The carbon dioxide neutralizing effect of energy innovation on international tourism in EU-5 countries under the prism of the EKC hypothesis

Evaluating the mitigating potential of tourism on economic growth-induced ecological footprint: Insights from Asian countries

Over the past three decades, Asian countries have experienced rapid economic growth, leading to a substantial increase in ecological footprint and posing significant challenges to sustainability. This study investigates the potential of tourism as a sustainable development strategy to mitigate the ecological footprint induced by economic growth. Utilizing data from 1990 to 2022 across 28 Asian countries, rigorous econometric methods including panel cointegration tests were employed to detect co-integration relationships. The results not only confirm the existence of co-integration but also reveal that tourism plays a crucial role in reducing the ecological footprint associated with economic growth in Asian countries. Furthermore, the study identifies specific mechanisms through which tourism contributes to mitigating environmental impact, such as promoting sustainable practices, conservation efforts, and eco-friendly infrastructure development. These findings underscore the importance of integrating tourism into sustainable development strategies and highlight its potential to balance economic growth with environmental conservation in Asian nations. This research provides actionable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, emphasizing the need for sustainable tourism initiatives to address the challenges of economic growth-induced ecological footprint in Asia.

Spatial effects of renewable and fossil energy consumption on the ecological footprint for the EU Countries

This study examines the spillover of pollution among the 26 European Union (EU) countries from 1995 to 2020. In order to quantify pollution spillovers among the countries, we estimated the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) using spatial econometric methods. Our research is unique in that it investigates ecological footprint spillovers for EU countries. This study also considers the direct and indirect effects of renewable and fossil energy consumption and globalization on environmental degradation in EU countries. The empirical results favor the validity of the EKC hypothesis. Our results support the presence of positive and significant ecological footprint spillovers among EU countries. Our spatial estimates also reveal the significant spillover impact of explanatory variables on the ecological footprint. The ecological footprint of the local country is declining owing to the consumption of renewable energy in neighboring countries. Furthermore, the fossil energy consumption of the local and neighboring countries has a positive impact on the ecological footprint. Evidence obtained from our spatial estimates provides useful insights to policymakers in developing appropriate environmental policies to combat climate change.

Digitalization's contribution towards sustainable development and climate change mitigation: An empirical evidence from EU economies

The current study aims to test the usage of econometric and machine learning approaches to study the relationship between methane (CH4), a hydrocarbon component of natural gas, as a proxy of carbon emission, GDP as economic growth, financial development (FIN), and medium and high technologies as a proxy of information technology (ICT) and human development (HDI). This study observes two extended moderating effect models of human development index and financial development via medium and high technologies on carbon emissions over the 15-year periods from 2007 to 2021 for the 27 EU economies. Results indicate that when considered solely, ICT, economic growth, and HDI improve environmental quality and contribute to climate change mitigation, reducing methane emissions, whereas financial development seems to damage environmental quality. However, the crossed effects of ICT with HDI, and that of ICT with FIN, were considered in estimations, with results pointing out that those favorably affect climate change mitigation. Jointly considering ICT, HDI, and financial development proves to have a synergistic effect in promoting environmental health than each element on its own. Green and yellow countries were also identified revealing the countries for which a reduction and increase, respectively, in the value of methane emissions is predicted after three years. In the case of the entire panel, the STR (linear regression tree) algorithm predicts an average growth in methane emissions of around 3.64 %. Important policy directions are drawn considering the results obtained.

Dynamic nexus among fossil fuels utilization, economic growth, and urbanization: a tri-regional selected countries analysis

There are worldwide growing concerns about environmental issues such as global warming and climate change. Moreover, it is expected that there will be regional differences in environmental issues. Therefore, this study focuses on a tri-regional comparison: America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Previous literature has paid less attention to exploring regional comparisons while considering regional heterogeneity. Against this backdrop, this study delves into the dynamic relationship between fossil fuel utilization, economic growth, globalization, urbanization, and CO2 emissions to understand the environmental implications of these interconnected factors. The study period spans from 1990 to 2021. Additionally, it employed rigorous tests to confirm cross-sectional dependence and data heterogeneity, following methodologies proposed by Pesaran (2004, 2015) and Pesaran (2007), utilizing the CS-ARDL panel cointegration methodology by Chudik and Pesaran (2015). The results confirm long-term significant relationships among OC, NGC, FDI, and UR variables in both combined panels, with and without regional dummies. However, GDP and COC become insignificant in the long run in the dummy variables regression. Furthermore, the regional dummies were found to be negative but remain insignificant, possibly due to heterogeneous effects or unobserved factors influencing each region independently. Analysis by region reveals predominant coal consumption in Asia, higher oil consumption in America, and greater gas consumption in Europe. Economic growth and CO2 emissions are positive in Asia and America but negative in Europe, aligning with theories prioritizing growth over environmental concerns in Asia and America, and advocating for renewable energy adoption in Europe. Urbanization increases energy demand and emissions, supporting the environmental revolution theory, while FDI holds the potential to reduce CO2 emissions, as per the endogenous growth theory.

How causality impacts the renewable energy, carbon emissions, and economic growth nexus in the South Caucasus Countries?

Renewable energy is essential for boosting economic expansion and lowering carbon dioxide emission (CO2) to achieve carbon neutrality. This study's objective is to investigate the relationship between the use of renewable energy, economic growth, and CO2 for South Caucasus Countries. For analysis purposes, time series methods were applied on the panel data. Second-generation unit root and cointegration tests were used to test the cross-sectional dependence. Afterward, panel causality and panel VAR techniques were performed to examine the relationship between the variables. Based on feedback hypothesis, results of our causality analysis revealed a bidirectional causality relationship between growth and renewable energy consumption. Moreover, we revealed unidirectional causality from CO2 to renewable energy and from growth to CO2 emission. We also found that the effect of a shock in renewable energy on growth is increasing, and on CO2, it is decreasing implying that renewable energy consumption will trigger growth and have a reducing effect on CO2 emissions. We portrayed significant workable implications for policymakers, regulation bodies, companies, stakeholders, and managers. Results from this study should be extrapolated with caution since their applicability is limited to the South Caucasus Countries. In addition, the research heavily depends on summaries, which may obscure regional differences. In the future, researchers may want to dig deeper into the data and examine the subtle effect of renewable energy policy nationally. Moreover, including socio-economic aspects and technical improvements in the research might give a more thorough picture of the dynamics at play.

The Impact of Economic Corridor and Tourism on Local Community's Quality of Life under One Belt One Road Context

Economic corridors unlock new economic opportunities and tourism development in the region to achieve sustainable development goals. Green economic growth is conducive to environmental sustainability. Economic mega-projects of CPEC promote tourism that leads to communities' well-being and better quality of life. Modern infrastructure development contributes significantly to economic growth and tourism activities. This study's objectives emphasize exploring tourism and sustainable development pursuits under OBOR economic projects that open doors to improving residents' quality of life. The growing world is an eyewitness to a continuous rise in emissions and its severe consequences for humankind. It is necessary to show off the leading factors that result in tourism and economic activities causing environmental pollution rather than blame policymakers. Undoubtedly, many studies previously focused on demonstrating the influence of socio-economic factors that lead to better environmental quality. However, the empirical literature on tourism, social well-being, foreign direct investment, and the Environment in Belt and Road developed economies needed improvement. This research applied a series of advanced estimators that help demonstrate the study's probable results. This study explores the role of Social well-being (HDI), tourism development, FDI, renewable energy, information & communication technology (ICT), and urbanization on CO2 emissions in Belt and Road (BRI) developed economies.Estimated results exhibited the significant contribution of ICT and renewable energy to sustainability. Besides, FDI contributes to emissions reduction after its threshold level. Conversely, urbanization and tourism activities contribute to environmental pollution. The study outcomes stated inverted/EKC U-shaped hypotheses related to specified economies. Finally, the analysis based on the D-H panel causality test constructs exciting results.The present study concludes that economic corridor plays a vital role in tourism development, the community's well-being, and SDGs goals (sustainable development) impact on environmental safety. The findings suggest essential and applicable policies to attain the desired sustainability level. Findings contribute to the literature on tourism, well-being, and sustainability. Further studies can use insights using this methodology.

