotheses and showed that the energy transformation process of the EU-27 countries is so complicated and heterogeneous that it has given rise to new independent and unique clusters. The authors also verified the adopted set of SDG7 achievement indicators using multiple regression. Additional indicators were also proposed that could complement the set and clarify its analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the relationship between nuclear energy consumption and economic growth and the role of institutional quality in explaining this relationship using panel data of 18 top nuclear power-consuming countries for the period 1995–2017. It is the first research effort that incorporates the impact of institutional arrangements into the nexus between nuclear energy and economic growth. For this reason, we employ an institutional quality index which constitutes a composite measure of core institutional dimensions such as the rule of law and regulatory efficiency. The results of first and second-generation panel unit root and cointegration tests reveal a long-run relationship between economic growth, nuclear energy consumption, institutional quality, real gross fixed capital formation, and labor force. The pooled mean group estimation shows that nuclear energy consumption and institutional quality exercise significant positive effects on economic growth in the long run. In contrast, higher institutional quality has a negative long-run impact on the use of nuclear power. Furthermore, it is only observed a unidirectional causal effect from economic growth to nuclear energy consumption in the short run. Given the global controversies over the role of nuclear power in promoting sustainable economic growth, our findings imply that the institutional framework of the countries that consider nuclear energy as a long-term clean energy option has to be reassessed. • Nuclear energy use and institutional quality affect the economic growth of nuclear energy-consuming countries positively. • Higher institutional quality has a negative long-run impact on nuclear power consumption. • Streamlining old regulations can create a well-informed environment on the role of nuclear energy in sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The consumption of renewable energy has become a substitute for fossil fuels to mitigate environmental degradation. However, this substitution of energy raises many questions regarding its possible impact on economic growth. In this context, this research aims to examine the long-term relationship between economic growth and financial development, non-renewable energy, renewable energy, and human capital in 16 Latin American countries. Panel data techniques during the period 1988–2018 and statistical information compiled by the World Bank and Penn Word Table databases were used. Second-generation econometric techniques (cross-sectionally augmented Dickey–Fuller (CADF) and cross-sectionally augmented IPS (CIPS) were used in the work methodology, which allow the presence of cross-sectional dependence between sections to be controlled. The main results indicate that there is a long-term equilibrium relationship between financial development, non-renewable energy consumption, renewable energy consumption, human capital, and economic growth. The results show that the consumption of renewable energy does not compromise economic growth; the 1% increase in renewable energy consumption is related to the 1% increase in economic growth. The policy implications suggest some measures to ensure economic growth considering the role of green energy and human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing more affordable and cleaner energy for all raises complex and significant financial, political, technical, and institutional issues, which must all be addressed to ensure sustainable development. Energy technology innovation has a critical role to play as one of the best pathways to achieve the transition to a global clean energy system. This paper is an endeavor to study the impact of government energy technology research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) budget, which is the primary input of energy technology innovations on cleaner energy supply and carbon footprints (CFP). In this study, a cleaner energy supply is measured as the contribution of renewable energy to total primary energy supply (RE). We assumed that the effect of energy innovation is not uniform but varies according to the descending and ascending movements in a government's energy technology RD&D budget. To this end, we distinguished the impact of the descending and ascending movements in government energy technology RD&D budgets on cleaner energy supply, and CFP in Europe over the period 1985 to 2016. Additionally, we carried out a comparative examination of the effects of energy technology RD&D expenditures on RE and CFP under both linear and nonlinear panel techniques. To increase room for policy implications, we also controlled for the role of economic growth and trade openness and performed several robustness check analyses. We found that the reduction of carbon footprints associated with an increase in public support to energy technology RD&D is more pronounced than the contribution of energy technology innovation to the deployment of renewable energy in Europe. This study provided little evidence in favor of the effectiveness of a government energy technology RD&D budget to substantially boost renewable energy in Europe. Following these results, we suggest that the knowledge of the asymmetric linkage between public energy technology innovation, RE, and CFP is a starting point to achieve win-win solutions that favor clean energy and environmental sustainability. • Optimizing the nonlinear effects of energy technology RD&D budgets over different time horizons. • Asymmetries in the responses of RE and CFP to shocks in energy technology innovation budgets. • The influences of energy technology innovation vary over different time horizons. • The public budget devoted to energy innovation is fundamental for curbing CFP rather than boosting RE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Luengo Frades, J.; García Barba, J.; Negro, V.; Martín-Antón, M., and Soriano, J., 2020. Blue economy: Compatibility between the increasing offshore wind technology and the achievement of the SDG. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 1490–1494. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. In 2015, the UN impulsed an ambitious initiative called the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), including 17 Goals and 169 Targets, to be accomplished in the 2015-2030 period. At the same time, offshore wind industry has taken the great leap towards the ocean. Such wind farms hold more and more wind turbines (>100), depths increase leaving shallow waters (almost 100 m deep), and the power installed is increasing at a dramatic rate not thought to be possible only one decade ago (currently reaching 400 MW). These facts are ones of the great advances of the XXI century, but so far, it has not been done a deep reflection on the impact of the offshore wind on the aforementioned SDG, and on how the offshore wind is going to accomplish all the challenges happening when trying to reach such SDG. The achievement of some of the SDG and the offshore wind technology progress go, with no doubt, hand in hand. This is the case of Goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production), Goal 13 (Climate action), or Goal 14 (Life below water). But there are also other SDG that deserve a special attention, in order to ensure that offshore wind power technology effectively will contribute to reach them, and will not, on the contrary, act to the detriment of them. This is the case of Goal 7 (Affordable and clean energy), Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth), or Goal 10 (Reducing inequalities). In this paper, the great contribution of the offshore wind technology to achieve the SDG is commented, making special emphasis on the possible weaknesses that could appear, and on how to solve them. All of it to make by 2030 the world, in general, and the energy in particular, become more blue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]