IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v17y2025i8p3321-d1630621.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Forging a Sustainable Future in G20 Economies: The Transformative Role of Technological Innovation, Green Finance and Higher Education Amid Globalization and Entrepreneurial Growth

Author

Listed:
  • Meng Pei

    (College of Educational Sciences, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225002, China
    Youth League Committee, Changzhou University, Changzhou 213159, China)

  • Riya Tabish

    (National Institute of Environmental Management (NIOEM), Lahore 54792, Pakistan)

Abstract

Environmental degradation poses a significant global challenge which necessitates innovative strategies to achieve sustainability. This study investigates the impact of technological innovation (TCN), higher education (EDU), green finance (GRF), globalization (GLI), and entrepreneurship (ENT) on environmental quality (EQ) in G20 countries. The study uses panel data from 2000 to 2020 to investigate relationships between study variables. Among the various diagnostic tests conducted, the Variance Inflation Factor (VIF) confirms that multicollinearity is not present. Furthermore, the cross-sectional dependence (CSD) test identifies cross-sectional interdependence among the study variables. Moreover, the slope homogeneity (SL) test indicates heterogeneity in the data. For the stationarity check, the Cross-Sectional Augmented Im–Pesaran–Shin (CIPS) test indicates mixed results. Finally, the study uses the Cross-Sectionally Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) for the long- and short-run analysis of variables. The outcomes of CS-ARDL indicate that GLI has a significant negative impact on EQ, hence causing deterioration in G20 economies. On the other hand, TCN, EDU, GRF, and ENT show positive and significant impacts on EQ, therefore enhancing environmental outcomes. Additionally, the Dumitrescu–Hurlin causality test reveals bidirectional causality, which highlights the interconnected relationship between TCN and ENT with EQ. However, GRF, EDU, and GLI demonstrate unidirectional causality with EQ. The takeaway of the study focuses on the importance of policies in promoting green innovation, resource efficiency, and sustainable practices to advance environmental quality within G20 economies.