Renewable energy, inequality and environmental degradation

The connection between income inequality and environmental degradation remains a topic of persistent debate, marked by inconsistencies in both theoretical and empirical studies. This study offers a novel contribution to this discourse by investigating the simultaneous influences of renewable energy and income inequality on environmental degradation. Utilizing data from 158 nations from 2000 to 2017, our research reveals a crucial moderating role of renewable energy in the nexus between income inequality and environmental degradation. The study's key finding is that the impact of income inequality on environmental degradation is contingent on the level of renewable energy development. In scenarios with limited renewable energy, income equality leads to increased environmental degradation. However, when renewable energy is more developed, income equality contributes to reducing environmental degradation. This novel insight suggests that renewable energy development can mitigate the trade-off between pursuing income equality and environmental sustainability, thereby enabling their simultaneous achievement. The research also highlights that a more equitable income distribution enhances the environmental benefits of renewable energy. Further analysis demonstrates the significant role played by household consumption behavior and social norms in shaping this phenomenon. By adding these new dimensions to the existing literature, the study significantly enriches the understanding of the complex interplay among economic factors, renewable energy, and environmental sustainability.

Measuring the impact of responsible factors on CO2 emission using generalized additive model (GAM)

The indicators of economic and sustainable development ultimately significantly depend on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in every country. In Bangladesh, there is an increasing trend in population, industrialization, as well as electricity demand generated from different sources, ultimately increasing CO2 emissions. This study explores the relationship between CO2 emissions and other significant relevant indicators. Moreover, the authors aimed to identify which model is effective at predicting CO2 emissions and assess the accuracy of the prediction of different models. The secondary data from 1971 to 2020, was collected from the World Bank and the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority's publicly accessible website. The generalized additive model (GAM), the polynomial regression (PR), and multiple linear regression (MLR) were used for modeling CO2 emissions. The model performance is evaluated using the Bayesian information criterion (BIC), Akaike information criterion (AIC), Root mean square error (RMSE), R-square, and mean square error (MSE). Results revealed that there are few multicollinearity problems in the datasets and exhibit a nonlinear relationship among CO2 emissions. Among the models considered in this study, the GAM model has the lowest value of RMSE = 0.008, MSE = 0.000063, AIC = -303.21, BIC = -266.64 and the highest value of R-squared = 0.996 compared to the MLR and PR models, suggesting the most appropriate model in predicting CO2 emissions in Bangladesh. Findings revealed that the total CO2 emissions and other relevant risk factors is non-linear. The study suggests that the Generalized additive model regression technique can be used as an effective tool for predicting CO2 emissions in Bangladesh. The authors believed that the findings would be helpful to policymakers in designing effective strategies in the areas of a low-carbon economy, encouraging the use of renewable energy sources, and focusing on technological advancement that reduces CO2 emissions and ensures a sustainable environment in Bangladesh.

Financial innovation, environmental degradation, and environmental Kuznets curve trends in China

This study examines the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) theory and its possible relevance in the context of China and the complex and one-of-a-kind interaction between financial innovation, environmental deterioration, and China. China's fast industrialization and consequent economic expansion have been accompanied by significant environmental difficulties, despite the country's status as the world's second largest economy. The research takes a secondary data approach to its investigation of this topic, drawing on a large dataset that spans many decades to ensure a thorough examination of the dynamic interaction between financial innovation and numerous environmental variables. The primary objective of this research is to determine whether or not recent developments in financial technology have contributed to the current trends of environmental degradation in China. In keeping with the central tenet of the EKC hypothesis, this study uses cutting-edge econometric techniques to investigate the existence of nonlinear correlations and inflection points. In addition, the research analyzes how policy interventions and regulatory measures have shaped the tendencies spotted. In elucidating the usefulness of financial innovation as a tool for promoting environmental betterment, this study's findings substantially contribute to the current discussion around sustainable development and economic policy. This research also carefully assesses the applicability of the EKC theory in China, providing insights that may be used to inform future environmental policy decisions. Ultimately, the success of measures to promote sustained economic growth and the preservation of the environment in China depends on an in-depth understanding of these delicate relationships. In addition, the lessons learned from this study have the potential to serve as a guide for economies facing similar difficulties.

Revisiting dynamic linkages among ecological sustainability, tourism, and climate change in China

The research intends to inquire into the dynamic connections between ecological sustainability, tourism, and climate change. This novel approach aims to investigate the interdependencies among these three important variables. This research aims to examine tourism's effects on environmental sustainability in the face of global warming. We use a large dataset that comprises measures of tourist success, measurements of environmental sustainability, and climate change factors. Applying empirical estimation techniques allows a more detailed look at the data by accounting for variation across quantiles. The results of this study will aid in expanding our knowledge of the relationships among ecological sustainability, tourism, and climate change. To better understand the influence of tourism on ecological sustainability, it is helpful to quantify the interactions at various quantiles. Policymakers, stakeholders in the tourist sector, and environmental groups will find this information essential as they work to establish focused measures to encourage environmentally responsible travel and lessen the impact of climate change. This investigation also provides policy implications by shedding light on the interplay of tourist growth, ecological sustainability, and climate change reduction and offers research-based research solutions for achieving this delicate balancing action.

Analyzing the impacts of renewable energy, patents, and trade on carbon emissions-evidence from the novel method of MMQR

Achieving sustainable development necessitates proactive measures to mitigate the economy's negative impact on environmental standards. A new empirical association between renewable energy patent innovation and net international trade on carbon emissions in ASEAN countries from 1990 to 2021 is presented, along with its significance. Using present panel data techniques, this study investigates the connections between these factors. Second-generation cointegration and unit root tests, as well as a novel method of Moments Quantile Regression, are used in the econometric procedure. Compared to standard quantile regression, this method is more resistant to outliers and provides an asymmetric relationship between the variables. The findings show that trade increases carbon emissions in countries with medium to high emissions, that patent innovation contributes to increasing emissions, and that renewable energy mitigates carbon emissions in countries with low to medium emerging economies. Our results are consistent with other specifications, including quantile regression canay (Canay 2011), fully modified, dynamic, and fixed effect regressions, proving the EKC hypothesis. These countries need to prioritize greener products and adopt advanced manufacturing technologies to reduce carbon emissions from consumption. However, as prosperity increases, it also leads to higher consumption-based carbon emissions, worsening ecological damage in the region. Implementing policies like trade synchronization and increasing investment in patent innovations are proposed in this study to lower the current level of carbon emissions.

Research on the pathway of digital technology to drive China's energy sector to achieve its carbon neutrality goal

With global climate change looming large, there is an urgent need for China's energy sector to take steps towards carbon neutrality. This study aims to explore how digital technologies can contribute to the pathway for China's energy sector to achieve carbon neutrality. By analyzing carbon neutrality policies and digital technology applications, we propose a systematic pathway framework to guide China's energy sector in integrating digital technology to accelerate the pace of achieving carbon neutrality in the energy sector. We first review the current status of carbon emissions and carbon neutrality targets in China's energy sector, and in light of the development trend of modern digital technologies, we propose key application areas for digital technologies in realizing carbon neutrality in the energy sector. Second, we detail the specific applications and effects of digital technologies in energy supply side optimization, energy utilization efficiency improvement, carbon sink management, and smart grid construction. Through theoretical modeling and empirical analysis, we demonstrate the great potential of digital technologies in carbon emission reduction and carbon neutrality in the energy sector and reveal the key role of digital technologies in carbon-neutral pathways. Finally, we propose effective technology implementation measures and point out important challenges and solution paths for digital technologies in carbon-neutral practices. This study provides a scientific basis and guidance for China's energy sector to achieve carbon neutrality with the help of digital technologies and promotes the important steps towards carbon neutrality in China.

