TY - JOUR
T1 - Influence of fintech, natural resources, and energy transition on environmental degradation of BRICS countries
T2 - Moderating role of human capital
AU - Liao, Xiaoli
AU - Nawi, Hafizah Mat
AU - An, Pham Hoang
AU - Mabrouk, Fatma
AU - Kholikova, Rukhsora
AU - Arnone, Gioia
AU - Sahawneh, Nizar M.F.
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported from the project fund (Grant No.KX2024B02) of the Center for Trans-Himalayan Studies, the Sichuan provincial key research base of humanities and social sciences.Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University Researchers Supporting Project number (PNURSP2023R260), Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2024/5/3
Y1 - 2024/5/3
N2 - The rapid pace of economic development experienced by the BRICS countries is accompanied by increased carbon (CO2) emissions resulting from the excessive use of energy and natural resources. However, the emergence of recent technologies has led to the offering of efficient production methods with improved financing channels. This study analyzes the role of financial technologies, digitalization, natural resources, energy transition, and energy innovations on CO2 emissions. It also tests the moderating effect of human capital in BRICS countries from 1995 to 2021. Initially, Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimation approach is applied to conduct empirical analysis. Due to asymmetric data distribution and non-linear relationships among variables, the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) approach is also applied to estimate the effect of the variables across different quantiles of CO2 emission. The findings indicate that digitalization, financial technologies, energy transition, energy innovations, and natural resources reduce CO2 emission, whereas human capital increases it. However, the moderating effect of human capital on the association between digitalization, energy transition, and CO2 emission is significant and positive, indicating that human capital strengthens the negative impact of these factors on environmental degradation. Human capital does not significantly moderate the relationship of natural resources, financial technologies, and renewable energy innovations with CO2 emissions.
AB - The rapid pace of economic development experienced by the BRICS countries is accompanied by increased carbon (CO2) emissions resulting from the excessive use of energy and natural resources. However, the emergence of recent technologies has led to the offering of efficient production methods with improved financing channels. This study analyzes the role of financial technologies, digitalization, natural resources, energy transition, and energy innovations on CO2 emissions. It also tests the moderating effect of human capital in BRICS countries from 1995 to 2021. Initially, Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimation approach is applied to conduct empirical analysis. Due to asymmetric data distribution and non-linear relationships among variables, the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) approach is also applied to estimate the effect of the variables across different quantiles of CO2 emission. The findings indicate that digitalization, financial technologies, energy transition, energy innovations, and natural resources reduce CO2 emission, whereas human capital increases it. However, the moderating effect of human capital on the association between digitalization, energy transition, and CO2 emission is significant and positive, indicating that human capital strengthens the negative impact of these factors on environmental degradation. Human capital does not significantly moderate the relationship of natural resources, financial technologies, and renewable energy innovations with CO2 emissions.
KW - Digitalization
KW - Energy transition
KW - Environmental degradation
KW - Financial technologies
KW - Natural resources
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85192059027&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.105022
DO - 10.1016/j.resourpol.2024.105022
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85192059027
VL - 92
SP - 1
EP - 14
JO - Resources Policy
JF - Resources Policy
SN - 0301-4207
M1 - 105022
ER -