The role of ict, renewable energy sources, green innovation, and institutional quality in achieving environmental sustainability in OECD countries

As OECD countries strive to meet the UN sustainability development goal thirteen (take urgent actions to combat climate change and its impact), this study explores the vital role of information and communication technology (ICT), green innovation (GINV), renewable energy resources (RESS), and institutional quality (INSQ) in achieving sustainable environmental outcomes. I used two control variables (trade openness and GDP per capita) and the primary variable. Despite the wealth of studies on OECD nations' environmental sustainability, there is no previous joint examination of the roles of ICT, RESS, GINV, and INSQ. This paper bridges the gap by empirically investigating these variables' individual and combined roles on environmental sustainability and presenting a more comprehensive analysis to provide a more integrated framework to inform good policy design towards ecological sustainability in OECD nations. Drawing from the methodologies and findings from existing literature from African and BRICS economics, this study extends the scope to the OECD economics over the period from 1996 to 2021; this study employs a range of advanced econometric techniques to ensure the reliability of the analysis, used secondgeneration panel unit root tests to account for heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence among OECD economies. The study employs cointegration tests to verify the long-term equilibrium relationship among ICT, RESS, GINV, INSQ, and environmental sustainability indicators. The fully modified ordinary least squares (FMLOS) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) estimations are used to estimate the long-term relationships while addressing potential issues of endogeneity and serial correlation. This research indicates that in the long run, information and communication technology, renewable energy sources, green innovation, institutional quality, and trade openness are positively related to environmental sustainability. It also estimated the joint effect of variable RESS and INSQ, taking ICT as moderators. The results are overall significant in the long run. Keywords: Environmental Sustainability, GDP Per Capita, Green Innovation, Information and Communication Technology, Institutional Quality, Renewable Energy Source.