Analyzing the Drivers of Ecological Footprint Toward Sustainability in BRICS+

This study investigates the impact of key macroeconomic and structural variables—economic growth, renewable energy consumption, urbanization, industrialization, globalization, agricultural productivity, and forest area—on the ecological footprint of BRICS+ nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and their extended partners) from 1990 to 2021. Employing panel-corrected standard errors (PCSEs) and seemingly unrelated regression (SUR) models, the research accounts for cross-sectional dependence and heteroskedasticity to ensure robust empirical estimation. The findings reveal that economic growth, urbanization, and globalization significantly exacerbate ecological degradation. Conversely, renewable energy consumption and agricultural productivity are associated with reductions in ecological footprint, indicating their potential as effective mitigation tools. Industrialization exhibits a negative impact, likely due to structural and reporting anomalies in developing contexts, while forest areas remain statistically insignificant, suggesting that conservation policies alone may be insufficient without systemic support. The study underscores the urgency for integrated policy interventions that promote green growth, urban sustainability, renewable energy deployment, and sustainable land use to achieve long-term environmental resilience in BRICS+ economies.