Green innovation, renewable energy, and sustainable development in the United States

This study examines the asymmetric and nonlinear effects of green technological innovation, renewable and non-renewable energy consumption, and green growth on carbon dioxide emissions in the United States over the period 1990–2024. Drawing on a Cultural Studies perspective, the study also considers how evolving societal preferences, energy-use practices, and sustainability narratives may accompany the transition toward a greener economy. Moving beyond conventional symmetric approaches, the analysis employs a Fourier Nonlinear Autoregressive Distributed Lag (FNARDL) model, which captures both asymmetric responses to positive and negative shocks and smooth structural changes without requiring prior identification of break dates. The results confirm the existence of a stable long-run relationship among the variables and reveal significant structural shifts in emissions dynamics. Renewable energy consumption exerts a strong mitigating effect on emissions, with expansion generating substantially larger environmental benefits than the adverse effects associated with contraction. In contrast, green technological innovation exhibits a rebound effect, whereby positive shocks are associated with higher long-run emissions, while negative shocks remain insignificant. Non-renewable energy consumption shows a net emissions-reducing effect, reflecting a gradual transition toward relatively cleaner fossil energy sources in the post-shale period. Green growth contributes modestly to increased emissions, suggesting that economic expansion remains only partially decoupled from environmental sustainability. The speed of adjustment toward long-run equilibrium is high, indicating strong system dynamics. From a Cultural Studies perspective, these asymmetric patterns also underline the importance of understanding environmental transition as a process shaped not only by technology and energy structures, but also by changing social practices and sustainability-oriented expectations. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating nonlinear dynamics and structural flexibility in environmental modelling and provide policy-relevant insights for designing asymmetric renewable energy strategies and more effective green innovation frameworks in support of sustainable development.

asymmetric effects · CO2 emissions · Energy transition · Green growth · Green innovation · non-renewable energy consumption · nonlinear dynamics · rebound effect · renewable energy consumption · structural breaks · Sustainable development · United States · Climate Change Policy and Economics · Energy and Environmental Sustainability · Energy, Environment, Economic Growth