Financial inclusion and environmental pollution in Türkiye: Fresh evidence from load capacity curve using AARDL method

Sustainability is an important concept for the whole world. Generally, in order to measure the sustainability of the environment, carbon dioxide emissions and ecological footprint indicators are used. However, these variables do not reflect the supply side of natural resources. Therefore, load capacity factor is an important environmental indicator for a sustainability. Environmental assessment based on the load capacity factor is more meaningful. Besides, improved access to financial services can contribute to environmental sustainability. The effect of financial inclusion on the load capacity factor in Türkiye has not been examined in the current literature. In this context, this study analyzes the impact of financial inclusion, hydropower energy consumption, and life expectancy at birth on environmental sustainability from a different perspective by focusing on load capacity factor. To this end, this study used the newly developed Augmented ARDL method to determine the cointegration relationship between the series and measure the values of the long-term coefficients. Based on the Augmented ARDL method, there is a cointegration relationship between the series. In the long run, hydropower energy consumption reduces pollution, while financial inclusion decreases load capacity factor. The effect of life expectancy at birth on pollution is not significant. Moreover, the results reveal that the load capacity curve hypothesis is valid in Türkiye. As a result, the Turkish government should promote renewable energy sources, especially hydropower energy consumption, align financial services with pollution reduction measures, and contribute to the creation of an environmentally conscious society.

Research in tourism sustainability: A comprehensive bibliometric analysis from 1990 to 2022

Although multiple bibliometric studies have been conducted to analyze publications on various topics within tourism, little attention has been dedicated to systematically analyzing scholarly production on the topic of tourism sustainability. Consequently, this paper aims to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric and systematic review of tourism sustainability. The collected data include 6326 publications retrieved from the Scopus database. The bibliometric technique consists of two major analyses: one on the domain (levels of analysis) and one on knowledge structures. The results indicated a remarkable evolution of tourism sustainability research involving authors, sources, and publications on this subject. Several associations and nations made significant contributions to this theme. Moreover, science mapping approaches were used to thoroughly grasp tourism sustainability-related research's social, intellectual, and conceptual structure. By giving in-depth overviews and insights connected to tourism sustainability and its knowledge structures, this review article has various implications for scientific study and practice.

Do economic development and tourism heterogeneously influence ecological sustainability? Implications for sustainable development

While economic development-driven anthropogenic emissions pose challenges to ecological sustainability, the international travel and tourism sector has appeared as a hot contestant to bring sustainability to the ecological systems across varying development levels. This work investigates the diversified effects of the international travel and tourism sector and economic development on ecological deterioration, in the presence of urban agglomeration and energy use efficiency, across the development levels of China's 30 provincial units from 2002 to 2019. It contributes in two ways. (i) The stochastic estimation of environmental impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology (STIRPAT) is modified to integrate the variables like international travel and tourism sector, urban agglomeration, and energy use efficiency. (ii) We measured an international travel and tourism sector index (ITTI) and made use of a continuously updated bias correction strategy (CUBCS) and a continuously updated fully modified strategy (CUFMS) for the long-term estimations. Besides, we used the bootstrapping-based causality technique for determining causality directions. The core results are as follows: Firstly, ITTI and economic development produced an inverse U-type association with ecological deterioration for the aggregate panels. Secondly, provinces exhibited a diverse range of links in that ITTI mitigated (boosted) the ecological deterioration in eleven (fourteen) provinces presenting diversified shapes of linkages. Economic development established the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) theory with ecological deterioration in merely four provinces; however, the non-EKC theory is verified in twenty-four divisions. Thirdly, in China's east zone (high development scale), the ITTI revealed the ecological deterioration reduction (promotion) impact in eight (two) provinces. China's central zone (moderate development scale) exhibited ecological deterioration promotion in half of the provinces, and the other half showed a reduction impact. In China's west zone (low development scale), it promoted ecological deterioration in eight provinces. Economic development promoted (reduced) ecological deterioration in a single (nine) province(s). In China's central zone, it boosted (mitigated) the ecological deterioration in five (three) provinces. In China's west zone, it promoted (reduced) ecological deterioration in eight (two) provinces. Fourthly, urban agglomeration and energy use efficiency deteriorated and improved the environmental quality in aggregated panels, respectively; however, a diverse range of effects are observed for provinces. Finally, a unilateral bootstrap causality, from ITTI (economic development) to ecological deterioration, is revealed in twenty-four (fifteen) provinces. A bilateral causality is established in a single (thirteen) province(s). Based on empirical findings, policies are suggested.

Renewable energy, forest cover, export diversification, and ecological footprint: a machine learning application in moderating eco-innovations on agriculture in the BRICS-T economies

The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) recommended that the member nations enhance their technological progression and structural transformation to mitigate the problems of climate change. The BRICS-T countries consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, and Turkey agreed to implement COP26's policy suggestions. These countries accounted for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, thus posing severe threats to the global environment. The current study explores the role of renewable energy, forest depletion, eco-innovations, and export diversification in impacting the ecological footprint for those BRICS-T countries. We further examine the moderating effect of eco-innovations on agriculture on the BRICS-T nations. The study contributes to the existing literature by providing newer empirical insights on how eco-innovations and export diversification, along with renewable energy, forest cover, and agriculture, affecting the ecological footprint in the BRICS-T nations. It utilizes novel empirical methods like parametric and non-parametric techniques to derive the short-run and long-run empirical results. The empirical findings based on the augmented mean group and the kernel regularized least square methods document that economic growth, agriculture value added, and forest depletion increase the ecological footprint. In contrast, renewable energy and eco-innovations decrease the level of ecological footprint. In the long run, a 1% rise in GDP leads to a rise in the ecological footprint by 0.64% using the augmented mean group (AMG) estimation. The mean marginal effects are - 0.27%, 0.29%, and 0.17% for renewable energy; agriculture and forest cover, respectively, using the kernel-based regularized least square methods. The study suggests that policies designed for controlling the ecological footprints focus on the use of energy efficient technologies, particularly in the agricultural sector.

Toward China's green growth through boosting energy transition: the role of energy efficiency

The primary purpose of this study is to quantitatively evaluate whether low-carbon energy transition has achieved preliminary progress in facilitating China's green evolution of economy following the provincial dataset. Besides, how improved energy efficiency moderates the influence of energy transition on green growth and the mediation effects are also quantitatively explored. The primary findings insist that low carbonization energy transition is positively associated with green growth, a finding detected by a series of sensitivity checks. Besides, the reciprocal actions between adjusting energy structure and raising energy productivity can effectively strengthen their roles in promoting green growth. In addition, boosting clean energy transition plays an indirect role in green growth by enhancing energy productivity while directly facilitating green growth. Following the three outcomes, this study puts forward some policy implications on enhancing governmental supervision, promoting clean energy evolution, and upgrading ecological protection technologies.

