• Energy Research

The present study examines the potential of the traditional environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) with an extension for growing industrialized economies, including Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, Mexico and Turkey (E-7 economies) spanning from 1995 to 2019. Since the E-7 economies are still in a growing phase, this study adds to the EKC phenomenon by taking into description human development, the use of renewable energy, and technological innovations for investigation. Second-generational panel econometrics techniques, such as cross-sectional augmented autoregressive distributive lag (CS-ARDL), Augmented Mean Group (AMG), and Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality tests, form the basis of the experimental framework’s design. The study confirms the existence of the EKC phenomena in E-7 economies, where income expansion is prioritized in relation to environmental sustainability. The study’s findings demonstrate that technological modernization helps to mitigate pollution level. Therefore, human development, technological innovation, and the use of renewable energy are held up as the panacea for reducing carbon emissions over the time period under study. Finally, some further policy suggestions are provided.

The study examined the dynamic nexus between carbon footprints, nonrenewable energy and renewable energy consumption, financial development and economic growth, and combating climate change by using a dataset of selected 13 Asian emerging economies (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam) from 1995 to 2020. This study empirical analysis uses the second generation of panel cointegration techniques to compensate for cross-sectional dependency and slope heterogeneity. The mean group, the common correlated effects mean group, and the augmented mean group are used to estimate the long-run equations. The findings suggest that economic growth and nonrenewable energy consumption exacerbate environmental degradation, but renewable energy consumption mitigates the total adverse effects on the environment over time. Additionally, economy-specific findings examine how the impact of nonrenewable energy and renewable energy consumption on the carbon footprint depends on energy consumption level. Furthermore, the Dumitrescu-Hurlin causality test reveals a statistically significant bidirectional correlation between financial development, carbon footprints, economic growth, and consumption of nonrenewable energy and renewable energy. Finally, the study says that Asian emerging economies should use more renewable energy and be more efficient in order to reduce their carbon footprints.

Heterogeneous anthropogenic and insufficient development strategies have caused an international compromise between sustainable growth and environmental deterioration. Environmental concerns have necessitated rules and human capital to protect the global ecosystem. Literature is ambiguous on the usefulness of environmental rules in reducing environmental deterioration. This study examines the impact of environmental regulations and education as a proxy for human capital in Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey (MINT) countries’ ecological footprints between 1990 and 2020. The econometric research shows that present environmental restrictions in MINT countries are unsuccessful at reducing their ecological footprints. Energy consumption and trade-openness also increase ecological footprints. The MINT countries panel also confirms the Environmental Kuznets Curve idea. The country-specific findings show that energy use silently harmed the environment in MINT nations, whereas environmental legislation, economic growth, and trade-openness had diverse effects. These findings suggest that in order for MINT nations to achieve environmental sustainability, they should strengthen and enforce environmental regulations; adopt policies that promote sustainable economic growth; reduce their reliance on fossil-fuels; improve quality education and awareness; and actively engage in sustainable trading activities.

This study estimates the effects of higher education development on climate changes through energy consumption in the case of Cyprus (North), which progressed successfully in this sector although countries other than Turkey do not recognize its state (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus). The results of this study reveal that there is strong evidence for the positive and significant impact of higher education growth on climate change via energy consumption. Therefore, it is concluded that educational development in Cyprus is a long-term contributor to the energy sector and, therefore, climate change.

Addressing the intricate associations between green energy consumption, natural resources, economic globalization, and environmental taxes is central focus of Europe's ecological sustainability. This study uses cutting-edge techniques to investigate the impacts of green energy consumption, economic globalization, environmental taxation, as well as the potential moderating effects of natural resource rent in conjunction with environmental taxation in European countries during 1995–2020. The empirical findings of this study show that green energy, environmental tax and globalization are negatively associated with ecological footprint, while natural resource is positively linkedwith ecological footprint. Green energy consumption in conjunction with environmental tax has a significant and negative moderating impact on ecological footprint. Similar findings were observedfor the concurrence between natural resources rent and environmental tax, which means that environmental tax has some ability to improve the natural resources management and consequently contribute to improve environmental quality. The establishment of environmental taxation schemes and the use of green energy enable the pursuit of environmentally conscious economic, and energy policies by better-aligning industries with sustainable practices and promoting a balance between economic growth and environmental stewardship. Environmental tax system should support a larger adoption of green energy into European countries for reaching the target of carbon neutrality until 2050. It also contributes to the worldwide effort to achieve carbon neutrality and a sustainable future by offering useful insights and concrete recommendations for the development and implementation of environmentally responsible economic and energy strategies.

