The drivers of environmental sustainability in BRICS economies: Do green finance and fintech matter?

The BRICS nations have made environmental sustainability a top priority in their policies due to concerns about the negative impact of fossil fuel reliance on the environment. Their dependence on fossil fuels, both for energy production and imports, has led to a steady increase in greenhouse gas emi...

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Main Authors: Maxwell Chukwudi Udeagha, Nicholas Ngepah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-12-01
Series:World Development Sustainability
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772655X2300054X
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author Maxwell Chukwudi Udeagha
Nicholas Ngepah
author_facet Maxwell Chukwudi Udeagha
Nicholas Ngepah
author_sort Maxwell Chukwudi Udeagha
collection DOAJ
description The BRICS nations have made environmental sustainability a top priority in their policies due to concerns about the negative impact of fossil fuel reliance on the environment. Their dependence on fossil fuels, both for energy production and imports, has led to a steady increase in greenhouse gas emissions over time. However, the BRICS nations also have significant potential for renewable energy sources that can be harnessed without harming the environment. In this study, we examine how green finance (GFN) and financial technology (fintech) can contribute to the BRICS nations' goal of achieving carbon neutrality from 2000 to 2018. We also consider the influence of energy innovation, economic growth, and natural resources rent. The results support the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis and indicate that GFN, fintech, and energy innovation promote environmental sustainability. On the other hand, natural resources rent, and economic growth have a negative impact on environmental quality. We also find that there is a bidirectional causality between CO2 emissions and GFN, fintech, and natural resources rent, while GDP and energy innovation exhibit a unidirectional causality with CO2 emissions. Based on these findings, we recommend that the BRICS countries prioritize the development of green financial products and expand the capacity of banks and financial institutions to offer green credit facilities. Furthermore, more resources should be dedicated to research on how to effectively use green finance solutions while managing associated risks.
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spelling doaj.art-d178c342bb164417b100f5548015cc3e2023-12-16T06:11:23ZengElsevierWorld Development Sustainability2772-655X2023-12-013100096The drivers of environmental sustainability in BRICS economies: Do green finance and fintech matter?Maxwell Chukwudi Udeagha0Nicholas Ngepah1Corresponding author.; School of Economics, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, P.O Box 524, Auckland Park Dring 242, 2006, South AfricaSchool of Economics, College of Business and Economics, University of Johannesburg, P.O Box 524, Auckland Park Dring 242, 2006, South AfricaThe BRICS nations have made environmental sustainability a top priority in their policies due to concerns about the negative impact of fossil fuel reliance on the environment. Their dependence on fossil fuels, both for energy production and imports, has led to a steady increase in greenhouse gas emissions over time. However, the BRICS nations also have significant potential for renewable energy sources that can be harnessed without harming the environment. In this study, we examine how green finance (GFN) and financial technology (fintech) can contribute to the BRICS nations' goal of achieving carbon neutrality from 2000 to 2018. We also consider the influence of energy innovation, economic growth, and natural resources rent. The results support the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis and indicate that GFN, fintech, and energy innovation promote environmental sustainability. On the other hand, natural resources rent, and economic growth have a negative impact on environmental quality. We also find that there is a bidirectional causality between CO2 emissions and GFN, fintech, and natural resources rent, while GDP and energy innovation exhibit a unidirectional causality with CO2 emissions. Based on these findings, we recommend that the BRICS countries prioritize the development of green financial products and expand the capacity of banks and financial institutions to offer green credit facilities. Furthermore, more resources should be dedicated to research on how to effectively use green finance solutions while managing associated risks.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772655X2300054XF18F13Q56O13F1F41
spellingShingle Maxwell Chukwudi Udeagha
Nicholas Ngepah
The drivers of environmental sustainability in BRICS economies: Do green finance and fintech matter?
World Development Sustainability
F18
F13
Q56
O13
F1
F41
title The drivers of environmental sustainability in BRICS economies: Do green finance and fintech matter?
title_full The drivers of environmental sustainability in BRICS economies: Do green finance and fintech matter?
title_fullStr The drivers of environmental sustainability in BRICS economies: Do green finance and fintech matter?
title_full_unstemmed The drivers of environmental sustainability in BRICS economies: Do green finance and fintech matter?
title_short The drivers of environmental sustainability in BRICS economies: Do green finance and fintech matter?
title_sort drivers of environmental sustainability in brics economies do green finance and fintech matter
topic F18
F13
Q56
O13
F1
F41
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772655X2300054X
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