Sustainability Concerns in Food Production, Livestock, Urbanization, and Environmental Quality in SCO Economies: Assessing the Impact of Energy Consumption

ABSTRACT The growing complexity of environmental challenges has spurred extensive discussions on sustainability across various sectors, including food production, livestock management, urban development, energy consumption, and ecosystem health within the economies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). This study investigates the effects of food production (FP), urbanization (UR), livestock production (LP), and energy use (EU) on environmental quality (CE) in SCO member economies. Using the panel cross‐sectional autoregressive distributed lag (PCS‐ARDL) approach, we examine both short‐ and long‐term relationships between these variables. To ensure data reliability, we also apply robust techniques such as panel generalized method of moments (PGMM) and panel quantile regression (PQR). The findings reveal that food production and energy consumption have a positive impact on environmental quality, whereas urbanization and livestock production negatively affect it. These results suggest that SCO member states need to balance food supply, urbanization, energy use, and environmental quality through cohesive policies. Strategies should include promoting urban agriculture, adopting clean energy, ensuring sustainable water management, and engaging communities to improve food security and urban quality of life, fostering a resilient and sustainable future for the region.