*3.2. Results of DEA*

Results of the DEA-based environmental index, energy index, energy intensity, and aggregated index are depicted as follows:

According to Figure 1, underline developing economies are passing through different environmental development phases compared to each other. Currently, a mixed condition is observed in this region in terms of environmental performance. Jorden has better conditions in this lineup, followed by Sri Lanka and Malaysia, while Philippine and Bangladesh are poor performers. The comprehensive set of indicators' choices are similar to the work done by [57–60].

**Figure 1.** Environmental index. Source: authors' calculations.

Figure 2 shows the energy efficiency trend in these countries. China, India, and Turkey are energy efficient among these countries, while Nepal and Pakistan are the least energy-efficient countries. Thus, it may have happened due to more expenditure on China and India's renewable energy sources to meet their growing power demand for economic growth.

**Figure 2.** Energy efficiency index. Source: authors' calculations.

The greater energy intensity represents a higher price or cost transformed into real GDP. The level of energy intensity indicates that there is a decoupling of energy consumption and economic development. According to Figure 3, Iran is the most energy-intense economy among this dataset, followed by Nepal and Mongolia. The case of Iran's energy intensity can be valid as most energy-exporting countries find themselves in such conditions. In our results, Sri Lanka and Turkey are the least energy-intense economies. The same results are generated by [29] for the BRICS region.

**Figure 3.** Energy intensity index. Source: authors' calculations.

Thus, all three indexes' distributions and frequencies confirm that these countries have no horizontal pattern regarding energy and environment, and there is an inconsistency between one country and the other. It may also confirm that individual initiatives matter for collective results.

Usually, decoupling expects to decrease environmental pressure from fossil-based energy production and consumption. The relationship between energy efficiency and economic factors show that energy efficiency improvements concentrate on decreasing fuel costs. However, its environmental effect relies on the nature of energy. Figure 4 shows a clearer picture of the aggregate performance of these countries.

**Figure 4.** An aggregate score of all three indexes. Source: authors' calculation.

According to Figure 4., countries such as Nepal, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Pakistan, Magnolia, and Thailand are suffering to attain the best combination set of energy efficiency, energy intensity, and environmental protection. It shows that severe environmental issues (such as global warming) are linked with higher energy consumption due to rapid industrialization and urbanization [61]. Thus, renewable energy transformation can be the primary solution to enhance the energy efficiency, reducing energy intensity, and maintain sustainable environmental conditions, as also suggested by [30,62].
