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Publication Open Access Drivers of carbon emissions in G7 economies: Evidence on energy use, globalisation, urbanisation, industrialisation and innovation(Elsevier Ltd, 2026-08-26) Weerasinghe, L; Vithanage, N; Rupasinghe, D; Keesha, C; Jayathilaka, RRising CO2 emissions remain a major sustainability challenge, particularly in advanced economies that account for a considerable share of historical emissions. This study examines the key determinants of CO₂ emissions in G7 countries by jointly considering globalisation, energy consumption, urbanisation, industrialisation, and technological innovation. Using a balanced panel dataset for Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States over the period 1997–2023, the analysis applies panel regression techniques and country-specific multiple linear regressions to capture both common effects and heterogeneity across economies. The results indicate that energy consumption is a robust driver of CO₂ emissions across the G7. Technological innovation contributes to emission reduction at the panel level; however, its effect becomes statistically insignificant in country-specific estimations, reflecting cross-country differences in innovation structures and policy environments. Globalisation significantly increases emissions in Canada, while its influence is negligible elsewhere. Urbanisation shows a mitigating effect only in the United States, and industrialisation increases emissions in Canada and Italy but reduces emissions in Japan. Overall, the findings highlight that decarbonisation strategies in advanced economies should prioritise the transition to clean energy while strengthening innovation-oriented climate policies tailored to country-specific contexts.Publication Open Access Unravelling the impact of fossil fuel consumption and urbanisation on black carbon emissions in Africa(Springer Nature, 2026-05-12) Pinnawala, P; Samarasinghe, B; Samarasingha, N; Wijethunga, P; Dharmapriya, N; Yapa, SBlack carbon (BC) is a leading short-lived climate pollutant (SLCP) with profound health and climate impacts. This research investigates the impact of fossil fuel energy consumption (FFEC) and Urbanisation (URB) on black carbon emissions (BCE) in 34 African countries over the period 2005–2022. Data were analysed using a panel regression with fixed effects (x2 = 97.26, p < 0.001) to estimate the effects of each variable. Cross-country heterogeneity is further examined using country-level multiple linear regression (MLR) models. The fixed-effects model with clustered standard errors finds that fossil fuel energy consumption is weakly and negatively associated with Black carbon emissions. The average effect of countries in URB is not considered strong. In contrast, URB shows a positive and significant association with BCE in Eritrea, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, and Zimbabwewhile FFEC shows a positive and significant impact on BCE in Ghana and Zimbabwe. These results indicate that poorly planned urban sprawl overlaps with energy poverty, as it dramatically increases BCE. Policymakers should focus more on implementing cleaner cooking facilities, reliable low-carbon electricity generation, and eco-friendly transportation modes to achieve BCE neutrality.Publication Embargo Economic growth, poverty and female employment on crime rates at global level(Springer Science and Business Media, 2026-12) Sivakumar, T; Raveendran, T; Jayathilaka, R; Wickramaarachchi, C; Jayasuriya, NThis study investigates the impact of female labour force participation, infant mortality rate, per capita gross domestic product, and urbanisation on crime rates globally and across different regions. Using panel regression techniques on secondary data collected from 106 countries over 34 years (1990-2023), the findings reveal that female labour force participation correlates positively with crime rates globally. The infant mortality rate is positively associated with crime in the European region. Conversely, per capita gross domestic product is negatively related to crime rates globally and in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Urbanisation showed no significant association with crime rates globally or regionally. These insights may help government and law enforcement agencies formulate policies to reduce crime effectively.Publication Open Access Achieving zero hunger: A global policy lens on food security drivers and income group disparities(Elsevier B.V., 2026-03) Pulle, N; Sampath, P; Perera, S; Wijayaweera, D; Jayathilaka, RMany countries struggle to meet their daily dietary requirements despite numerous attempts to address the existing demand. Consequently, this study collectively analyses the impact of urbanisation, renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions, population growth, gross domestic product per capita and agricultural land on food production relying on Sen's Entitlement Theory, thus providing insights to resolve the long-standing issue of food insecurity, and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The study utilises a stepwise panel ordered Probit model on 146 countries, for the years 1993 to 2023. It further categorises the food production index into three categories of food security as; low, moderate and high, thereby enabling discussion of the likelihood of a country falling into one of the aforementioned food security categories over the years. Urbanisation, agricultural land, and the dummy variables introduced to represent the income groups have been identified to have a significant and favourable relationship with the food production index. In contrast, the greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy variables have a significantly inverse impact on the food production index. This makes a unique contribution to the existing body of literature, especially by comparing odds over the years, across different food secure categories, countries, and their specific income levels. This study enables policymakers to gain a comprehensive historical perspective on each case. This study further promotes the Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting areas where these goals have been negatively impacted. Additionally, the study discusses optimised investment allocations, agricultural research and development, agricultural technology, climate resilient farming, and sustainable urbanisation planning as solutions for extreme cases.Publication Open Access Achieving zero hunger: A global policy lens on food security drivers and income group disparities(Elsevier B.V., 2026-01-19) Pulle, N; Sampath, P; Perera, S; Wijayaweera, D; Jayathilaka, RMany countries struggle to meet their daily dietary requirements despite numerous attempts to address the existing demand. Consequently, this study collectively analyses the impact of urbanisation, renewable energy, greenhouse gas emissions, population growth, gross domestic product per capita and agricultural land on food production relying on Sen’s Entitlement Theory, thus providing insights to resolve the long-standing issue of food insecurity, and support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The study utilises a stepwise panel ordered Probit model on 146 countries, for the years 1993 to 2023. It further categorises the food production index into three categories of food security as; low, moderate and high, thereby enabling discussion of the likelihood of a country falling into one of the aforementioned food security categories over the years. Urbanisation, agricultural land, and the dummy variables introduced to represent the income groups have been identified to have a significant and favourable relationship with the food production index. In contrast, the greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy variables have a significantly inverse impact on the food production index. This makes a unique contribution to the existing body of literature, especially by comparing odds over the years, across different food secure categories, countries, and their specific income levels. This study enables policymakers to gain a comprehensive historical perspective on each case. This study further promotes the Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting areas where these goals have been negatively impacted. Additionally, the study discusses optimised investment allocations, agricultural research and development, agricultural technology, climate resilient farming, and sustainable urbanisation planning as solutions for extreme cases