Economic growth vs environmental sustainability: examining resource extraction in the World’s largest economies

Effective natural resource management is essential for promoting economic stability, environmental sustainability, and long-term global resilience. As the world’s two largest economies, China and the United States play a pivotal role in shaping global resource extraction policies, making it critical...

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Main Authors: Zhaojin Zhang, Yanqi Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-05-01
Series:Frontiers in Environmental Science
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1586619/full
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author Zhaojin Zhang
Yanqi Zhou
author_facet Zhaojin Zhang
Yanqi Zhou
author_sort Zhaojin Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Effective natural resource management is essential for promoting economic stability, environmental sustainability, and long-term global resilience. As the world’s two largest economies, China and the United States play a pivotal role in shaping global resource extraction policies, making it critical to understand the economic and regulatory factors driving their strategies. This study investigates the effects of trade openness, environmental tax, financial depth, and renewable energy consumption on natural resource extraction in both countries. After confirming data stationarity using unit root tests, the analysis employs the bounds testing approach and the Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) model to ensure robust empirical estimation. The results reveal that financial depth and trade openness are significant drivers of natural resource extraction in both economies, with stronger long-term effects evident in China. Environmental taxes emerge as an effective regulatory mechanism, particularly in the United States, while renewable energy consumption shows a negative but statistically insignificant impact on resource extraction in both contexts. In the short run, trade openness and financial depth consistently promote resource extraction, whereas the effects of environmental taxes and renewable energy consumption vary over different time horizons. These findings highlight the need for integrated, country-specific policy frameworks that balance economic growth with sustainable resource management. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers seeking to align national strategies with global sustainability goals and to strengthen resource governance practices.
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spelling doaj-art-1ba4c573d4054bd9a6723eef1352ed252025-08-20T02:32:19ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2025-05-011310.3389/fenvs.2025.15866191586619Economic growth vs environmental sustainability: examining resource extraction in the World’s largest economiesZhaojin Zhang0Yanqi Zhou1School of Economics and Management, Weinan Normal University, Weinan, Shaanxi, ChinaDepartment of Economics, Ningbo City College of Vocational Technology, Ningbo, ChinaEffective natural resource management is essential for promoting economic stability, environmental sustainability, and long-term global resilience. As the world’s two largest economies, China and the United States play a pivotal role in shaping global resource extraction policies, making it critical to understand the economic and regulatory factors driving their strategies. This study investigates the effects of trade openness, environmental tax, financial depth, and renewable energy consumption on natural resource extraction in both countries. After confirming data stationarity using unit root tests, the analysis employs the bounds testing approach and the Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (NARDL) model to ensure robust empirical estimation. The results reveal that financial depth and trade openness are significant drivers of natural resource extraction in both economies, with stronger long-term effects evident in China. Environmental taxes emerge as an effective regulatory mechanism, particularly in the United States, while renewable energy consumption shows a negative but statistically insignificant impact on resource extraction in both contexts. In the short run, trade openness and financial depth consistently promote resource extraction, whereas the effects of environmental taxes and renewable energy consumption vary over different time horizons. These findings highlight the need for integrated, country-specific policy frameworks that balance economic growth with sustainable resource management. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers seeking to align national strategies with global sustainability goals and to strengthen resource governance practices.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1586619/fullfinancial depthresource extractionenvironmental taxesrenewable energysustainable resource managementNARDL
spellingShingle Zhaojin Zhang
Yanqi Zhou
Economic growth vs environmental sustainability: examining resource extraction in the World’s largest economies
Frontiers in Environmental Science
financial depth
resource extraction
environmental taxes
renewable energy
sustainable resource management
NARDL
title Economic growth vs environmental sustainability: examining resource extraction in the World’s largest economies
title_full Economic growth vs environmental sustainability: examining resource extraction in the World’s largest economies
title_fullStr Economic growth vs environmental sustainability: examining resource extraction in the World’s largest economies
title_full_unstemmed Economic growth vs environmental sustainability: examining resource extraction in the World’s largest economies
title_short Economic growth vs environmental sustainability: examining resource extraction in the World’s largest economies
title_sort economic growth vs environmental sustainability examining resource extraction in the world s largest economies
topic financial depth
resource extraction
environmental taxes
renewable energy
sustainable resource management
NARDL
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2025.1586619/full
work_keys_str_mv AT zhaojinzhang economicgrowthvsenvironmentalsustainabilityexaminingresourceextractionintheworldslargesteconomies
AT yanqizhou economicgrowthvsenvironmentalsustainabilityexaminingresourceextractionintheworldslargesteconomies