The Relationship Between Energy and Climate Action in the Context of Sustainable Development Goals: An Empirical Analysis of BRICS–T Economies

Abstract

There is a lack of empirical studies investigating the individual and combined effects of environmental policy stringency, energy transition, and green technologies on greenhouse gas emissions in the context of BRICS–T countries. To address this gap in the literature, the article presents empirical evidence from panel quantile, Driscoll–Kraay, and Ridge regression models for examining energy and climate action within the framework of Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13 in BRICS–T economies during the period 1995–2020. The main findings obtained from the analyses show that environmental policy stringency, as well as the combined effect of environmental policy stringency with green technology, reduce ecological deformation. On the other hand, energy transition, green technology, primary energy consumption, and the combined effect of energy transition and environmental policy stringency have been shown to increase emissions. Dumitrescu–Hurlin Granger causality findings indicate that all variables exhibit two–way causality relationships reflecting the feedback effect. The results highlight that countries should focus on implementing stricter environmental regulations, promoting green innovation, adopting comprehensive fiscal and environmental policies, accelerating the transition from conventional to clean energy, and strengthening policy measures to achieve long-term ecological goals.