Environmental Impacts of Mineral Depletion, Population Density, and Economic Growth in E-7 Countries: Fresh Evidence from MMQR Analysis

This study explores how mineral resource depletion, population density, energy productivity, and economic development affect environmental degradation in Emerging 7 (E-7) countries—Brazil, Indonesia, China, Mexico, India, Türkiye, and Russia. The Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) was used in the research, which included data from 1992 to 2021. Additionally, the research used the Driscoll-Kraay estimator, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS). The Method of Moments Quantile Regression (MMQR) results show that carbon emissions increase with mineral depletion across all quantiles. However, energy productivity lowers carbon emissions across all quantiles, but economic growth and population density raise these emissions. All these results are all statistically significant. These findings are also supported by the Driscoll-Kraay estimator, Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS), and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS) results. The research highlights the need for resource-efficient policies and sustainable consumption, providing novel insights into ecological challenges facing emerging economies.