Towards Sustainable Development Goals: An ARDL Analysis of Energy Efficiency, Finance, and Technology in Mitigating CO₂ Emissions in the United States

Abstract

This paper examines the changing associations among economic growth, Energy Efficiency (EE), and access to finance, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Urbanization (URBA) and their joint impacts on Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) emissions in the United States (US) between 1990 and 2022. The analysis employs unit root tests and cointegration tests to estimate the short-run and long-run dynamics to apply the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model with the aid of error correction modeling and Granger causality tests. Results illustrate that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth and URBA significantly deteriorate environmental quality, as rising economic activities and expanding urban populations intensify fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions. In contrast, EE, Financial Accessibility (FA), and ICT adoption exert a mitigating effect on emissions, highlighting their potential role in advancing environmental sustainability. Specifically, access to finance facilitates investment in cleaner technologies, ICT applications reduce energy intensity, and renewable energy innovations enhance efficiency. Causality analysis further indicates unidirectional effects from GDP, ICT, EE, and FA to CO₂ emissions, while URBA demonstrates a bidirectional causal link with emissions. These findings highlight how vital technological development, sustainable finance, and green energy are in ensuring that U.S. development is in line with the global climate agenda. The research is relevant to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 13: Climate Action) because it provides empirical data on how to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability. Policymakers are urged to prioritize green finance, ICT infrastructure, and energy transition policies to achieve long-term carbon neutrality.