Green transportation – Environmental sustainability within the purview of green energy, green innovation, and institutional quality: New evidence from belt and road initiatives economies an application of quasi-experimental approach

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) promotes economic cooperation, connectivity, and infrastructure development across economies. It impacts transport networks, environmental practices, land use, resource consumption, and pollution levels, requiring careful evaluation and analysis. In this backdrop,...

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Main Authors: Faheem Ur Rehman, Abul Ala Noman, Yan Wu, Irfanullah Khan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Sustainable Futures
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825001534
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author Faheem Ur Rehman
Abul Ala Noman
Yan Wu
Irfanullah Khan
author_facet Faheem Ur Rehman
Abul Ala Noman
Yan Wu
Irfanullah Khan
author_sort Faheem Ur Rehman
collection DOAJ
description The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) promotes economic cooperation, connectivity, and infrastructure development across economies. It impacts transport networks, environmental practices, land use, resource consumption, and pollution levels, requiring careful evaluation and analysis. In this backdrop, the present study delves into the impact of green transportation systems on environmental quality in economies linked to the Belt and Road initiative, employing a quasi-experimental approach. The results of the research demonstrate that the implementation of green transport significantly moderates environmental quality levels while simultaneously increasing carbon dioxide emissions. To shed light on this outcome, we propose a development-matching theory. Most importantly, the study's findings do not suggest a negative influence of green transportation on environmental quality. Rather, within the context of the Belt and Road framework, where investments flow from affluent to less developed nations, the latter undergo a direct transition from the initial stage of economic development (characterized by low carbon emissions) to the subsequent stage (marked by high carbon emissions) and eventually reach the third stage (involving green energy). Consequently, green transportation curtails the anticipated rise in carbon emissions that typically accompanies economic development. As a result, green transportation effectively mitigates the projected escalation in carbon emissions associated with economic progress.
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spelling doaj-art-149dc4ea3fa74077b781fc4f6d51ba252025-08-20T03:20:16ZengElsevierSustainable Futures2666-18882025-06-01910058310.1016/j.sftr.2025.100583Green transportation – Environmental sustainability within the purview of green energy, green innovation, and institutional quality: New evidence from belt and road initiatives economies an application of quasi-experimental approachFaheem Ur Rehman0Abul Ala Noman1Yan Wu2Irfanullah Khan3IRC for Finance and Digital Economy, King Fahd Business School, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia; Corresponding authors at: Business School, NingboTech University, Zhejiang, PR China 315000.Faculty of Management and Economics, Ruhr University of Bochum, Bochum 78044, GermanyBusiness School, NingboTech University, 315000, PR China; Corresponding authors at: Business School, NingboTech University, Zhejiang, PR China 315000.Information Systems and Operations Management Department, King Fahd Business School, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia; Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Smart Mobility and Logistics, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi ArabiaThe Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) promotes economic cooperation, connectivity, and infrastructure development across economies. It impacts transport networks, environmental practices, land use, resource consumption, and pollution levels, requiring careful evaluation and analysis. In this backdrop, the present study delves into the impact of green transportation systems on environmental quality in economies linked to the Belt and Road initiative, employing a quasi-experimental approach. The results of the research demonstrate that the implementation of green transport significantly moderates environmental quality levels while simultaneously increasing carbon dioxide emissions. To shed light on this outcome, we propose a development-matching theory. Most importantly, the study's findings do not suggest a negative influence of green transportation on environmental quality. Rather, within the context of the Belt and Road framework, where investments flow from affluent to less developed nations, the latter undergo a direct transition from the initial stage of economic development (characterized by low carbon emissions) to the subsequent stage (marked by high carbon emissions) and eventually reach the third stage (involving green energy). Consequently, green transportation curtails the anticipated rise in carbon emissions that typically accompanies economic development. As a result, green transportation effectively mitigates the projected escalation in carbon emissions associated with economic progress.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825001534R4Q5Q2C3C5C9
spellingShingle Faheem Ur Rehman
Abul Ala Noman
Yan Wu
Irfanullah Khan
Green transportation – Environmental sustainability within the purview of green energy, green innovation, and institutional quality: New evidence from belt and road initiatives economies an application of quasi-experimental approach
Sustainable Futures
R4
Q5
Q2
C3
C5
C9
title Green transportation – Environmental sustainability within the purview of green energy, green innovation, and institutional quality: New evidence from belt and road initiatives economies an application of quasi-experimental approach
title_full Green transportation – Environmental sustainability within the purview of green energy, green innovation, and institutional quality: New evidence from belt and road initiatives economies an application of quasi-experimental approach
title_fullStr Green transportation – Environmental sustainability within the purview of green energy, green innovation, and institutional quality: New evidence from belt and road initiatives economies an application of quasi-experimental approach
title_full_unstemmed Green transportation – Environmental sustainability within the purview of green energy, green innovation, and institutional quality: New evidence from belt and road initiatives economies an application of quasi-experimental approach
title_short Green transportation – Environmental sustainability within the purview of green energy, green innovation, and institutional quality: New evidence from belt and road initiatives economies an application of quasi-experimental approach
title_sort green transportation environmental sustainability within the purview of green energy green innovation and institutional quality new evidence from belt and road initiatives economies an application of quasi experimental approach
topic R4
Q5
Q2
C3
C5
C9
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825001534
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