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The modernization of the agro-based industry has encouraged the application of inorganic fertilizers to increase productivity. However, such fertilizer emissions may pose harmful environmental effects in the long run. This study aims to empirically explore the matter by applying the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in the Indian agro-based industry.

The study builds two models considering nitrous oxide emission levels from inorganic (synthetic) and organic (manure) fertilizers to evaluate the safer option for the environment. The validity of an industry-specific EKC (IEKC) is tested for the models considering time series data from 1975 to 2019. Here, the autoregressive distributed lag model is applied for the 45 years long time series analysis to test the hypothesis with respect to inorganic and organic fertilizers emissions.

The existence of the IEKC is rejected by the inorganic fertilizer emissions model. Its U-shaped curve implies that applying such fertilizers will gradually cause degrading environmental effects. On the other hand, the organic fertilizer emissions model supports the existence of an inverted U-shaped IEKC. It proves that organic fertilizers are a better choice for safeguarding the environment in the long run.

Applying the EKC hypothesis on an industrial level can signify whether an industry worsens the environment in the long run. However, very few studies have explored such an application of the hypothesis in the past. Moreover, the literature could not find any previous study exploring the environmental effects of inorganic and organic fertilizers by analyzing the EKC hypothesis. The hypothesis can offer such insights with simplified empirical assessment.

This study aims to investigate the relationship between carbon emissions and the industrial growth of India’s core fossil fuel industries (coal, crude oil and natural gas). As a developing economy, India is burdened with various challenges in balancing industrial growth with a healthy environment.

The weighted least squares regression is applied for this study depending on the suitability of the panel data set from 2005 to 2021. Carbon emission levels are considered to measure the industries’ environmental degradation level, and the Index of Eight Core Industries is considered the indicator of industrial growth of the respective industries. Moreover, other control variables such as economic growth, financial development efficiency, renewable energy consumption level and rent of fossil fuels are included in the empirical models.

The empirical results suggest that increased emission levels contribute to the growth of India’s core fossil fuel industries. As fossil fuels are considered environmentally harmful energy sources, it is even more challenging for developing economies such as India to achieve industries’ growth without causing adverse effects on the environment. Installing advanced technologies and reducing major reliance can help India to avoid such environmental downturns from the fossil fuel industries’ operations.

The existing literature could not find earlier studies that have analysed the role of industrial emissions in their growth, especially in the Indian context. More studies in similar settings must be conducted to consider the environmental dimensions of various industries to create a healthier future.

This study aims to investigate the impact of corporate climate change disclosure (CCD) on the financial performance of Indian firms.

The study is grounded in the principles of signalling theory, legitimacy theory and the cost-benefit analysis approach. The sample for the study includes 77 Indian firms from 2018–2019 to 2021–2022. Required data are collected from published annual reports, sustainability reports and the Ace Equity Database. The explanatory variable CCD is measured using content analysis based on the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) framework. The panel fixed-effects or random-effects models have been considered for hypotheses testing.

The disclosure level of CCD and its different components is found to be moderate with an average score of 0.364 among top Indian firms. Regression results reveal a significant positive association between CCD on firms’ market-based performance, suggesting its long-term benefits. Besides, additional analysis indicates the differential impact of CCD on financial performance based on firms’ CEO duality status, industry affiliation and pre-COVID and post-COVID period, thus establishing their moderating role in the observed relationship.

The study highlights the necessity of enhancing climate-related disclosure by Indian firms and strategically leveraging the same to boost their financial performance.

Few studies have examined the implications of CCD (based on the TCFD framework) on firm performance. Moreover, exploring the moderating role of CEO duality, industry type and COVID-19 in the CCD and firm performance relationship is a novel empirical contribution.