Ecological resilience in crisis: Analyzing the role of urban land use and institutional policies

Ecological sustainability is a severe concern in countries with poor environmental performance, fragile institutions, uneven urban sprawl, densification, and high dependence on non-renewable resources. Environmentally failed states face severe threats and chaos in moving towards a sustainable environment. This study analyses the role of urban land use, institutional capacity, environmental policies, green energy, and financial inclusion on ecological sustainability in environmentally failed states. This study uses panel data from 15 environmentally failed states from 2009 to 2022. Static and panel data econometric techniques were applied. Furthermore, the results were generalized to the system-generalized method of moments (GMM). The results show that increased urban land use, financial inclusion, and output deteriorate ecological sustainability. However, effective policies, quality institutions for combating ecological footprint, and green energy improve ecological sustainability. These findings suggest that enhancing the efficacy of environmentally friendly policies, establishing quality institutions for ecological sustainability, and enhancing the use of green energy can alleviate ecological stress and promote ecological sustainability in environmentally compromised states. To this end, urban land use management can be indispensable in reducing ecological footprint. It is recommended that environmentally vulnerable nations with weak institutions and ineffective policies about environmental sustainability should solicit assistance from regional and global institutions and collaborate with relevant stakeholders to tackle environmental predicaments and bolster ecological sustainability effectively.