Analyze the effect of energy efficiency, natural resources, and the digital economy on ecological footprint in OCED countries: The mediating role of renewable energy

Considering the urgent target of carbon neutrality and environmental sustainability, this paper analyzes the nexus of energy efficiency, natural resources, and the digital economy on ecological footprint in OECD countries from 2002 to 2020. We apply the Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) to evaluate the long-run relationship of variables and check the mediating effect of renewable energy between the digital economy and ecological footprint. Through a series of empirical analyses, the primary results are as follows. First, it has been discovered that energy efficiency and natural resources contribute to decreasing ecological footprint. Second, the digital economy exerts a detrimental impact on the lowering of the ecological footprint. Third, the mediating outcome suggests that the digital economy cannot promote an ecological footprint decrease with the development of renewable energy. Based on the findings, we also recommend some ideas for OECD countries’ economy, energy, and environmental improvements. © 2024 Elsevier Ltd