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Abstract The economic giant China, enjoying miraculously high economic performance since the 1980s, is currently facing an economic performance slowdown, along with environmental sustainability challenges. Energy-industry investments might serve as a potential driver of economic performance, indirectly inducing environmental sustainability through investments in the energy-industry transition from old technology to a renewable one. This research provides an empirical assessment of the causal bond between energy-industry investment and economic performance across the regional development levels, employing a dynamic longitudinal data modeling on China’s 27 provincial and municipality units from 1997 through 2017. It developed an economic performance model to incorporate energy-industry investment as an aggregate production growth input. The core empirical findings are as follows. Firstly, the energy-industry investment and economic performance induced a positive and statistically significant mutual influence, manifested from their parameter estimates. Secondly, a bilateral causal bond is unveiled between energy-industry investment and economic performance based on the Dumitrescu-Hurlin technique, confirming the feedback hypothesis of a causal bond between the two variables. The results are consistent across the under-analysis panels in terms of the nature of the influence; however, the induced degrees of their influence significantly differed across the regional development levels. The intensity of the direct influence of energy-industry investment (0.049) on economic performance lags behind the feedback influence of economic performance (1.069) on energy-industry investment. Additionally, considerable heterogeneities are detected in influence intensities across the regional panels. Eastern China (region of high development) displayed the most substantial direct (0.058) and feedback influence (1.193), while western China manifested the least substantial intensity of direct (0.030) and feedback influence (0.836). After that, the central China (region of medium development) demonstrated a medium intensity of direct (0.037) and feedback influence (0.996). Finally, among other regressors, human capital, physical capital, inflation rate, and trade presented a positive and significant influence on economic performance. In contrast, the foreign direct investment significantly influenced the economic performance only in the eastern China. The empirical findings implied that energy-industry investment might serve as a vital driver of economic performance, with the most significant role in the highly developed regions and the least significant in the low developed regions, given the important explanatory variables. Based on empirical findings, policies are suggested.

Abstract The electricity sector in the Galapagos Islands is heavily dependent on fossil fuels for electricity generation but only a few renewable sources are used for such a purpose in this archipelago. Therefore, this work aims to present the current status of its electricity sector and show estimates for the upcoming years, discuss exploited and unexploited renewable resources, and put forward a proposal for a hybrid system to generate renewable power. Currently, thermoelectric power plants run on diesel are the main source of electricity generation in the archipelago due to supplying 85% of the total power installed in the islands (27.6 MW), and the remaining 15% (7.3 MW) is from renewable sources, such as the wind (10.8%), sun (4.1%), and vegetable oils (0.1%). In the upcoming years, there will be a growth in the use of these renewable resources if an additional capacity of 28.5 MW is installed. The gross electric output generated by this sector in the last twelve months (March 2017 - February 2018) was 53.80 GWh, which has allowed a return on revenues of over five million dollars at an average cost of US $0.10/kWh. Based on the existing renewable resources in the Galapagos Islands, the implementation of a hybrid solar/biogas power generation system is an attractive alternative to support the zero-fossil fuel initiative, diversify the energy matrix, and promote local development. However, sustainable development policies, energy efficiency programs and foreign investment funds to carry out new projects are required to ensure a bright future for the electricity sector in the Galapagos.

Abstract The objective of this research is to examine the relationship between real per capita output and carbon dioxide emissions, both globally and by groups of countries. We used panel data from 151 countries for the period 1980–2016. The countries are classified according to income levels using the World Bank Atlas Method. The argument behind this classification is that the strength of the relationship between the two variables differs according to the income levels of countries. Based on the theoretical framework of the Kuznets environmental curve, we found that there is a strong U-shaped relationship between the two variables in middle-high and low income countries. The hypothesis of the Kuznets environmental curve holds true in high-income and middle-high income countries. The inclusion of additional covariants shows that urbanization has a positive and significant relationship with carbon dioxide emissions middle-high and middle-low income countries. Energy consumption and manufacturing have a positive and statistically significant relationship with carbon dioxide emissions in all the groups of countries. A possible implication of economic policy derived from our research is that incentives to production should focus on activities that use environmentally friendly technologies to limit the irreversible damage caused by contamination.

