Achieving environmental sustainability, exploring the moderating role of renewable energy, and technology development in the ECOWAS region

As the global climate crisis intensifies, the urgency to transform energy systems through innovation and sustainable practices has placed renewable energy and technological development at the forefront of regional policy discourse. This study addresses a critical gap in the environmental sustainability literature by examining the interactive and heterogeneous impacts of renewable energy and technological development on carbon emissions in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) region from 2000 to 2023, using augmented mean group and quantile regression methods. The findings reveal that both renewable energy and technological development individually reduce CO 2 emissions, and their moderating effect significantly promotes environmental sustainability. Quantile regression analysis reveals that the emissions-reducing effect of renewable energy remains strong across all quantiles, while the impact of technology is conditional on a country's emission level and development capacity. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that lower-middle-income and oil-exporting countries achieve more consistent environmental gains, primarily due to their better infrastructure and capacity for resource mobilization. In contrast, low-income nations lag due to institutional and infrastructural barriers. This study advances the sustainability discourse by offering a context-specific understanding of how renewable energy and technological innovation co-evolve to shape environmental outcomes in developing regional blocs. To maximize sustainability in the ECOWAS region, policies must align with country-specific needs: integrated renewable-tech programs for advanced nations, decentralized solutions for emerging economies, and resilient energy packages for fragile states, all under a harmonized regional governance framework.