Digitalization and fintech are essential in improving financial service delivery and helping businesses and consumers manage their financial services better. Since its successful trial during the COVID-19 measures, digitalization and fintech have emerged as a new hope for low-carbon sustainable economic development. Therefore, advanced and emerging economies concentrate on digitalization (DIG) and fintech to meet carbon neutrality requirements. Thus, this study helps understand the significance of elements in gaining environmental conservation and aims to develop a relevant relationship between digitalization, fintech, SDG13, and governance. To achieve the abovementioned objectives of this study, some modern and traditional econometric tools and methods were adopted, such as ARDL and Q-ARDL, to assess the selected emerging economies dataset from 1990 to 2022. The results of this study show that the study’s components are crucial in achieving environmental preservation over the long run in emerging economies. Moreover, Q-ARDL indicates that every factor in this study influences environmental conservation in different quantiles. Consequently, the Environmental Kuznets curve prevails in the economy, and the long-term attainment of carbon neutrality is greatly assisted by digitization, fintech, governance, and SDG13. Hence, it is essential to implement extensive and far-reaching policy measures in various domains such as environmental regulations, promotion of the digital economy, regulation and sustainable technology, and utilization of clean energy resources.

Environmental dangers have escalated due to human ecological pressure during the past few decades. This pressure can be measured by the environmental footprint (EFT) that humanity has left behind. At this point, the most effective methods for achieving sustainable development without causing damage to the environment include green technological innovation (TCH), climatic technology (CLT), energy transition (ENT), financial globalization (FGL), and economic growth. In light of this, the primary purpose of this research is to examine the impact of economic development, TCH, CLT, ENT, and FGL, as well as economic growth on the EFT in a selection of rising countries between the years 1990 and 2021. We use a unique DOLS and FMOLS model to analyze the relationships between the variables. In addition, the MMQR model is utilized in our research to validate the results produced using the DOLS and FMOLS methodologies. Through a reduction in the EFP, the findings indicate that TCH, CLT, and ENT all contribute significantly to an improvement in the quality of the environment. On the contrary, FGL, economic expansion, and urbanization all have a significant positive impact on EFT and contribute to climate degradation. Last but not least, the MMQR model's outcomes also demonstrated that TCH, CLT, ENT, FGL, urbanization, and economic expansion cause EFT. Based on the findings, it is recommended that governments and policymakers encourage investments in green innovation and renewable energy industries to attain ecological sustainability.