Impacts of green and non-green energies production and R&D on ecological and carbon footprints

Environmental contamination has grown to be a major issue for policymakers in recent years. This proposed study fills this void by presenting an empirical analysis that considers the effects of different green (hydropower, geothermal, solar, nuclear, and wind energy) and non-green (coal, oil, and gas) energy productions on ecological and carbon footprints. Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square is used to estimate the long-term associations among selected variables in the top ten nations that export electricity with data spanning 1990 to 2021. The findings demonstrate that geothermal and hydro energy production is expanding, which has raised ecological and carbon footprints. Additionally, it is discovered that the rise in energy production from nuclear, solar, and wind resources decreased the ecological and carbon footprints. In contrast, results show that oil production minimized environmental deterioration while coal and gas production increased it. This research also discovered that research and development (R&D) negatively correlated with ecological and carbon footprints within economies. These findings hold significant policy implications, particularly for nations aiming to modernize their green energy sectors. Promoting environmentally sustainable geothermal and hydropower technologies, alongside increased investment in R&D, emerges as a strategic pathway toward sustainable development.