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or the initial rise in renewable energy adoption - occurs first? The empirical results yielded a clear and
consistent answer: the validity of both an inverted U-shaped EKC and a U-shaped RKC was confirmed,
with the turning point for the RKC (in the range of $1,033-$1,075) occurring significantly earlier than the
turning point for the EKC (in the range of $1,863-$2,321). This central finding robustly demonstrates that in
India's development path, the structural shift toward REN begins before the ecological footprint reaches its
peak.

It is known that the Indian economy, with its increasing weight in global markets, also causes high pollution
on a global scale. There have been significant increases in the national income per capita in the Indian
economy since the 1990s. While GDP per capita (constant 2,015 US$) was at $538 in 1990, it exceeded
$2,000 and reached $2,086 in 2022. When the 2022 data are taken as a basis, calculating the turning points of
the EKC and RKC hypotheses in dollars brings important policy implications. The fact that India’s current
income level has surpassed the thresholds for both turning points provides a strong mandate for proactive
and dual-pronged policy action.

The findings suggest three key policies for emerging market economies similar to India, aligned with their
environmental sustainability goals. In this context, first, the development of green financing mechanisms,
particularly in energy-intensive sectors, is crucial to accelerate the transition to the declining phase of the
EKC. This requires the availability of financial instruments that encourage the adoption of green
technologies and emission controls. Furthermore, given that many emerging market economies are in the
EKC growth phase, the policy focus should be on maintaining and strengthening this momentum. In this
context, regulations that reduce the capital cost of renewable energy investments (increasing public-private
partnerships, expanding green bonds) are crucial. Third, increasing urbanization poses a risk that increasing
energy demand in these countries will reinforce their dependence on non-renewable energy. Therefore, the
existence of a regulatory framework that mandates the integration of renewable energy infrastructure in
newly urbanized regions is crucial. In this context, the implementation of energy efficiency standards will be
crucial for preserving environmental gains.

DECLARATIONS
Authors’ contributions
Model construction and derivation, writing-original draft preparation, validation, writing-review, editing &
supervision: Özbek, S.
Writing-original draft preparation, validation, writing-review, editing & supervision: Ceylan, R.;
Karademir, C.
All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Availability of data and materials
The datasets used and/or analyzed in the current study are available from the corresponding author upon
reasonable request.

Financial support and sponsorship
None.

Conflicts of interest
All authors declared that there are no conflicts of interest.