Towards land degradation neutrality: Does green energy and green human capital matter?

Land degradation is a pressing issue, impacting the livelihoods of millions, especially those living in developing countries, and it contributes to global food insecurity, biodiversity loss, and climate change. Given these implications, this study examines the influence of green energy and green human capital on land degradation neutrality in Ghana within the environmental Kuznets curve framework from 1990 to 2020 while using natural resources, agriculture, and industrialization as additional variables. Advanced econometric techniques are employed to ensure the validity and reliability of the findings. The results confirm that the study variables are stationary at their first difference and co-integrated over the long term. Thus, the novel quantile-on-quantile regression technique is employed to investigate the interrelationships among the variables under study, given that this technique is robust in offering an in-depth analysis of the relationships between variables. The results indicate that while green energy and green human capital contribute positively to land degradation neutrality, natural resources, agriculture, and industrialization negatively impact it. Also, the findings validate the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in Ghana, indicating an inverted U-shaped relationship between economic growth and land degradation. Based on these findings, the government of Ghana should prioritize the development and implementation of green energy initiatives and invest in green human capital to combat land degradation and strive for neutrality.