Suggested Citation

  • Meng Pei & Riya Tabish, 2025. "Forging a Sustainable Future in G20 Economies: The Transformative Role of Technological Innovation, Green Finance and Higher Education Amid Globalization and Entrepreneurial Growth," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(8), pages 1-30, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:8:p:3321-:d:1630621
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/8/3321/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/8/3321/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Muhammad Tufail & Lin Song & Zeeshan Khan, 2024. "Green finance and green growth nexus: evaluating the role of globalization and human capital," Journal of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1), pages 2309437-230, December.
    2. Zhang, Chunhong & Khan, Irfan & Dagar, Vishal & Saeed, Asif & Zafar, Muhammad Wasif, 2022. "Environmental impact of information and communication technology: Unveiling the role of education in developing countries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    3. Hockerts, Kai & Wüstenhagen, Rolf, 2010. "Greening Goliaths versus emerging Davids -- Theorizing about the role of incumbents and new entrants in sustainable entrepreneurship," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 481-492, September.
    4. Ali Junaid Khan & Waseem Ul Hameed & Jawad Iqbal & Ashfaq Ahmad Shah & Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman Tariq & Saira Ahmed, 2022. "Adoption of Sustainability Innovations and Environmental Opinion Leadership: A Way to Foster Environmental Sustainability through Diffusion of Innovation Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-20, November.
    5. Dervis Kirikkaleli & Tomiwa Sunday Adebayo, 2024. "Political risk and environmental quality in Brazil: Role of green finance and green innovation," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 29(2), pages 1205-1218, April.
    6. Rath, Badri Narayan & Akram, Vaseem & Bal, Debi Prasad & Mahalik, Mantu Kumar, 2019. "Do fossil fuel and renewable energy consumption affect total factor productivity growth? Evidence from cross-country data with policy insights," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 186-199.
    7. Huang, Fei & Ren, Yuheng, 2024. "Harnessing the green frontier: The impact of green finance reform and digitalization on corporate green innovation," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    8. Degirmenci, Tunahan & Aydin, Mehmet & Cakmak, Bunyamin Yasin & Yigit, Busra, 2024. "A path to cleaner energy: The nexus of technological regulations, green technological innovation, economic globalization, and human capital," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    9. Lanzi, Elisa & Verdolini, Elena & Haščič, Ivan, 2011. "Efficiency-improving fossil fuel technologies for electricity generation: Data selection and trends," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(11), pages 7000-7014.
    10. Miao, Yang & Razzaq, Asif & Adebayo, Tomiwa Sunday & Awosusi, Abraham Ayobamiji, 2022. "Do renewable energy consumption and financial globalisation contribute to ecological sustainability in newly industrialized countries?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 688-697.
    11. Anfeng Xu & Abu Bakkar Siddik & Farid Ahammad Sobhani & Md. Mominur Rahman, 2024. "Driving economic success: Fintech, tourism, FDI, and digitalization in the top 10 tourist destinations," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    12. Xia, Wanjun & Apergis, Nicholas & Bashir, Muhammad Farhan & Ghosh, Sudeshna & Doğan, Buhari & Shahzad, Umer, 2022. "Investigating the role of globalization, and energy consumption for environmental externalities: Empirical evidence from developed and developing economies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 219-228.
    13. Sultan Salem & Noman Arshed & Ahsan Anwar & Mubasher Iqbal & Nyla Sattar, 2021. "Renewable Energy Consumption and Carbon Emissions—Testing Nonlinearity for Highly Carbon Emitting Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-17, October.
    14. Mary O. Agboola & Festus V. Bekun, 2019. "Does Agricultural Value Added Induce Environmental Degradation? Empirical Evidence from an Agrarian Country," CEREDEC Working Papers 19/040, Centre de Recherche pour le Développement Economique (CEREDEC).
    15. Manzoor Ahmad & Zeeshan Khan & Zia Ur Rahman & Shoukat Iqbal Khattak & Zia Ullah Khan, 2021. "Can innovation shocks determine CO2 emissions (CO2e) in the OECD economies? A new perspective," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 30(1), pages 89-109, January.
    16. Ahmed Samour & M. Mine Baskaya & Turgut Tursoy, 2022. "The Impact of Financial Development and FDI on Renewable Energy in the UAE: A Path towards Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(3), pages 1-14, January.
    17. Ahmet Erülgen & Husam Rjoub & Ahmet Adalıer, 2020. "Bank Characteristics Effect on Capital Structure: Evidence from PMG and CS-ARDL," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-13, December.
    18. Dumitrescu, Elena-Ivona & Hurlin, Christophe, 2012. "Testing for Granger non-causality in heterogeneous panels," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 1450-1460.
    19. Xie, Jie & Tian, Jiayu & Hu, Yong & Wang, Quan & Dai, Zhaoqiong, 2025. "Imported intermediate goods, intellectual property protection, and innovation in Chinese manufacturing firms," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    20. Dhahri, Sabrine & Omri, Anis, 2018. "Entrepreneurship contribution to the three pillars of sustainable development: What does the evidence really say?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 64-77.