Persistence of CO2 emissions in G7 countries: a different outlook from wavelet-based linear and nonlinear unit root tests

Today, environmental issues such as the inability to control rising carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, climate change, and global warming are on the agenda of policy-makers and various organizations. The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016 and rejoined by the USA in 2021, emphasizes the need for decarbonization and the importance of CO₂ reduction for sustainable development. Since environmental policies can have long-term effects on variables containing unit roots, it is important for policy-makers to understand the stochastic properties of CO₂ emissions. In this context, we propose a new wavelet-based nonlinear unit root test to investigate the stationary properties of the per capita CO₂ emissions for the G7 countries during the period 1868-2014. To compare results, we use eight different tests that take into account both the time-frequency domain difference, the nonlinear-linear difference, and smooth structural breaks. The results of the different linear tests illustrate that CO₂ emissions have a unit root in the frequency domain for all countries. Moreover, nonlinear unit root test results indicate that the CO₂ emissions for the UK are stationary in the time domain. Overall, we consider frequency domain test results, and conclude that CO₂ emission policies have permanent effects for G7 countries. Based on the findings, we recommend that the G7 countries take long-term measures to reduce CO₂ emissions, such as joint actions to improve environmental quality through fossil fuel conservation, renewable energy improvement, and environmental awareness programs.

Are the impacts of renewable energy use on load capacity factors homogeneous for developed and developing nations? Evidence from the G7 and E7 nations

Both developed and underdeveloped economies worldwide are now more concerned than ever in respect of achieving environmental sustainability. Accordingly, the majority of the global economies have ratified several environment-related pacts to facilitate the tackling of global environment-related problems. Although these problems are assumed to be addressed using diverse mechanisms, limiting the use of fossil fuels has often been recognized as the ultimate enabler of environmental sustainability. Against this backdrop, this study aims to assess the environmental impacts associated with higher renewable energy use, controlling for economic growth and population size, in the context of the G7 and E7 countries using data from 1997 to 2018. Moreover, instead of using the traditional environmental quality proxies, this study tries to proxy environmental degradation with the load capacity factor levels of the countries of concern. The long-run associations among the study's variables are confirmed by outcomes generated from the cointegration analysis. Besides, regression analysis highlighted that integrating renewable energy into the energy systems while withdrawing from the use of fossil fuels can help to improve environmental quality by increasing the load capacity factor levels. In contrast, economic growth and population size expansion are evidenced to impose environmental quality-dampening impacts by reducing the load capacity factor levels. However, the findings, in the majority of the cases, are seen to differ across the groups of the G7 and E7 countries, especially in terms of the variations in the magnitudes of marginal environmental effects over the short and long run. Lastly, the causality analysis confirms the directions of the causal relationships among the variables of concern. Based on these results, a couple of policy interventions are recommended for improving environmental quality in the G7 and E7 countries.

Revisiting the effects of energy, population, foreign direct investment, and economic growth in Visegrad countries under the EKC scheme

This research studied the impacts of the environmental Kuznets curve and the determinants of economic growth for Visegrad countries from 1990 to 2018. This paper reflects on the effects of renewable and non-renewable energy, urban population, foreign direct investment, economic growth, and carbon dioxide emissions. According to our results, the panel of unit root tests showed that the variables under study are integrated into the first differences. Considering the empirical results for the environmental Kuznets curve, we observe that economic growth is positively correlated with pollution emissions; nevertheless, the squared income per capita is negatively impacted by carbon dioxide emissions. Energy consumption increases carbon emissions, and foreign direct investment confirms the pollution halo hypothesis. Therefore, the econometric results showed that renewable energy consumption promotes regional growth. Consequently, urban population and foreign direct investment positively correlate with economic growth.

Exploring the dynamic nexus between renewable energy, poverty alleviation, and environmental pollution: fresh evidence from E-9 countries

The present study aims to scrutinize the long- and short-run relationship along with the direction of causality among environmental pollution (CO₂), renewable, non-renewable energy, income disparity, exchange rate, and poverty alleviation in E-9 countries of continent Asia, using a panel dataset from 1990 to 2018. The current study used pooled mean group autoregressive distributed lag (PMG ARDL) and Dumitrescu-Hurlin (D-H) causality test after affirming a stable long-run association among environmental pollution and all the explanatory variables. However, ECM (error correction mechanism) was specified to explore short-run dynamics. The study's outcomes confirmed strong co-integration among environmental pollution (CO₂), renewable, non-renewable energy, income disparity, exchange rate, and poverty alleviation. Moreover, uni (bi) directional causality runs from non-renewable energy, exchange rate, and income disparity (poverty alleviation and renewable energy) to environmental pollution (CO₂). Results also revealed that poverty alleviation, exchange rate, and renewable energy usage substantially negatively influence environmental pollution (CO₂). Contrarily, income disparities and non-renewable energy usage positively influence long- and short-run environmental pollution. Therefore, from the policy perspective, the current study focused on twofold; first, there is a desire to alleviate poverty, the decline in non-renewable energy use and income disparity among upper and lower-income quintiles. Second, boost exchange rate and renewable energy use to control environmental pollution in the described least developed countries (LDCs).

Determinants of CO2 emissions and economic progress: A case from a developing economy

This study attempts to explore the bond between Pakistani exports, gross capital formation, energy use and carbon dioxide emission. It uses the data from Pakistan spanning over a longer time horizon of 40 years ranging from 1981 to 2020. The results of ARDL analysis show that Pakistani exports have inverse relationship with CO₂ emission in both short as well as long run and the carbon emission reverts to equilibrium at the speed of 54.9%. Increase in carbon emission also lowers export but the causal relationship is only from exports to carbon emission. Energy utilization results in higher carbon emission both in short as well as long run. Based on above findings this study suggests that Pakistan should increase its exports to improve the position of its balance of payment because higher exports do not harm environment in case of Pakistan.

The impact of income inequity on energy consumption: The moderating role of digitalization

Income inequity and energy consumption have become important issues for sustainable development, and digitalization offers unlimited potential for bridging the income gap and decreasing energy consumption. Based on an international perspective, we confirm the impact of income inequality on energy consumption in 108 countries from 2000 to 2019 and then explore the moderating and threshold effects of digitalization on the impact of income inequality on energy consumption. The empirical results indicate that income inequality causes a surge in energy consumption, and the dynamic SYS-GMM results suggest that for every 1 unit increase in income inequality, energy consumption increases by 0.003 unit. The moderating effect suggests that digitalization helps mitigate the impact of a 3.654% surge in energy consumption caused by income inequality. In comparison, digitalization has a significant moderating effect on energy consumption in middle- and high-income countries (Europe, the Americas, and the Asia-Pacific region), and the moderating effect of digitalization is effective in both free and non-free economies. The dynamic SYS-GMM threshold panel models reveal a non-linear relationship between income inequality and energy consumption affected by digitalization. This provides international evidence that reveals the underlying mechanisms of digitalization, income inequality, and energy consumption. It will better guide countries in harnessing digital dividends to overcome the twin dilemmas of the income gap and energy poverty.

Revisiting the environmental kuznets curve hypothesis in 208 counties: The roles of trade openness, human capital, renewable energy and natural resource rent

Achieving carbon neutral requires a comprehensive understanding of the effect of different key factors on carbon emissions. To this end, this study investigates the effect of trade openness, human capital, renewable energy and natural resource rent on carbon emissions within the framework of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. Second-generation econometric tests, Generalized Method of Moments and Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares estimator were developed based on the aggregated dataset of 208 countries from 1990 to 2018. The results show that (i) the EKC hypothesis is validated when the effects of trade openness, human capital, renewable energy consumption, and natural resource rents are considered. The relationship between income level and carbon emissions shows an "inverted U-shaped" curve at the global level. Besides, the real GDP per capita corresponding to the EKC turning point is 19,203$. (ii) Renewable energy consumption and human capital have heterogeneous effects on carbon emissions in before- and after-EKC turning points. Specifically, renewable energy consumption has a better emission reduction effect for countries before the EKC turning point, with effects of -0.4334 and -0.1598, respectively; human capital has a better emission reduction effect for countries after the EKC turning point, with effects of -0.6311 and -0.3398, respectively.(iii) the mitigation effect of trade openness on carbon emissions is only effective in countries with weak decoupling after EKC turning points, with a mitigating effect of -0.0615. However, natural resource rents increase carbon emissions in most countries.

