From resource reliance to sustainable environmental resilience: A digital-green paradigm for BRICS+ nations.

Abstract

The BRICS + nations face a critical developmental dilemma: their economic growth remains tightly coupled with natural resource exploitation, yet escalating ecological pressures demand urgent transitions toward environmental sustainability systems. This research examines how strategically integrating digitalization with green innovation can reconcile this tension, thereby transitioning economies from resource reliance to environmental resilience. Analyzing panel data from 2000 to 2021 through advanced econometric frameworks, we identify three pivotal mechanisms. First, while natural resource rents and economic growth amplify emissions, renewable energy adoption emerges as a consistent decarbonization lever. Second, although digitalization and green innovation may initially increase emissions during transitional phases, their interaction with resource extraction ultimately exerts mitigating effects, revealing latent compensatory pathways. Third, their combined deployment generates synergistic reductions, with effects magnified in high-emission contexts. Methodologically, the Cross-sectional Augmented Autoregressive Distributed Lag (CS-ARDL) framework captures dynamic equilibrium adjustments, while the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) estimation highlights context-dependent heterogeneities. These findings advance a co-evolutionary policy framework, demonstrating how BRICS + economies can orchestrate technological interoperability to bypass traditional tradeoffs between resource reliance and sustainability. We advocate for integrated innovation strategies rather than fragmented interventions. By aligning digital and green transitions, this systemic approach generates compounded benefits, offering a viable paradigm for emerging economies balancing development and decarbonization imperatives.