The objective of this research is to examine the effects of income inequality, governance quality, and their interaction on environmental quality in Asian countries. Time series data are obtained from 45 Asian countries for the period 1996–2020 for this empirical analysis. The research has performed various econometric tests to ensure the robustness and reliability of the results. We have addressed different econometric issues, such as autocorrelation, heteroskedasticity, and cross-sectional dependence, using the Driscoll-Kraay (DK) standard error estimation and endogeneity issues by the system generalized method of moments (S-GMM). The results of the study revealed that income inequality and governance quality have a positive impact on environmental degradation, while the interaction of governance quality with income inequality has a negative effect on it. In addition, economic growth, population growth, urbanization, and natural resource dependency are found to deteriorate the quality of the environment. The findings of the study offer insightful policies to reduce environmental degradation in Asian countries.

This paper examines the relationship between renewable energy (RE) generation, economic factors, infrastructure, and governance quality in ASEAN countries. Based on the Fixed Effects regression model on panel data spanning the years 2002–2021, results demonstrate that domestic capital investment, foreign direct investment, governance effectiveness, and crude oil price exhibit an inverse yet significant relationship with RE generation. An increase in those factors will lead to a decline in RE generation. Meanwhile, economic growth and infrastructure have a positive relationship, which implies that these factors act as stimulants for RE generation in the region. Hence, it is advisable to prioritise policies that foster economic growth, including offering tax breaks specifically for RE projects. Additionally, it’s crucial to streamline governance processes to facilitate infrastructure conducive to RE generation, along with investing in RE infrastructure. This could be achieved by establishing one-stop centres for consolidating permitting processes, which would streamline the often-bureaucratic process. However, given the extensive time period covered, future research should examine the short-term relationship between the variables to address any potential temporal trends between the factors and RE generation.