The impact of environmental, social, and governance uncertainty and economic growth on green energy management in the United States

Abstract

Green energy is no longer merely an environmental priority for the United States; it has become a strategic pathway for sustainable development shaped by environmental, social, and governance uncertainty (ESGU) and economic growth (ECG). Against this background, this study examines the asymmetric effects of ESGU and ECG on renewable energy consumption (REN) in the United States using monthly data covering the period from January 2003 to January 2026. The study employs the novel asymmetric wavelet quantile regression technique, which reveals how positive and negative shocks to ESGU and ECG affect REN across different quantiles and time horizons. The findings indicate that ESGU exerts a weak and largely insignificant effect in the short term, while its influence becomes stronger over the long term. Specifically, symmetric and negative shocks to ESGU generally reduce REN, whereas positive ESGU shocks increase REN across most long-term quantiles. Similarly, ECG has a limited influence in the short and medium terms, but its effect becomes more pronounced in the long term. Robustness checks conducted across lags 1–4 confirm the stability and reliability of the findings. Based on these results, the study proposes policy measures aimed at reducing ESG-related uncertainty, strengthening economic conditions, and promoting sustained renewable energy consumption in the United States.