    21. ŞENTÜRK, İsmail & Ali, Amjad, 2019. "Socioeconomic Determinants of Gender Specific Life Expectancy in Turkey: A Time Series Analysis," MPRA Paper 97815, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    22. Gene M. Grossman & Alan B. Krueger, 1995. "Economic Growth and the Environment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 353-377.
    23. Shihong Zeng & Gen Li & Shaomin Wu & Zhanfeng Dong, 2022. "The Impact of Green Technology Innovation on Carbon Emissions in the Context of Carbon Neutrality in China: Evidence from Spatial Spillover and Nonlinear Effect Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-25, January.
    24. Ahmad, Mahmood & Jiang, Ping & Majeed, Abdul & Umar, Muhammad & Khan, Zeeshan & Muhammad, Sulaman, 2020. "The dynamic impact of natural resources, technological innovations and economic growth on ecological footprint: An advanced panel data estimation," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    25. Liang, Yunbao & Zhou, Hongxia & Zeng, Jun & Wang, Chuanbin, 2024. "Do natural resources rent increase green finance in developing countries? The role of education," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    26. Ullah, Sami & Lin, Boqiang, 2024. "Harnessing the synergistic impacts of financial structure, industrialization, and ecological footprint through the lens of the EKC hypothesis. Insights from Pakistan," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    27. Pablo Muñoz & Boyd Cohen, 2018. "Sustainable Entrepreneurship Research: Taking Stock and looking ahead," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(3), pages 300-322, March.
    28. Mohsin Shabir, 2024. "Does Financial Inclusion Promote Environmental Sustainability: Analyzing the Role of Technological Innovation and Economic Globalization," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 19-46, March.
    29. Huang, Lei, 2024. "Green bonds and ESG investments: Catalysts for sustainable finance and green economic growth in resource-abundant economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    30. Zhao, Shuang & Zhang, Liqun & Peng, Lin & Zhou, Haiyan & Hu, Feng, 2024. "Enterprise pollution reduction through digital transformation? Evidence from Chinese manufacturing enterprises," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    31. Hyeongjin Ahn & Eunil Park, 2022. "For sustainable development in the transportation sector: Determinants of acceptance of sustainable transportation using the innovation diffusion theory and technology acceptance model," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(5), pages 1169-1183, October.
    32. Chien, FengSheng & Chau, Ka Yin & Sadiq, Muhammad & Hsu, Ching-Chi, 2022. "The impact of economic and non-economic determinants on the natural resources commodity prices volatility in China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).
    33. Demena, Binyam Afewerk & Afesorgbor, Sylvanus Kwaku, 2020. "The effect of FDI on environmental emissions: Evidence from a meta-analysis," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 138(C).
    34. Aydin, Mehmet & Degirmenci, Tunahan & Erdem, Azad & Sogut, Yasin & Demirtas, Nazli, 2024. "From public policy towards the green energy transition: Do economic freedom, economic globalization, environmental policy stringency, and material productivity matter?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 311(C).
    35. Camaren Peter & Mark Swilling, 2014. "Linking Complexity and Sustainability Theories: Implications for Modeling Sustainability Transitions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-29, March.
    36. York, Jeffrey G. & Venkataraman, S., 2010. "The entrepreneur-environment nexus: Uncertainty, innovation, and allocation," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 449-463, September.
    37. Marinakis, Yorgos D. & Walsh, Steven T. & White, Reilly, 2024. "What is the relationship between sociotechnical transition and disruptive innovations?," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    38. Inglesi-Lotz, Roula, 2016. "The impact of renewable energy consumption to economic growth: A panel data application," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 58-63.
    39. Mei Ling Wang & Wei Wang & Shen Yue Du & Cun Fang Li & Zhengxia He, 2020. "Causal relationships between carbon dioxide emissions and economic factors: Evidence from China," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 73-82, January.
    40. José Francisco de Oliveira-Júnior & Munawar Shah & Ayesha Abbas & Washington Luiz Félix Correia Filho & Carlos Antonio da Silva Junior & Dimas de Barros Santiago & Paulo Eduardo Teodoro & David Mendes, 2022. "Spatiotemporal Analysis of Fire Foci and Environmental Degradation in the Biomes of Northeastern Brazil," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-19, June.
    41. Hadi Esmaeilpour Moghadam & Vahid Dehbashi, 2018. "The impact of financial development and trade on environmental quality in Iran," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 54(4), pages 1777-1799, June.
    42. Sharif, Arshian & Sofuoglu, Emrah & Kocak, Sinem & Anwar, Ahsan, 2024. "Can green finance and energy provide a Glimmer of hope towards sustainable environment in the midst of chaos? An evidence from Malaysia," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 223(C).
    43. Dean A. Shepherd & Holger Patzelt, 2022. "A Call for Research on the Scaling of Organizations and the Scaling of Social Impact," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 46(2), pages 255-268, March.
    44. Zhang, Wenting & Wang, Zibang & Adebayo, Tomiwa Sunday & Altuntaş, Mehmet, 2022. "Asymmetric linkages between renewable energy consumption, financial integration, and ecological sustainability: Moderating role of technology innovation and urbanization," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 197(C), pages 1233-1243.
