Realizing the 2050 Paris climate agreement in West Africa: the role of financial inclusion and green investments

Access to clean energy in Africa revisited: The roles of women empowerment, corruption control, FDI and sectoral growth

One of the key contributors to climate change is energy consumption, with the type of energy used having implications on the natural environment and health of users. To promote environmental sustainability and sustainable development, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7 aims to achieve accessibility, and affordability of clean and modern forms of energy for all. This study aims to investigate the effects of women empowerment, corruption control, foreign direct investment, and sectoral growth on access to clean energy in Africa, as well as the effects of the interrelatedness of these factors on clean energy access. Using data on 32 countries in Africa from 2002 to 2021 and rigorous econometric techniques, the study finds that women empowerment and corruption control significantly increase access to clean energy in Africa while sectoral analyses show varying effects of growth in the different sectors on clean energy accessibility. Furthermore, it is found that corruption control is not able to reverse situations of adverse effects of some variables on access to clean energy in some cases, likely due to the low levels of corruption control in Africa. The results suggest that African countries could enhance access to clean energy for its citizens and harness the full potential of clean energy, to promote sustainable development and improve the lives of their population, by empowering women, fighting corruption, and cultivating balanced economic growth.

Determinants of carbon emissions in Kenya and policy implications

Carbon dioxide emissions are the primary greenhouse gasses behind global climate change and its associated effects. Climate change adversely impacts the environment, biodiversity, and human health. The ability to tame carbon dioxide emissions will help in the fight against climate change. However, the recent pace of rising carbon dioxide emissions raises concerns about winning the war against climate change. World leaders are determined to take actions that will lower emissions. Thus, there is a worldwide effort to achieve net-zero emissions. Consequently, it is crucial to comprehend the specific factors that contribute to carbon emissions of specific economies so that countries can develop and enforce effective strategies for reducing carbon output, mitigating the effects of climate change, and improving recovery programs. Despite many empirical studies conducted in Africa on the determinants of carbon emissions, the results remain inconclusive and inadequate, leaving a void for further research. This study seeks to fill this knowledge gap by modeling the relationship between Kenya's carbon emissions (which have been increasing since the early 2000s), and mobile technology adoption, renewable energy mix, tourism development, development assistance, income, and global financial crises, utilizing the most current data from 1995 to 2021 from the World Bank's database. The ARDL, FMOLS, CCR, and DOLS analysis results reveal that mobile technology, tourism, development aid, and global financial crises increase Kenya's carbon emissions in the long run. At the same time, income and renewable energy reduce short- and long-term impacts. The significant insight from these results is that enhancing renewable energy development, mobile technology, and development assistance can promote a sustainable environment. From these findings, the study proposes many policy recommendations to help decision-makers, communities, companies, and the government in Kenya allocate resources and implement resilience and mitigation policies and programs in the areas most susceptible to the effects of climate change.

Habitat sensitivity in the West African coastal area: inferences and implications for regional adaptations to climate change and ocean acidification

This study focuses on assessing coastal vulnerability and habitat sensitivity along the West African coast by delineating hotspots based on surface temperature, pH, chlorophyll-a, particulate organic carbon, and carbonate concentrations between 2018 and 2023 depending on data availability. Initial exploration of these variables revealed two distinct focal points i.e., the Togo-Nigerian coastal stretch and the stretch from Sierra Leone to Mauritania. Lower pH trends (acidification) in surface waters were observed off the West African coast, particularly in areas around the south-south Niger Delta in Nigeria and the coastal regions of Guinea and Guinea Bissau. Sea surface temperature analysis revealed highest temperatures (27-30°C) within Nigeria to Guinea coastal stretch, intermediate temperatures (24-27°C) within the Guinea Bissau and Senegal coastal stretch, and the lowest temperatures off the coast of Mauritania. Furthermore, correlation analysis between sea surface temperature and calcite concentration in the Mauritania-Senegal hotspot, as well as between overland runoff and particulate organic carbon in the Togo-Nigeria hotspot, revealed strong positive associations (r>0.60) and considerable predictive variability (R2 ≈ 0.40). From the habitat sensitivity analysis, certain regions, including Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, exhibited high sensitivity due to environmental challenges and strong human dependence on coastal resources. Conversely, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Togo displayed lower sensitivity, influenced by geographical-related factors (e.g. coastal layout, topography, etc.) and current levels of economic development (relatively lower industrialization levels). Regional pH variations in West African coastal waters have profound implications for ecosystems, fisheries, and communities. Addressing these challenges requires collaborative regional policies to safeguard shared marine resources. These findings underscore the link between ecosystem health, socioeconomics, and the need for integrated coastal management and ongoing research to support effective conservation.

Striving towards 2050 net zero CO2 emissions: How critical are clean energy and financial sectors?

