Rethinking Sustainability in BRICS : How Economic Policy Uncertainty, Energy Efficiency, and Cultural Integration Shapes Environmental Outcomes

ABSTRACT Global environmental degradation continues to threaten human welfare, biodiversity, and ecosystem stability, particularly in emerging economies where growth pressures remain intense. This study examines the roles of economic policy uncertainty, renewable and non‐renewable energy use, and social globalization in shaping ecological footprints in the BRICS economies Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa over the period 1990– 2024. Using the Method of Moments Quantile Regression estimator, the analysis captures heterogeneous effects across low, middle, and high quantile conditions for BRICS countries. The results confirm a nonlinear inverted U‐shaped relationship between economic growth and ecological footprints, validating the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis within the BRICS bloc. Renewable energy use significantly reduces ecological footprints across most quantiles, while non‐renewable energy consumption increases environmental pressure, particularly at higher footprint levels. Social globalization exerts a mitigating effect on ecological footprints, though its magnitude varies across countries and quantiles. Economic policy uncertainty consistently worsens environmental outcomes by discouraging long‐term investments in clean energy and sustainability. These findings highlight the importance of stable policy environments, accelerated renewable energy transitions, and socially embedded sustainability strategies for achieving climate and environmental goals in emerging economies.