    45. Matthew P. Johnson & Stefan Schaltegger, 2020. "Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development: A Review and Multilevel Causal Mechanism Framework," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(6), pages 1141-1173, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Zuyao Wang & Runguo Xu, 2024. "Nexus of Natural Resources, Renewable Energy, Capital Formation, Urbanization, and Foreign Investment in E7 Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(24), pages 1-22, December.
    2. Aikaterini Argyrou & Nicolas Chevrollier & Andre Nijhof, 2023. "The versatile role of sustainable market entrepreneurs in market transformation: An intervention framework for institutional change," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 259-273, January.
    3. Doğan, Buhari & Ghosh, Sudeshna & Hoang, Dung Phuong & Chu, Lan Khanh, 2022. "Are economic complexity and eco-innovation mutually exclusive to control energy demand and environmental quality in E7 and G7 countries?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    4. Gong, Zhonghang & Wu, Yuqin & Tawiah, Vincent & Abdulrasheed, Zakari, 2023. "The environmental footprint of international business in Africa; The role of natural resources," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    5. Amin, Waqas & Xie, Shouhong & Rauf, Abdul, 2025. "Analyzing the interplay between money supply, mineral extraction, industrialization, and ecological footprint in latin America's global south: A symmetrical perspective," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    6. Emilia Herman, 2022. "The Interplay between Digital Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development in the Context of the EU Digital Economy: A Multivariate Analysis," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 10(10), pages 1-28, May.
    7. Matthew P. Johnson & Jacob Hörisch, 2022. "Reinforcing or counterproductive behaviors for sustainable entrepreneurship? The influence of causation and effectuation on sustainability orientation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 908-920, March.
    8. Nosheena Yasir & Nasir Mahmood & Hafiz Shakir Mehmood & Osama Rashid & An Liren, 2021. "The Integrated Role of Personal Values and Theory of Planned Behavior to Form a Sustainable Entrepreneurial Intention," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-21, August.
    9. Wei, Shuxin & Wei, Wenshan & Umut, Alican, 2023. "Do renewable energy consumption, technological innovation, and international integration enhance environmental sustainability in Brazil?," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 202(C), pages 172-183.
    10. Francisco García-Lillo & Eduardo Sánchez-García & Bartolomé Marco-Lajara & Pedro Seva-Larrosa, 2023. "Renewable Energies and Sustainable Development: A Bibliometric Overview," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(3), pages 1-22, January.
    11. Feng, Xinzhen & Zhou, Dequn & Hussain, Tufail, 2024. "An investigation of fintech governance, natural resources and government stability on sustainability: Policy suggestions under the SDGs theme," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    12. Abdelaziz Boukhelkhal, 2022. "Energy use, economic growth and CO2 emissions in Africa: does the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis exist? New evidence from heterogeneous panel under cross-sectional dependence," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 13083-13110, November.
    13. Desirée Knoppen & Louise Knight, 2022. "Pursuing sustainability advantage: The dynamic capabilities of born sustainable firms," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(4), pages 1789-1813, May.
    14. Matthew P. Johnson & Stefan Schaltegger, 2020. "Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development: A Review and Multilevel Causal Mechanism Framework," Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, , vol. 44(6), pages 1141-1173, November.
    15. Ahmad, Mahmood & Ahmed, Zahoor & Khan, Sana Akbar & Alvarado, Rafael, 2023. "Towards environmental sustainability in E−7 countries: Assessing the roles of natural resources, economic growth, country risk, and energy transition," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    16. Manuel A. Zambrano-Monserrate & Vanessa Ormeño-Candelario, 2024. "Disaggregated impact of natural resources rents on the ecological footprint: new evidence from more polluting countries," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 37(4), pages 759-770, December.
    17. Gu, Wentao & Zheng, Xiaoyan, 2021. "An empirical study on the impact of sustainable entrepreneurship: Based on the environmental Kuznets model," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 613-624.
    18. Brandon H. Lee & Panayiotis Panikos Georgallis & Jeroen Struben, 2022. "Sustainable entrepreneurship under market uncertainty," Post-Print hal-04325583, HAL.
    19. Jamal Mamkhezri & Mohsen Khezri, 2024. "Assessing the spillover effects of research and development and renewable energy on CO2 emissions: international evidence," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 7657-7686, March.
    20. Ana Venâncio & Inês Pinto, 2020. "Type of Entrepreneurial Activity and Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-25, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    technological advancements; green finance; sustainability; entrepreneurship; G20;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:8:p:3321-:d:1630621. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.