Coupling coordination degree and driving factors of new-type urbanization and low-carbon development in the Yangtze River Delta: based on nighttime light data

The coordination relationship between new-type urbanization and urban low-carbon development under the goal of carbon neutrality has become a hot issue that needs to be focused on when formulating policies. Based on the estimation of urban CO2 emissions by night light data, this study used spatial autocorrelation, spatial Markov chain and geographically weighted regression model to measure the spatial correlation and spillover effects of the coupling coordination degree of two systems in the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration from 2005 to 2018 and analyzed the influencing factors. The results showed that (1) the coupling coordination degree showed an increasing trend, but the club effect was quite obvious, and the regional pattern was higher in southeast and lower in northwest; (2) the spatial spillover effect of coupling coordination degree is significant, which aggravates the long-term persistence of the imbalance pattern; (3) regional economic level, government fiscal regulation, and industrial upgrading are the main driving forces for the increase of coupling coordination degree, while over-concentration of population and low energy efficiency are the main obstacles. Finally, on the basis of these conclusions, we provide targeted policy planning suggestions for policy makers.

The evolution of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis assessment: A literature review under a critical analysis perspective

Environmental changes based on factors like urbanization, population, economic growth, increase in energy consumption, and agricultural intensification are never far from the top of any agenda. The topics of environmental degradation and climate change cannot be confined to a single country or region but need to be addressed on a global scale. If the focus is on the relationship between environmental degradation and economic growth, then one hypothesis that is comprehensively used as an empirically model is the widely known Environmental Kuznets Curve. A substantial amount of research has been published about the Environmental Kuznets Curve, and this present study provides a detailed and extensive literature review of more than 200 articles from 1998 to 2022 to explain and assess its evolution. This literature review provides in detail the Environmental Kuznets Curve relationship under analysis, the additional variables included, the type of analysis and methods performed, the relationships obtained, and if the turning point is calculated. Furthermore, this comprehensive literature points out critical issues and gaps in the Environmental Kuznets Curve analysis. It is important to note that there are components that are not considered in the Environmental Kuznets Curve analysis. The Environmental Kuznets Curve only focuses on production and overlooks the impact of the consumption of imported goods on the environment. Consequently, environmental improvements from technological progress will be offset, and economic growth will result in more environmental degradation. This goes against the change in consumer behaviour which occurs with a rise in income, which is one basic assumption of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. The relocation of pollutant industries and consequent relocation of emissions could distort the emissions trajectory over the economic growth path and is also not considered in the Environmental Kuznets Curve analysis. On the other hand, the growth path traced by the inverted U-shaped is not efficient, and the environmental damage provoked in the first phases of the EKC might not be repairable. Therefore, technological progress, climate finance, and energy transition could improve the Environmental Kuznets Curve assessment.

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A EKC literature survey of more than 200 articles from 1998 to 2022.

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Comprehensive description of the EKC evolution and its functional specification.

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Three dilemmas of the EKC are explained by the Green Solow Model.

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EKC estimation is sensitive to functional specification.

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Climate finance and technological progress could influence EKC assessment.

The marginal effects of economic growth, financial development, and low-carbon energy use on carbon footprints in Oman: fresh evidence from autoregressive distributed lag model analysis

Oman is committed to turning carbon neutral by 2040 whereby identifying the environmental sustainability-stimulating factors has become a critically important agenda for the nation. Against this backdrop, this study attempts to evaluate the marginal effects of economic growth, financial development, and low-carbon energy use on Oman's carbon footprint levels using quarterly frequency data spanning from 1984Q1 to 2018Q4. Controlling for structural break concerns in the data, the results from the empirical analysis verify the carbon footprint-related environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for Oman in the long-run. In this regard, the threshold level of per capita real GDP level of Oman is predicted at around US $23,500 which is below the average and maximum per capita real GDP level of Oman during the period considered in this study. Besides, the development of the financial sector and scaling up consumption of low-carbon energy resources are evidenced to boost and curb Oman's short- and long-run carbon footprint figures, respectively. More importantly, the joint carbon footprint-mitigating impact of financial development and low-carbon energy use is also unearthed from the findings. In line with these major findings, a couple of relevant policy interventions are suggested to help Oman accomplish its 2040 carbon-neutrality agenda.

Investigation of economic and financial determinants of carbon emissions by panel quantile regression analysis: the case of Visegrád countries

This study determines the impacts of gross domestic product, domestic bank credits given to private sector, and military expenditures on carbon emissions based on 1990-2019 time period. The panel quantile regression approach is applied for the Visegrád group countries. Our empirical results reveal that domestic bank credit given to private sector has a positive and meaningful impact on carbon emissions at medium and high quantile levels. On the other hand, it has been determined that gross domestic product has a reducing impact on carbon emissions, but military expenditures have an increasing impact on carbon emissions. Besides, as consequences of such tests, the difference between the quantiles, that is, the heterogeneous structure was revealed. A separate model was created with a different panel quantile approach for robustness control, and the results were compared by giving different values to penalty term. These results provide strong evidence for decision-makers and implementers.

Revealing the effectiveness of technological innovation shocks on CO2 emissions in BRICS: emerging challenges and implications

The debate on technological innovation shocks and its effect on the environment are of great interest to academicians and environmentalists worldwide. At present, primary focus of this research is to investigate the asymmetric technology shocks and its impact on CO₂ emissions for BRICS economies. The linear and non-linear panel ARDL models are applied to compute both short-run and long-run dynamics of technology shocks and CO₂ emissions. Asymmetric estimates confer that a positive shock in patents reduces the CO₂ emissions by 0.418%, whereas negative shock increases the CO₂ emissions by 0.854%. Contrariwise, the trademark positive shock increases the carbon emissions by 0.416% and vice versa. The non-linear analysis provides an opportunity to measure the direction and magnitude of positive and negative shocks in technology on the environmental quality of BRICS economies. Hence, policymakers and environmentalists should devise their strategies by keeping in mind the impacts of positive and negative shocks.

Is there a relationship between natural gas consumption and the environmental Kuznets curve? Empirical evidence from Bangladesh

Bangladesh has significant natural gas reserves, and total demand has climbed substantially in recent years. The study uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model for cointegration and the vector autoregressive(VAR) Granger causality model to analyze a long-run link between natural gas (NG) consumption, economic development, urbanization, and CO2 emissions. The objective is to investigate the relationship between the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and Bangladesh's NG consumption using data from the years 1990 to 2018. According to the ARDL model, economic growth, urbanization, and NG consumption, all have a positive and significant influence on CO2 emissions. Despite having a negative coefficient, the square of economic development has a significant impact on CO2 emissions. In the long run, it verifies the EKC hypothesis in Bangladesh. Both linear and nonlinear economic development determinants display statistically significant positive and negative signals in the short run. From Bangladesh's perspective, this also demonstrates the presence of an EKC. The impact of NG consumption in the short run is insignificant; nevertheless, urbanization has a significant effect. The VAR Granger causality demonstrates that economic development and urbanization have a bidirectional response; however, NG consumption and CO2 emissions have just one-way causality. The key policy implication of the study is that NG use is expected to raise emissions. Increasing the share of clean energy in the energy utilization system, such as nuclear power and renewable energy, is a plausible policy choice.

Retrospecting on resource abundance in leading oil-producing African countries: how valid is the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in a sectoral composition framework?

