Exploring the United States’ 2050 net zero-emission paths via nonlinear Fourier procedures: The role of low-carbon energy technology, income and foreign direct investments

The current research takes a unique approach by examining the asymmetric effect of low-carbon energy technology on environmental sustainability in the United States. Unlike previous studies that have analyzed the impacts of renewable and nuclear technology separately, this study combines these two technology budget items into a variable named low-carbon energy technology. Using a non-linear autoregressive distributed lag approach, the paper adds the Fourier terms to investigate the asymmetric effects of low-carbon energy technology. The findings reveal that positive and negative changes in low-carbon energy technology enhance environmental sustainability, with the positive change exerting a significantly greater impact on ecological sustainability than the negative change. The empirical results support the validity of the load capacity curve hypothesis by confirming the U-shaped nexus between income and environment. The long-term results also show that foreign direct investments reduce environmental sustainability. The paper emphasizes that low-energy technology in developed economies like the United States has a multiplier effect on sustainable development and is linked to enhanced environmental quality. Policymakers should focus intensely on the sustainability and resilience of technology budget policies for low-energy to achieve SDGs- 9 and 13 by 2050.