The development of clean energy and financial sectors have been highlighted as critical factors in tackling climate change and achieving net zero emissions goals. Hence, using a dataset for the top 20 emitter countries from 1990 to 2019, this study examines whether clean energy consumption, financial development, human capital, population, and economic growth are connected with environmental quality through a reduction in carbon emissions. The long-run estimates show that renewable energy utilization, financial development, and human capital are significant in reducing CO2 emissions in the quest for net zero emissions. Contrarily, economic growth and population have a increases CO2 emissions. The results of the causality test show a two-way causality between renewable energy use, financial development, economic growth, population, and CO2 emissions. Moreover, one incidence of unidirectional causality is observed from CO2 emissions to human capital. Based on the findings, policy implications are suggested.

Exploring the relationship between financial inclusion and natural resource utilization in QUAD economies

This study delves into the intricate relationship between financial inclusion (FIC) and economic development (ED) within the context of QUAD nations, including the USA, Australia, India, and Japan. Using panel data spanning from 2000 to 2021, the research investigates this relationship by employing various statistical techniques. Initially, the Jarque-Bera (JB) normality test highlights the non-normal distribution of the data. Furthermore, the findings reveal varying slopes and cross-sectional interdependence among the variables, while the panel unit root test confirms their non-stationarity. Consequently, the adoption of the method of moment quantile regression is deemed appropriate for the analysis. The study's results uncover a negative association between FIC and total natural resource rent (TNRR), while renewable-energy usage (REU), ED, and foreign direct investment (FDI) exhibit a positive relationship with FIC. Notably, the impact of TNRR on FIC diminishes at higher quantiles, indicating a diminishing effect. Similarly, the influence of REU and ED on FIC also decreases at higher quantiles, suggesting a reduced contribution as other sectors gain prominence. Conversely, FDI positively affects FIC, with a more pronounced impact observed at higher quantiles. Policy recommendations for QUAD nations include enhancing FIC initiatives, promoting REU, fostering balanced ED, attracting FDI, and encouraging collaborative efforts among the nations. Furthermore, it is imperative for developing nations to implement widespread financial literacy programs specifically targeting vulnerable and marginalized populations, equipping individuals with essential knowledge to make informed financial decisions and gain access to formal financial services.

Sustainable electricity consumption in South Africa: the impacts of tourism and economic growth

The current study examines sustainable electricity consumption for economic growth in a small open and tourist economy. The energy-tourism nexus is evaluated for the relationship between sustainable electricity consumption and the international tourist arrival for the South African economy. The present study leverages on annual frequency data for South Africa from 1995 to 2019 for empirical analysis using the ARDL technique. Accordingly, empirical findings indicate a significant direct connection between the sustainable electricity consumption and the international tourism arrival; the study affirms that tourism-induced energy hypothesis is valid in South Africa. However, from a policy standpoint, alternative energy efficiency mechanisms such as renewable energy systems and emancipation of current energy management capabilities are recommended in South Africa. This is necessary for sustainable eco-friendly tourism that engenders clean energy consumption for the study area. More insights into policy caveats are presented in the concluding section.

Reducing agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in China: the role of food production, forest cover, income, trade openness, and rural population

In the light of China's carbon-neutral goal, this study examines how food production, forest cover, trade openness, and rural population contribute to the quest of addressing China's agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. Time series data ranging from 1971 to 2018 was used for analysis in this study. The autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) technique was employed to evaluate potential cointegration as well as to ascertain the long and short-run effects of food production, forest cover, income, trade openness, and rural population on agricultural nitrous oxide emission. The Toda-Yamomoto causality analysis was also used to identify the causal relations between covariates (food production, forest cover, income, trade openness, and rural population) and the outcome variable (agricultural nitrous oxide emission). The long-run evidence is that rural population in itself tends to increase agricultural nitrous oxide emissions likewise food production. There is also validation of the existence of environmental Kuznets curve for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. Moreover, income interacts with rural population to reduce agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in the long-run. Causality analysis indicated rural population affects the level of forest cover; forest cover is found to cause agricultural nitrous oxide emissions but the converse is not established, and income as well as the interaction between income and rural population determines agricultural nitrous oxide emissions. The short-run dynamics results establish an oscillatory equilibrium convergence for agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in event of structural disturbances. From the findings, the EKC hypothesis is relevant by offering avenue to reduce emission. Thus, income growth remains helpful in addressing nitrous oxide emission from the agricultural sector. However, research is needed to unravel why nitrous oxide tends to increase in many forest areas. Since food production cannot be halted, policy makers need to enhance the uptake of efficient food production technologies including developing and using more renewable energy for food production. It is important for authorities to attend to rural development in order to mitigate agricultural nitrous oxide emissions in China.