Moving towards sustainable environment: Unveiling the nexus of public private partnerships and technological innovation for green energy transition and environmental quality

This analysis aims to identify the roles of economic growth, imports, exports, climate financing (public-private partnership investment), and technological change in carbon-based CO 2 emissions. The study used the Environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) premise in the context of Pakistan. This study used the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model (short- and long-run) and the DOLS and FOMLS techniques. The statistical findings concluded that Public private investment (PPP) significantly increases CO 2 emissions. A well-balanced environmental model is used in this study, which includes public-private investment in energy, GDP, technological innovation, imports, and exports as the most significant variables to represent the global agenda of sustainable growth. Eco-friendly technology is significantly reducing CO 2 emissions, whereas import, export, and PPP are significantly deteriorating the quality of the environment. The present study validates an inverted-U-shaped relationship between ecological quality and economic growth, as indicated by the EKC. To achieve ecological and energy sustainability, governments, lawmakers, and regulators are encouraged to implement these outcomes. The study makes recommendations for policy solutions aligned with SDGs 7 and 13 (cheap, clean energy and climate action) to improve environmental sustainability.