Environmental sustainability indicators in India: Evidence from ecological footprint, load capacity factor, nuclear energy, and human capital

This study examines the challenge of measuring environmental sustainability in India using a multidimensional indicator framework that highlights the roles of nuclear energy and human capital in shaping long-term ecological outcomes. The analysis integrates three complementary indicators, carbon dioxide emissions, ecological footprint, and load capacity factor, which reflect emissions intensity, ecological demand, and regenerative capacity. Grounded in the Environmental Kuznets Curve and Load Capacity Curve hypotheses, the study uses annual data from 1969 to 2023 and applies the autoregressive distributed lag bounds testing approach together with robustness estimations using fully modified ordinary least…