Does convergence contribute to reshaping sustainable development policies? Insights from Sub-Saharan Africa

This study examines environmental convergence in ecological footprint and its sub-components in a region subjected to rapid degradation of environmental conditions and, where environmental conservation significantly remains unpopular in both government policy priorities and academic literature. This is expected to contribute to policy-shaping in the region in terms of sustainable development goals and global climate protocols. To this end, the study employs a sophisticated methodological approach (log t regression) that accounts for slope heterogeneity using a pool of inclusive environmental parameters to test convergence among different sub-components. Results show that ecological footprint and its sub-components do not converge as a whole and several clubs are determined for each sub-component except forest-land and built-up-land footprints. Given the importance of achieving sustainable development goals and struggling with environmental threats collectively, this study highlights the importance of differentiated liabilities for countries.