Policymakers and authorities in Africa are often concerned about economic growth and stability owing to the long history of socioeconomic problems that have bedeviled the continent for years. However, increasing environmental degradation challenges in recent times beckons for adequate attention considering Africa's vulnerability to climate change and environmental disasters. Thus, the current study examines the illustrious environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in a sectoral composition framework of fossil resources abundance among leading oil-producing African economies, including Algeria, Nigeria, Angola, and Egypt, using a combination of quantile regression (QR) approach and dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) for data between 1995 and 2016. Based on the empirical results from the study, three main factors significantly increase environmental pollution through CO₂ emissions among the countries, namely: fossil energy consumption, income levels, and the shares of the manufacturing sector in the total gross domestic product (GDP). While income growth exacerbates pollution, the negative impacts of the income square were only significant at the lower and mid quantiles of the understudied periods in the QR estimates. Thus, the EKC hypothesis was not convincingly upheld for the countries as its validity demonstrates significant quantile effects. Furthermore, the tripartite causality nexus among real income, resource rent, and share of the service sector in GDP, which is unobserved in the share of the manufacturing sector, reflect the infamous Dutch disease argument among the resource-dependent countries. Hence, to promote environmental sustainability and address resource dependency toward the actualization of SDGs (1, 8, 12, and 13), the study recommends energy portfolios diversification alongside economic diversification.

Pathways to decarbonization in India: the role of environmentally friendly tourism development

The paradigm of sustainable tourism policy implications aims to prioritize the decoupling association between tourism development and environmental deterioration. The study revisits the dynamic associations among carbon dioxide emissions, economic growth, international tourism, education, renewable energy consumption, and gross capital formation for the case of India through the lens of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis framework. The long-run dynamics among the variables confirm the inverted U-shaped environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for India. The regression findings affirm that higher international tourist arrivals, renewable energy use, and gross capital formation curb emissions in the long run. Besides, the coefficient of the interaction term between tourist arrivals and capital formation is evidenced to be positive implying capital formation has not been conducive in the pathway of sustainable tourism practices. On the other hand, the negative coefficient of the interaction term between education index and renewable energy consumption unveils the importance of educational advancement in the pathway of renewable energy penetration to thrive environmental sustainability. This study concludes with some policy suggestions to be incorporated within the existing ecological and energy approaches that may aid India in practicing the smooth functioning of low-carbon tourism models.

Transportation, Environmental Degradation, and Health Dynamics in the United States and China: Evidence From Bootstrap ARDL With a Fourier Function

Transportation and environmental degradation, with indirect and direct effects, play a significant role in determining the health of a nation's citizens. This study uses bootstrap ARDL with a Fourier function to examine transportation, environmental degradation, and health dynamics in the United States and China. In the long run, the results support the cointegration relationship between transportation, environmental degradation, and health in both countries. The results show the contingency of the causality where a negative impact of transportation on environmental degradation exists in the United States while a positive impact exists in China. The effect of environmental degradation on health is negative in the United States while a positive effect exists in China. Regarding the causal direction between the variables of interest, the implications provide policymakers in developing strategy and policy for sustainable development.

Analyzing the Nexus Between Geopolitical Risk, Policy Uncertainty, and Tourist Arrivals: Evidence From the United States

This study attempts to explore the causal linkage of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic policy uncertainty, geopolitical risk, and tourism arrivals in the United States taking data from January to November 2020. In order to analyze the above relationship, this study uses a novel time-varying granger causality test developed by Shi et al. (2018), which incorporates its three causality algorithms such as forward recursive causality, rolling causality, and recursive evolving causality. The findings from forward recursive causality could not confirm any significant causal relationship between COVID-19 and tourism, geopolitical risk (GPR) and tourism, economic policy uncertainty and tourism, and geopolitical risk and COVID-19 but found causality between economic policy uncertainty and COVID-19. The rolling window causality reported bidirectional causality between COVID-19 and tourism and unidirectional causality running from tourism to geopolitical risk. However, the recursive evolving causality identified a significant bidirectional causal relationship between all the variables. Based on the findings, policy implications for the tourism sector are provided.

Carbon Emissions of the Tourism Telecoupling System: Theoretical Framework, Model Specification and Synthesis Effects

The flows of people and material attributed to international tourism exert a major impact on the global environment. Tourism carbon emissions is the main indicator in this context. However, previous studies focused on estimating the emissions of destinations, ignoring the embodied emissions in tourists’ origins and other areas. This study provides a comprehensive framework of a tourism telecoupling system. Taking China’s international tourism as an example, we estimate the carbon emissions of its tourism telecoupling system based on the Tourism Satellite Account and input–output model. We find that (1) the proposal of a tourism telecoupling system provides a new perspective for analyzing the carbon emissions of a tourism system. The sending system (origins) and indirect spillover system (resource suppliers) have been ignored in previous studies. (2) In the telecoupling system of China’s international tourism, the emission reduction effect of the sending system is significant. (3) The direct spillover system (transit) and indirect spillover system’s spatial transfer effects of environment responsibility are remarkable. (4) There is a large carbon trade implied in international tourism. This study makes us pay attention to the carbon emissions of tourists’ origins and the implied carbon trading in tourism flows.

Revisiting the EKC hypothesis by assessing the complementarities between fiscal, monetary, and environmental development policies in China

Recently, China has declared its national objective of becoming carbon neutral by 2060. Hence, mitigating carbon dioxide emissions has become an important agenda of the Chinese government. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to evaluate the effectiveness of pursuing expansionary fiscal and monetary policies on China's carbon dioxide emission figures by using annual frequency data from 1980 to 2018. Accordingly, this study considers the levels of government expenditure and broad money supply as fiscal and monetary policy instruments, respectively. Besides accounting for structural break concerns in the data, the findings from the empirical analysis reveal that there are long-run associations between carbon dioxide emissions, economic growth, and fiscal and monetary expansion in China. Moreover, the results also show that in both the short- and long-run expansionary fiscal policy trigger higher carbon dioxide emissions while expansionary monetary policy inhibits the carbon dioxide emission figures of China. Furthermore, the results invalidate the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis since the relationship between China's economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions is evidenced to portray an N-shape. In line with these findings, it is recommended that China achieve environmentally sustainable economic growth by aligning the national fiscal and monetary policies with the 2060 carbon-neutrality objective.

Pathways to Argentina's 2050 carbon-neutrality agenda: the roles of renewable energy transition and trade globalization

The government of Argentina has recently declared its objective of turning the nation carbon-neutral by 2050. Thus, it is essential to identify the relevant factors which can facilitate the attainment of this environmental development target. Against this backdrop, this study aims to evaluate the impacts of renewable electricity output, trade globalization, economic growth, financial development, urbanization, and technological innovation on sectoral carbon dioxide emissions in Argentina during the 1971-2014 period. The findings, overall, suggest that enhancing renewable electricity output share in the total electricity output figure of the nation helps to curb carbon dioxide emissions generated from Argentina's energy, manufacturing and industry, residential and commercial buildings, and transportation sectors. Contrarily, greater trade globalization is evidenced to boost carbon dioxide emissions in almost all the aforementioned economic sectors. Besides, the findings also validate the existence of the carbon dioxide emission-induced environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for all four sectors. In addition, financial development and urbanization are also evidenced to exert carbon dioxide emission-stimulating impacts, while technological innovation is witnessed to be necessary for curbing sector-based carbon dioxide emissions in Argentina. Accordingly, to decarbonize the economy, this study recommends the government of Argentina to adopt necessary policies for fostering renewable energy transition within the electricity sector, greening the trade globalization strategies, achieving environmentally sustainable economic growth, developing the financial sector by introducing green financial schemes, planning sustainable urbanization, and financing technological development-oriented projects.

