The present study presents a retrospect into environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis (EKC). The EKC debate is dated over four decade long and worthy of empirical scrutiny. To this end, the present study leverages on over 200 previous studies curated from SCOPUS and Web of science (WOS) core collection database respectively. The present study also presented both literature schematic on the evolution, trends, gaps, and future directions on the EKC debate. This paper endeavors to enhance our comprehension of the inherent paradoxes present in sustainability discourses by delving into the fundamental assumptions underlying the Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). By conducting a bibliometric analysis, we aim to shed light on the factors contributing to the prominence of thematic keywords within sustainability discourses. This study seeks to provide valuable insights into these dynamics and implications on sustainability debates. Key empirical findings outlines predominant and influential studies and journal outlets on the theme under consideration. The present study bibliometric analysis displays that Ozturk i. with 13 published papers 3153 citations and a link strength of 2, Dogan e. Had 7 papers with 2190 citations with no link strength, Shahbaz. B 7 papers 1347 citations and 1 link strength, Saboori b.7 papers 677 citations 1 strength link and Liu y. 6 papers 582 citations with no link strength. From a policy dimension, the present bibliometric study presents valuable depth on the evolution and development of the EKC phenomenon by identifying's the extant literature leaders, action-step for future studies on environmental sustainability without compromise on economic growth as the EKC theme express the tradeoff between economic growth and environmental degradation. Further insights are rendered in the concluding section.
Studies have shown that factors like trade, urbanization, and economic growth may increase the ecological footprint (EFP) since ecological distortions are mainly human-induced. Therefore, this study explores the effect of economic growth and urbanization on the EFP, accounting for foreign direct investment and trade in Nigeria, using data from 1977 to 2016. This study used the EFP variable as against the CO2 emissions used in the previous studies since the former is a more comprehensive and extensive measure of environmental quality. We apply the novel dynamic autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) simulations for model estimation, the Bayer and Hanck J Time Ser Anal 34: 83-95, (2013) combined cointegration, and the ARDL bounds test for cointegration. Although the results affirmed the presence of long-run relationship among the variables, economic growth deteriorates the environment in the short run, while urbanization exacts no harmful impact. In the long run, FDI and trade deteriorate the environment while economic growth adds to environmental quality. It is recommended that policymakers strengthen the existing environmental regulations to curtail harmful trade and provide rural infrastructures to abate urban anomaly.
Climate change (CC) is one of the greatest threats to human health, safety, and the environment. Given its current and future impacts, numerous studies have employed computational tools (e.g., machine learning, ML) to understand, mitigate, and adapt to CC. Therefore, this paper seeks to comprehensively analyze the research/publications landscape on the MLCC research based on published documents from Scopus. The high productivity and research impact of MLCC has produced highly cited works categorized as science, technology, and engineering to the arts, humanities, and social sciences. The most prolific author is Shamsuddin Shahid (based at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia), whereas the Chinese Academy of Sciences is the most productive affiliation on MLCC research. The most influential countries are the United States and China, which is attributed to the funding activities of the National Science Foundation and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), respectively. Collaboration through co-authorship in high-impact journals such as Remote Sensing was also identified as an important factor in the high rate of productivity among the most active stakeholders researching MLCC topics worldwide. Keyword co-occurrence analysis identified four major research hotspots/themes on MLCC research that describe the ML techniques, potential risky sectors, remote sensing, and sustainable development dynamics of CC. In conclusion, the paper finds that MLCC research has a significant socio-economic, environmental, and research impact, which points to increased discoveries, publications, and citations in the near future.
The current study examines sustainable electricity consumption for economic growth in a small open and tourist economy. The energy-tourism nexus is evaluated for the relationship between sustainable electricity consumption and the international tourist arrival for the South African economy. The present study leverages on annual frequency data for South Africa from 1995 to 2019 for empirical analysis using the ARDL technique. Accordingly, empirical findings indicate a significant direct connection between the sustainable electricity consumption and the international tourism arrival; the study affirms that tourism-induced energy hypothesis is valid in South Africa. However, from a policy standpoint, alternative energy efficiency mechanisms such as renewable energy systems and emancipation of current energy management capabilities are recommended in South Africa. This is necessary for sustainable eco-friendly tourism that engenders clean energy consumption for the study area. More insights into policy caveats are presented in the concluding section.