Ahmet Kasap
This study examines the impact of social globalization on carbon emissions in ASEAN-9 countries and analyzes how this relationship is shaped by economic growth, renewable energy consumption, and natural resource rents. ASEAN countries provide a significant sample for assessing the environmental sustainability effects of globalization due to their rapidly increasing economic integration and diverse environmental dynamics over the 1990–2021 period. The study applies Powell's non-additive fixed effects quantile regression method to analyze the environmental effects of social globalization across different emission levels. The results indicate that social globalization positively influences carbon emissions, with a more pronounced effect in nations exhibiting moderate to high emission levels. Although per capita GDP correlates with increased emissions, the utilization of renewable energy significantly mitigates carbon emissions, especially in nations with elevated emission rates. Moreover, natural resource rents are associated with heightened carbon emissions; however, a clear causal relationship between resource rents and carbon emissions is not established, indicating that the environmental impacts of resource reliance may be mediated by indirect mechanisms. The findings demonstrate that the efficacy of renewable energy in mitigating carbon emissions is contingent upon national energy policy, infrastructural investments, and technology progress. Although renewable energy is essential for reducing emissions, sustained reductions necessitate augmented investment in clean energy technology. The findings underscore the necessity for increased expenditures in renewable energy, enhanced management of the environmental repercussions of social globalization, and the establishment of sustainable natural resource policy in ASEAN nations.