Evaluating pollution damage function through carbon pricing, renewable energy demand, and cleaner technologies in China: blue versus green economy

Climate change and increased greenhouse gas emissions boost the global average temperature to less than 2°C, which is the estimated breakeven point. The globe is moving into blue pollution economies as the environmental sustainability objective becomes more distorted. The study looked at three United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, namely (i) affordable and clean energy; (ii) industry, innovation, and infrastructure; and (iii) climate change, to see how far the Chinese economy has progressed toward green and clean development strategy. In the context of China, the "pollution damage function" was intended to refer to carbon damages related to carbon pricing, technological variables, sustained economic growth, incoming foreign investment, and green energy. The data was collected between 1975 and 2019 and analyzed using various statistical approaches. The results of the autoregressive distributed lag model suggest that carbon taxes on industrial emissions reduce carbon damages in the short and long run. Furthermore, a rise in inbound foreign investment and renewable energy demand reduces carbon damages in the short term, proving the "pollution halo" and "green energy" hypotheses; nonetheless, the results are insufficient to explain the stated results in the long run. In the long run, technology transfers and continued economic growth are beneficial in reducing carbon damages and confirming the potential of cleaner solutions in pollution mitigation. The causal inferences show the one-way relationship running from carbon pricing and technology transfer to carbon damages, and green energy to high-technology exports in a country. The impulse response estimates suggested that carbon tax, inbound foreign investment, and technology transfers likely decrease carbon damages for the next 10 years. On the other hand, continued economic growth and inadequate green energy sources are likely to increase carbon pollution in a country. The variance decomposition analysis suggested that carbon pricing and information and communication technology exports would likely significantly influence carbon damages over time. To keep the earth's temperature within the set threshold, the true motivation to shift from a blue to a green economy required strict environmental legislation, the use of green energy sources, and the export of cleaner technologies. Source: Authors' self-extract.

Mitigating energy production-based carbon dioxide emissions in Argentina: the roles of renewable energy and economic globalization

The energy sector of Argentina is predominantly reliant on fossil fuels. Consequently, such fossil fuel dependency within the nation's power sector, in particular, has aggravated the environmental quality in Argentina by amplifying the nation's energy production-based carbon emission levels. However, keeping into consideration the international commitments pledged by Argentina under the Paris Accord and the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, it is pertinent for this South American country to curb its energy production-based emission of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. Against this milieu, this study examines the impacts of renewable electricity generation, economic globalization, economic growth, and urbanization on carbon dioxide emissions generated from the production of electricity and heat in the context of Argentina. Using annual frequency data from 1971 to 2016, recent econometric methods are applied to control for multiple structural breaks in the data. The major findings from the ecnometric analyses affirmed long-run associations between renewable electricity generation, economic globalization, economic growth, urbanization, and energy production-based carbon dioxide emissions in Argentina. Besides, enhancing renewable electricity output shares is found to curb these emissions while economic globalization and urbanization are witnessed to boost them. Moreover, renewable electricity generation and economic globalization are found to jointly reduce the energy production-related carbon dioxide emissions in Argentina. The results also validate the authenticity of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Finally, the causality analysis reveals evidence of unidirectional causalities running from renewable electricity generation, economic globalization, economic growth, and urbanization to energy production-related carbon dioxide emissions in Argentina. In line with these findings, this study recommends several viable policies which can be implemented to help Argentina control the growth of its energy production-based carbon dioxide emissions.

Caring for the environment: how CO2 emissions respond to human capital in BRICS economies?

Environmental sustainability concerns are growing worldwide. Many recent studies have focused on key indicators of CO2 emissions, but less consideration has been given to human capital. This study examines the impact of human capital on CO2 emissions in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) economies from 1991 to 2019 using a nonlinear panel autoregressive distributed lag approach. Findings show that positive change in education has reduced CO2 emissions, while a negative change in education has increased CO2 emissions in the long run in a group of BRICS. Regarding economy-wise analysis, a positive change in education reduces CO2 emissions in Russia, China, and South Africa in the long run, but a negative change in education has an increasing impact on CO2 emissions in Brazil and China. The results of robustness are also maintained in group and economy-wise empirical analysis. Policymakers should develop the education sector infrastructure in order to support the decrease of CO2 emissions.

The importance of facilitating renewable energy transition for abating CO2 emissions in Morocco

ABSTRACT: Achieving environmental sustainability has become a core policy agenda of the Moroccan government. The nation's monotonic dependence on fossil fuels for meeting the local energy demand has been acknowledged as the major cause of environmental distress. Besides, Morocco has traditionally been a major importer of fossil fuels whereby the nation's fossil fuel dependency could not be phased out to a large extent. Consequently, the greenhouse gas emission figures of Morocco have persistently surged over the years. Moreover, Morocco has large reserves of untapped renewable energy sources which can be employed for producing power without significantly degrading the environment. Against this backdrop, this study explores the renewable energy consumption-carbon dioxide emissions nexus, controlling for economic growth, financial development, and foreign direct investment inflows, in the context of Morocco over the period between 1980 and 2017. In addition, along with the direct impacts, the indirect environmental impacts associated with renewable energy consumption are also scrutinized in this study. The empirical strategy involves the application of econometric methods that are robust to handling structural break issues in the data. Overall, the results reveal that renewable energy consumption curbs carbon dioxide emissions both in the short and long run. In contrast, financial development and foreign direct investment inflows boost carbon dioxide emissions in Morocco. However, these adverse environmental impacts are partially neutralized by facilitating greater renewable energy use within Morocco. The results indicate that renewable energy consumption interacts with financial development and foreign direct investment inflows to jointly reduce the carbon dioxide emission figures of Morocco in the long run. Furthermore, the findings also validate the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in the long run only. In line with these key findings, it is recommended that the Moroccan government should adopt relevant policies that can help the nation overcome the existing barriers faced in transitioning from non-renewable to renewable energy use. Simultaneously, it is also necessary for Morocco to achieve environmentally sustainable economic growth by greening its financial sector and revisiting its financial globalization policies.

FDI, Green Innovation and Environmental Quality Nexus: New Insights from BRICS Economies

One major concern about foreign direct investment (FDI) is the potential negative environmental impact due to increased CO2 emissions. However, there is a possibility that FDI mitigates CO2 emissions through green innovation and creates a cleaner environment. In the existing literature, there is no significant empirical evidence on the linkage among FDI, green innovation and CO2 emissions in the context of BRICS countries. Hence, this study aims to analyze the impact of FDI and green innovation on the environmental quality of BRICS economies for 1990–2014. The study employed Augmented Mean Group (AMG) estimators for empirical data analysis. The study’s findings depict that foreign direct investment, energy use, and economic growth have a significant and positive impact on the CO2 emissions of BRICS economies. Moreover, green innovation has a significant inverse impact on CO2 emissions. The results show bidirectional causalities between CO2 emissions and green innovation, trade openness and CO2 emissions, energy use and CO2 emissions, and urbanization and CO2 emissions. Additionally, the findings reveal a one-way causality from CO2 emissions to GDP and CO2 emissions to urbanization. This study offers essential policy recommendations for the environmental sustainability of BRICS countries through green innovation.

The influence of energy consumption and economic growth on environmental degradation in BRICS countries: an application of the ARDL model and decoupling index

The multi-dimensional pollutions in the earth zone due to the degradation of the environmental levels have been emerging as an urgent issue in the developing economies. The BRICS group of countries holds a unique position in the emerging economies, playing a leading role in reinforcing political power globally and domestically. This study examines the annual time series over the period of 1971-2017 for Brazil, India, China, and South Africa, and 1990-2017 for Russia, to explore the relationship between environmental quality and economic growth in correspondence with the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis as well as the Decoupling Index (DI). The presence of an EKC strongly supports any of the individualistic environmental determinants effected in the long run by Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL), building linkage with the approach of the co-integration and the DI, which brings about economic growth as well as CO2 emission and environmental degradation simultaneously. A short-run relationship and presence of the EKC hypothesis are observed in Brazil, Russia, and India with 92%, while China's (55%) and South Africa's (79%) have a slower speed of adjustment to long-run equilibrium. This study concludes that economic expansion and environmental degradation are interrelated in the long run. Environment degradation (CO2 emission) can be eradicated by continuous economic growth, management of energy demands and energy crises, implementation of environmentally sustainable policies, application of green technologies for the use of natural resources, and controllability of urban population growth with immediate and effective actions.

