The role of natural resources, clean energy and technology in mitigating carbon emissions in top populated countries

Abstract

This study highlights the significance of natural resources, clean energy production, and technological advancement to control carbon emissions and to attain COP-26 targets in populous counties of the World. The empirical investigation is based on 30 years (1990–2019) of data analysis of 14 world’s highly populated countries. This study tries to investigate the aforementioned relationship by employing CS-ARDL econometric techniques that mitigate Cross-sectional Dependence and heterogeneity in slop parameters across panels. For this purpose, the study employed some additional independent variables such as economic growth. The empirical findings reveal the facts that high reliance on natural resources to earn more rent worsen the environmental quality. While, clean energy, and technological innovation brings economies toward a clean natural environment through carbon mitigation. The study suggests that the abundance of green natural resources, efficient use of natural resources may help to protect the natural environment even in those countries which are experiencing high population pressure. In addition, the study spot lights that clean energy production and improvement in technology are also helping to achieve the carbon neutrality targets of COP-26 in highly populated economies of the world.