Do life expectancy and hydropower consumption affect ecological footprint? Evidence from novel augmented and dynamic ARDL approaches

Quantile-based effect of energy, transport, and total environmental tax on ecological footprint in EU5 countries

Considering a vast majority of application areas, the study investigates how environmental tax (ET) affects ecological footprint. In this context, the study examines the European Union Five (EU5) countries, considers ecological footprint (EF) as the proxy of the environment, uses ET as tax-based environmental measures by making both disaggregated (i.e., energy and transport) and aggregated level analysis, and performs novel nonlinear quantile-based approaches for the period from 1995/Q1 to 2021/Q4. The outcomes show that on EF (i) energy-related ET has only a declining effect at lower and middle quantiles in Germany and at lower quantiles in Italy, whereas it does not have a curbing effect in other countries; (ii) transport-related ET is not effective on EF in any country, which means that it does not have a curbing effect; (iii) total ET has a decreasing effect in only Germany; and (iv) the alternative method validates the robustness. Thus, the study demonstrates the changing effect of ET across countries, quantiles, and ET types in curbing EF. Hence, it can be suggested that Germany can go on relying further on energy-related ET practices to decrease EF, whereas there is a long way for the remaining EU5 countries as well as transport-related ET in curbing EF.

The mechanism of China's renewable energy utilization impact on carbon emission intensity: Evidence from the perspective of intermediary transmission

Renewable energy (RE) plays a crucial role in global energy transformation, and a thorough study of the potential impact of RE on regional carbon emissions is of great significance. This is particularly relevant to China, which needs to clarify its path to carbon reduction. Using the sample data of 30 provinces in China from 2000 to 2021, this paper uses the Granger causality test to verify the causal relationship between carbon emission intensity (CEI) and other factors. It builds a mediation effect model on this basis to explore the direct impact effect and indirect transmission path of renewable energy utilization (REU) on CEI. The results show that REU has a one-way causal relationship with CEI. REU can directly and indirectly reduce CEI by improving social wealth and changing the direction of energy investment. In addition, REU indirectly increases CEI through the transmission paths of investment in the energy industry - social affluence and industrial level-social affluence. The CEI is indirectly reduced through the conduction paths of (social affluence-Urbanization rate), (Investment in the energy industry-Urbanization rate), (Industrial level-Urbanization rate), and (Industrial level-Investment in the energy industry). These conclusions will assist policymakers in exploring targeted pathways for low-carbon power development, providing a reference for strategic and sustainable carbon reduction policies.

Do green logistics and green finance matter for achieving the carbon neutrality goal?

Global warming, a persistent issue, needs comprehensive solutions. Shifting to sustainable resources and promoting green initiatives like green logistics, green investments, and environmental policies (such as environmental technology and environmental tax) are potential ways to address this challenge. The current study explores relationships between these factors and transportation emissions in China, with a focus on achieving the 2060 carbon neutrality goal. To investigate the research gap, the study employs the novel econometric, method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) for benchmark estimation and the bootstrap quantile regression (BSQR) technique for sensitivity estimations from 2000/Q1 to 2019/Q4, and the study confirms the hypothesis of "carbon neutrality." The results reveal that green logistics and green finance have a negative impact on transportation emissions across all quantiles. Environmental technology, environmental tax, and renewable energy also help reduce transportation emissions. On the contrary, economic growth increases transportation emissions, with a greater effect in the early quantile stages but a diminishing impact in later stages. Based on the study's findings, policymakers should prioritize sustainable development strategies to achieve the goal of "carbon neutrality." Implementing green logistics and promoting green investments are essential steps in this direction. Additionally, greater support should be given to the renewable energy sector, green technologies, and sustainable growth to achieve the carbon neutrality goal in China by 2060.