A step towards sustainable path: The effect of globalization on China's carbon productivity from panel threshold approach

Surfacing the stress of global CO₂ emission reduction and the change into a low-emission economy has become one of the prominent economic concerns in the twenty-first century. The essence of evolving a low-emission economy is to raise carbon productivity that can be estimated as the cost-effective paybacks of CO₂ emissions. A panel threshold model was applied to approximate the threshold effect of globalization on carbon productivity under the development of human capital by using the panel data of thirty provinces of China from 2009 to 2017. The empirical findings demonstrate that China's carbon productivity increases, while economic growth shape moves towards sustainable development with low-carbon emission. Moreover, the driving force of globalization on carbon productivity is not tediously decreasing/increasing, but it has a double threshold effect of human capital. In line with this, this study finding found a single and double threshold of 9.3478 and 10.8800, respectively, as a benchmark where the relationship turns positive. The empirical findings have suggested several policy implications for the Chinese Government, policymakers, and regulatory authorities regarding this critical issue.

Regional trade agreement burdens global carbon emissions mitigation

Regional trade agreements (RTAs) have been widely adopted to facilitate international trade and cross-border investment and promote economic development. However, ex ante measurements of the environmental effects of RTAs to date have not been well conducted. Here, we estimate the CO₂ emissions burdens of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) after evaluating its economic effects. We find that trade among RCEP member countries will increase significantly and economic output will expand with the reduction of regional tariffs. However, the results show that complete tariff elimination among RCEP members would increase the yearly global CO₂ emissions from fuel combustion by about 3.1%, doubling the annual average growth rate of global CO₂ emissions in the last decade. The emissions in some developing members will surge. In the longer run, the burdens can be lessened to some extent by the technological spillover effects of deeper trade liberalization. We stress that technological advancement and more effective climate policies are urgently required to avoid undermining international efforts to reduce global emissions.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) will come into force in January 2022. Here the authors quantify ex ante economic and environmental effects following RCEP tariff reductions.

An analysis of the asymmetric effects of natural gas consumption on economic growth in Pakistan: A non-linear autoregressive distributed lag approach

Natural gas is a vital energy resource that is used to produce the national output of Pakistan. On the other hand, since natural gas is a relatively cleaner energy resource compared to oil and coal, enhancing the level of natural gas consumption can be expected to promote economic growth while somewhat improving environmental quality in the process. Hence, it is pertinent to assess the economic growth effects associated with the consumption of such comparatively cleaner energy resources. Against this background, the main objective of this paper is to explore the asymmetric effects of natural gas consumption, controlling for financial development, on Pakistan's economic growth figure over the 1965-2019 period. The results from the Augmented Dickey-Fuller, Phillips-Perron, and Zivot-Andrews unit root tests confirm a mixed order of integration among the variables. Besides, the bounds test and the Gregory-Hansen co-integration analysis reveal evidence of long-run associations between economic growth, natural gas consumption, and financial development in the context of Pakistan. Moreover, the outcomes from the nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag model analysis show that in the short-run, positive changes in the natural gas consumption levels increase Pakistan's economic growth. On the other hand, in the long-run, positive and negative changes in natural gas consumption levels increase and decrease the nation's economic growth level, respectively. On the other hand, both positive and negative changes in the financial development level are found to reduce Pakistan's economic growth level in the long run only. Furthermore, the Hacker-Hatemi-J causality analysis verifies that natural gas consumption causally influences the economic growth level in Pakistan; thus, verifying the energy consumption-led growth phenomenon. In line with these key findings, several policy level suggestions are put forward for Pakistan to enhance its natural gas consumption level in order to boost its economic growth rate in the future.

Revisiting the energy-economy-environment relationships for attaining environmental sustainability: evidence from Belt and Road Initiative countries

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is an ambitious development project initiated by the Chinese government to foster economic progress worldwide. In this regard, this study aims to investigate the dynamics of energy, economy, and environment among 42 BRI developing countries using an annual frequency panel dataset from 1995 to 2019. The major findings from the econometric analyses revealed that higher levels of energy consumption, economic growth, population growth rate, and FDI inflows exhibit adverse environmental consequences by boosting the CO₂ emission figures of the selected developing BRI member nations. However, it is interesting to observe that exploiting renewable energy sources, which are relatively cleaner compared to the traditionally-consumed fossil fuels, and fostering agricultural sector development can significantly improve environmental well-being by curbing the emission levels further. On the other hand, financial development is found to be ineffective in explaining the variations in the CO₂ emission figures of the selected countries. Besides, the causality analysis shows that higher energy consumption, FDI inflows, and agricultural development cause environmental pollution by boosting CO₂ emissions. However, economic growth, technology development, financial progress, and renewable energy consumption are evidenced to exhibit bidirectional causal associations with CO₂ emissions. In line with these findings, several relevant policies can be recommended for the BRI to be environmentally sustainable.

Do natural gas, oil, and coal consumption ameliorate environmental quality? Empirical evidence from Russia

Environmental degradation stemming from the combustion of conventional energy sources is not only a major factor behind climate change but it also poses an adverse impact on human health. Undoubtedly, fossil fuels are major drivers of economic growth; however, their detrimental environmental impacts are of global concern. In the literature, there is no comprehensive empirical evidence on the linkage between the use of different energy sources and carbon dioxide emissions in the context of Russia, a nation that is ranked third in the list of the top carbon dioxide-emitting global countries. Hence, this paper aims to scrutinize the relationships between oil consumption, natural gas consumption, coal consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions controlling economic growth for Russia over the 1990-2016 period. The findings from the econometric analysis indicate that carbon dioxide emissions in Russia have long-run associations with economic growth and consumption of oil, gas, and coal. The long-run elasticity estimates reveal that economic growth is not directly harming Russia's environmental quality. However, higher oil, gas, and coal consumption degrades environmental quality by boosting the level of carbon dioxide emissions in Russia. In addition, the results from the Granger causality analysis confirm the existence of both long and short-term causal connections among the variables of concern. In line with these findings, several policy recommendations to address the environmental challenges in Russia are put forward.

Effect of Battery Electric Vehicles on Greenhouse Gas Emissions in 29 European Union Countries

This analysis explored the effect of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in a panel of twenty-nine countries from the European Union (EU) from 2010 to 2020. The method of moments quantile regression (MM-QR) was used, and the ordinary least squares with fixed effects (OLSfe) was used to verify the robustness of the results. The MM-QR support that in all three quantiles, economic growth causes a positive impact on GHGs. In the 50th and 75th quantiles, energy consumption causes a positive effect on GHGs. BEVs in the 25th, 50th, and 75th quantiles have a negative impact on GHGs. The OLSfe reveals that economic growth has a negative effect on GHGs, which contradicts the results from MM-QR. Energy consumption positively impacts GHGs. BEVs negatively impacts GHGs. Although the EU has supported a more sustainable transport system, accelerating the adoption of BEVs still requires effective political planning to achieve net-zero emissions. Thus, BEVs are an important technology to reduce GHGs to achieve the EU targets of decarbonising the energy sector. This research topic can open policy discussion between industry, government, and researchers, towards ensuring that BEVs provide a climate change mitigation pathway in the EU region.