The accelerated urbanization process generates a significant increase in energy, whose sources are mainly polluting. The harmful effects of both processes are reflected in climate change. This article examines the equilibrium and causality relationship among urban concentration, non-renewable energy consumption, and the real per capita output in 110 countries during 1971-2017. Using data from the World Bank's World Development Indicators (2018), we classify countries into four groups according to their level of development. Our evidence suggests that urban concentration has a negative effect on real per capita output in high-income countries, while non-renewable energy consumption has a positive effect on all groups of countries. The cointegration tests show that there is short- and long-term equilibrium in all groups of countries. The results of the DOLS and PDOLS models indicate that the strength of the cointegration vector is weak in most of the countries and groups analyzed. The Granger-type causality tests show that there is bidirectional causality from the real per capita output to the urban concentration in high and middle-low-income countries. There is unidirectional causality from the population concentration towards the real per capita output in the low-income countries; from the non-renewable energy consumption to the real per capita output in high-income countries; from the real per capita output to the non-renewable energy consumption in the countries of medium-high and medium-low income; and from urban concentration to non-renewable energy consumption in high- and medium-high-income countries. Our results highlight the importance of promoting policies of urban planning and generation and consumption of renewable energy without limiting the expansion of the output.

CO2 emissions are the leading causes of deterioration in air quality and global warming. Likewise, it has been shown that clean energy reduces air pollution, so this would be a way out of environmental pollution. Some previous studies have focused on knowing the determinants of environmental pollution; however, they have omitted the State's role. Thus, this study explores the long-term nexus between CO2 emissions and renewable energy, energy efficiency, fossil fuels, GDP, property rights from 1995 to 2019 in nine developed countries. The results reveal a long-term equilibrium relationship in developed European countries, but not in developed non-European countries. The main results show that renewable energy and energy efficiency are negatively correlated with CO2 emissions. In developed European countries, a 1% increase in renewable energy consumption represents a 0.03% decrease in CO2 emissions. Finally, some policy measures are suggested to achieve environmental sustainability.

Most of the environmental degradation literature evaluates the determinants of polluting gas emissions as a spatially static process. However, environmental pollution is a problem that is not limited to the borders of the countries. One way to capture temporal and spatial changes in pollutant emissions is by using the benefits of spatial panel data models. This research aims to empirically examine the environmental impact of the shadow economy, the globalisation index, and the human capital index in 101 countries during 1995-2018. We employ a set of spatial autoregressive models (SAR), Durbin spatial models (SDM), and spatial lag models (SLX) of panel data to estimate direct, indirect, and total impacts. The results are stable before changes in the econometric specification and different ways of calculating spatial weights matrix. The results show that polluting gas emissions have a high spatial dependence on all specifications. The interdependence between the countries explains the spillover effect of environmental pollution on the rest of the countries that are geographically close. The policy implications derived from our research point to achieving sustainable economic and environmental development, where coordinated actions among countries and greater regulation of the behaviors of economic agents related to the shadow economy are recommended.

Abstract This study investigated the effects of passenger load, road grade, and congestion level on the fuel consumption and emissions from a Euro VI compressed natural gas (CNG) urban bus and a Euro V diesel urban bus. Testing was performed under real-traffic conditions in Madrid, Spain, using a portable emission measurement system (PEMS). The PEMS data also were combined with the vehicle specific power (VSP) methodology to analyse the differences between the performance of the two types of buses and develop an energy-based emission model. Between the empty and 4000 kg passenger load cases, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for the diesel bus showed a significant increase by approximately 25%. With an increase in the road grade, and congestion level, the fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of both types of buses increased, by 6–55%. Unlike in the case of the diesel bus, the NOx emissions of the CNG bus decreased by 40–50% as the level of road grade and congestion increased. At intervals of VSP ≥ 2 kW/t, NOx emission rates for the CNG bus were approximately 60% lower than those of the diesel bus. Finally, the proposed VSP-based model estimated the fuel consumption and the CO2 and NOx emission factors with relative total errors of less than 13%.

AbstractPrevious literature does not incorporate the spillover effects of institutional factors in the analysis of the determinants of energy intensity. This research aims to empirically examine the impact of institutional and economic factors on energy intensity using spatial panel data models. Specifically, the institutional factors included are civil liberties, political corruption, and women's political empowerment. We find robust evidence that there are spillover effects from regressors on the energy intensity of countries. We find that the index of civil liberties, political corruption, and women's political empowerment reduce energy intensity. In addition, we find robust evidence that real output per capita and oil price reduce energy intensity, while manufacturing industry increase it. Our results indicate that manufacturing activity requires greater attention from policymakers and academics to mitigate the harmful aspects of energy intensity. Likewise, our results constitute a new look at the approach to mechanisms to reduce energy intensity to achieve sustainable economic development consistent with Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 12.

AbstractThis paper is a critical analysis with two main objectives: to reflect on climate change and demonstrate the importance of adaptive capacities of social actors in rural areas; and to establish how ethnocompetitiveness is fundamental in the mentioned adaptive process. The analysis highlights two key elements that are part of a functional ethnocompetitiveness: local knowledge and management of land resources, allowing for the generation of adaptive capacities to address the inherent biophysical changes associated with climatic variations. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment