The Impact of Nuclear Energy Consumption, Green Technological Innovation, and Trade Openness on the Sustainable Environment in the USA

Nuclear energy, renewable energy, and alternative energy sources are all crucial for sustainable green energy. However, the existing literature often needs to pay more attention to the role of nuclear energy in achieving sustainable development goals. This study analyzes the impact of green technological innovation, nuclear energy consumption, and trade openness on environmental quality in the US. The authors used the ARDL bounds to identify cointegration relationships, which is appropriate for this study’s dataset as it works well with smaller samples. They also used the Toda–Yamamoto causality test to examine causal links. The ARDL cointegration results indicate a significant long-term relationship between CO 2 emissions, green technological innovation, nuclear energy consumption, and trade openness. Green technological innovation has a negative impact on CO 2 emissions. Higher nuclear energy consumption is associated with lower CO 2 emissions, while greater trade openness is associated with higher CO 2 emissions, although these effects are less certain. The results suggest promoting green technological innovation and nuclear energy can be effective strategies for reducing CO 2 emissions, while the impact of trade openness requires careful consideration due to its potential to increase emissions.