Urbanization, Education, and Resource Efficiency: Empirical Insights Into Environmental Sustainability in <scp>G20</scp> Nations

ABSTRACT The accelerating pace of global economic expansion has significantly heightened ecological footprints, posing a serious threat to environmental sustainability (ENS). In this study, ENS is assessed using ecological footprint as a comprehensive metric of environmental pressure. To address this growing challenge, the research explores the multifaceted relationships between resource efficiency (RSE), education (EDC), financial inclusion (FIN), globalization (GLB), and urbanization (URB) in shaping ENS across G20 countries over the period 1995–2022. The analysis employs the Driscoll‐Kraay Standard Error (DKSE) approach to account for cross‐sectional dependence and heteroskedasticity in the panel data. Additionally, the Cross‐Sectional Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS‐ARDL) model is utilized to capture both short‐run and long‐run dynamics, ensuring robustness of the findings. Empirical results indicate that EDC, FIN, and GLB are positively associated with ecological footprint, suggesting that while these drivers enhance human development and economic connectivity, they may simultaneously intensify environmental pressures. This underscores the need for policy realignment to better integrate sustainability into EDC systems, financial frameworks, and GLB strategies. Conversely, RSE and URB are found to negatively influence ecological footprint, implying their constructive role in reducing environmental degradation and fostering long‐term sustainability. These insights offer vital guidance for G20 policymakers, emphasizing the urgency of reorienting development strategies to balance economic progress with ecological preservation, thereby advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).