Numerous Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations can't be completed without switching to alternative energy sources. Countries need to find common ground between energy security, affordability, accessibility, and environmental sustainability if they are to lay the groundwork for competition and success. Considering the connection between economic growth, nuclear power generation, renewable energy consumption, and non-renewable energy usage, this study examines the ecological footprints of leading nuclear energy-producing countries ( the United States, France, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea, Canada, the Ukraine, the United Kingdom, and Germany) from 1990 to 2020. In order to perform such a thorough empirical investigation, this study makes use of advanced econometric methods. According to the long-term cointegration study, environmental quality is negatively impacted by economic growth and the use of non-renewable energy, while it is positively impacted by the square of economic growth, the use of nuclear energy, and the use of renewable energy. The study found that the ecological footprint is directly correlated with both nuclear power and economic growth. Meanwhile, both renewable and non-renewable energy sources were found to have an effect on the ecological footprint in a causal manner. The findings of this study emphasize the significance of the world's major nuclear energy producing countries harmonizing their energy policies and developing a common energy strategy that includes equitable distribution of key components of the global nuclear energy sector. 

Patents support technological innovations in any economy and would also support a clean environment. We investigate the effects of economic growth, patents, industrialization, and urbanization on CO2 emissions in 17 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) economies by applying spatial econometrics. We substantiate the Environment Kuznets Curve (EKC) in the domestic economies and the whole MENA region as per direct and total estimates. Moreover, urbanization increases CO2 emissions in local economies and reduces neighboring nations’ emissions. The total effect of urbanization is found to be insignificant. Industrial value added increases CO2 emissions in domestic and neighboring countries, as well as in the whole MENA region. Patents increase CO2 emissions in domestic economies. However, patents reduce CO2 emissions in neighboring countries and the MENA region. Thus, patents have a pleasant effect on the environment in the whole MENA region. It is suggested that the MENA economies focus more on patents to reduce CO2 emissions. Moreover, urbanization and the industrial sector should be checked to protect the environment.

This study investigates the impact of environmental technological innovation, economic complexity, energy productivity, the use of renewable electricity generation, and environmental taxes on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the G-10 countries for the timeframe from 1995 to 2020. The purpose of the study is to examine the need for a clear plan or strategy to achieve environmental objectives in G-10 countries. In both short-term and long-term projections, the increased use of environment-based technology, economic complexity, and renewable electricity generation has a major positive impact on carbon emission reduction. Moreover, the results demonstrate both unidirectional and bidirectional causality from carbon emissions to renewable energy, electrical generation, and environment-based technologies, respectively. Based on the results, the study proposes a number of concrete policies, such as updating modernized tax systems, increasing tax collection, providing individuals with the means to finance the Sustainable Development Goals through incentive regulations, and making grants from international organizations and the private sector available to finance investments toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and carbon neutrality environment targets. This is the study's most significant contribution in order to attain a sustainable and low-carbon future in the G-10 countries, which has policy implications for governments and policymakers.

As a national pillar industry, the carbon emissions generated by the construction industry have received significant attention. As a large developing country, China has unbalanced regional development and imperfect modern energy infrastructure in some regions, leading to a prominent problem of energy poverty in China. Therefore, this study constructs the index system of energy poverty using panel data of 30 provinces and cities from 2004 to 2016. This article analyzes the influence of energy poverty on carbon intensity of the construction industry and constructs the influence model of carbon intensity of the construction industry. The results show that 1) the carbon intensity of the construction industry increases by 1.683 units per unit increase of energy poverty, showing a positive impact. 2) Energy consumption structure has a mediating effect on the impact of energy poverty on carbon intensity of the construction industry. 3) The technological level plays a moderating role in the main effect of energy poverty and carbon intensity in the construction industry; the degree of marketization plays a moderating role in the indirect effect of energy consumption structure and carbon intensity of the construction industry. These results offered valuable policy recommendations for sustainable industrial growth.