• Energy Research

Abstract The relationship between natural resources and the ecological footprint has critical environmental implications. However, as critical as it is, this domain is insufficiently examined by researchers, and shows ambiguous results. Moreover, these studies do not address the role of technological innovation in shaping the ecological footprint, in an open and explicit manner. Therefore, realizing the need for a more critical evaluation of the intricacies involved in studying the ecological footprint, this study analyzes the linkages between natural resources, technological innovations, economic growth, and the resulting ecological footprint in emerging economies. Drawing on the data from 1984 to 2016, we employed the second-generation panel cointegration methodologies to study the findings of this research. Results of Pesaran's CD test and P&Y's slope homogeneity test confirm the existence of a slope heterogeneity across countries, and correlation amongst cross-sectional units. Moreover, Cointegration results confirm a stable, long-run relationship between the ecological footprint, natural resources, technological innovations, and economic growth. In the long run, natural resources and economic growth increase and expand the ecological footprint, while technological innovations are helpful in abating environmental degradation that takes place a result of this phenomenon. Furthermore, the quadric term for economic growth showed a negative impact on the ecological footprint, i.e., in the presence of the Environment Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis. Additionally, the results from CS-ARDL were reconfirmed by utilizing the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) method. Also, the result of the Dumitrescu-Hurlin Granger causality test shows that any policy to target natural resources, technological innovations, and economic growth significantly alters the ecological footprint and vice versa. Our key findings lead towards the manifestation and emphasis of the importance of appropriate policies for restoring natural resources and at the same time, upgrading technological innovations in order to attain sustainable development goals.

AbstractThis study develops a theoretical framework to quantify the impacts of technological progress, renewable energy consumption and international trade on carbon emissions (CO2), unlike many other studies that consider variables of interest in an ad hoc manner. The developed framework is then applied to the data from the BRICS countries for 1990–2017 period. The study also takes into consideration the integration, co‐integration, as well as cross‐country interdependence and heterogeneity properties of the panel data, and hence, the obtained results are robust and policy insights are well‐grounded. We estimate that technological progress, renewable energy consumption, and export size contribute to the reduction of the CO2 emissions, while gross domestic product (GDP) and import size increase the pollution both in the long‐ and short‐run. Our main policy recommendations would be the implementations of the measures, regulations, and establishment of the legislative frameworks that foster the technological enhancements and transition toward sustainable energy.

Abstract The debate regarding whether fiscal decentralization can effectively mitigate carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has gained increasing attention, although there is little empirical evidence to support this issue. To provide empirical evidence in support of the theoretical argument, this study investigates the impact of fiscal decentralization on CO2 emissions by using a balanced panel dataset of seven OECD countries between 1990 and 2018. Further, we explore the roles institutions and human capital play in the impact of fiscal decentralization on CO2 emissions. Hence, in addition to the direct impact, we assume fiscal decentralization could indirectly affect CO2 emissions through various channels, such as institutions and human capital. The empirical results indicate that fiscal decentralization improves environmental quality. Moreover, the relationship between fiscal decentralization and environmental quality is strengthened by improvements in the quality of institutions and the development of human capital. In addition, there are one-way effects from fiscal decentralization, GDP, human capital, eco-innovation, and institutional quality on CO2 emissions, but not the other way round. In terms of policy implications, this study suggests that by authorizing a lower unit of the state, countries could successfully implement policies related to improving environmental quality.

Abstract This research investigates the heterogeneous dynamic impacts of rural-urban migration and industrial agglomeration on the environmental degradation across regional development levels of Chinese provinces. An aggregated data set of 31 provinces, along with three provincial-scale panels, are used from 2005 through 2018. The long-run parameter estimates are obtained employing dynamic common correlated effects mean group technique (DCCEMGT), while the heterogeneous Granger non-causality Dumitrescu-Hurlin test is employed for causal directions. The core results are as follows. Firstly, a unidirectional positive linkage is revealed from industrial agglomeration and rural-urban migration to energy utilization. These linkages showed heterogeneity across the development levels—the most substantial impacts are discovered in highly developed regions (eastern provinces), while the least substantial are found in low developed regions (western provinces). Secondly, the combined impacts of linear and non-linear parameters of both industrial agglomeration and rural-urban migration confirmed environmental Kuznets curves (EKCs) in models with the tertiary sector. However, in the model with the secondary sector, only EKC based on rural-urban migration is verified. Finally, rural-urban migration mitigated the environmental degradation more substantially in the model with tertiary sector-based industrial agglomeration. It suggests that rural to urban migration contributes less to the environmental emissions through the economy's service sector.

Since the exports' nature and the productive capabilities of economies and regions play an essential role in driving the energy demand and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the modern literature focuses on the importance of export composition in determining the environmental quality. For this purpose, this study aims to test the composition impact of the trade by using export product diversification, extensive margin, and intensive margin on energy use and environment in a case study for the ten newly industrialized countries (NICs) from 1970 to 2014. Additionally, this study employs some other indicators such as income, urbanization, and economic complexity during our investigations. The obtained results from different panel estimations demonstrate that not only the composition of export products but also the income, urbanization, and economic complexity promote energy use and CO2 emissions. The panel causality results revealed a bidirectional linkage between overall diversification and CO2 emissions, and the intensive margin and CO2 emissions. In contrast, a unidirectional causality ran from CO2 emissions to the extensive margin. Energy consumption presented a bidirectional causality with the overall diversification, intensive margin, economic complexity, and urbanization. Finally, a unidirectional causality is observed from energy consumption to the extensive margin. Based on findings, applicable policies are discussed.

AbstractRemittances inflow plays a significant role in promoting the economic welfare of a country; it has a multidimensional effect on the economy and links with the carbon emissions. This study e...

Abstract The relationship between international trade and carbon emissions has been studied extensively; nonetheless, consumption-based carbon emissions, which is adjusted for international trade, have not been studied. This study is an attempt to address the gap by using consumption-based carbon emissions which is adjusted for trade in case of oil-exporting countries. The effect of international trade is analyzed by treating exports and imports separately from 1990 to 2018. The long-run impact of all variables, i.e., exports, imports, and gross domestic product (GDP) is higher than the short-run coefficients. The empirical evidence, both in the long-run and short-run, confirms the negative effect of exports on consumption-based carbon emissions. Furthermore, gross domestic product (GDP) and imports have a positive and statistically significant impact on consumption-based carbon emissions both in the short-run and long-run. Policies related to consumption-based carbon emissions and international trade shall realize the effect of government policies to absorb it fully by taking approximately two years.

Abstract This paper aims to analyze the impacts of emission taxes, investments in the energy sector, expenditure on research and development, technological innovation, and tertiary sector development on the Chinese provincial carbon dioxide emission figures between 1995 and 2019. The econometric analysis involved the application of the latest methods which can simultaneously account for cross-sectional dependency, slope heterogeneity, and structural break issues in the data. The overall findings revealed that provincial growth and tertiary sector development were responsible for the aggravation of the carbon dioxide emission trends in China. In contrast, higher energy investments, technological innovation, renewable energy use, expenditure on research and development, and carbon emission taxes are found to abate carbon dioxide emissions and, therefore, facilitate the carbon-abatement agenda of China. Besides, the findings also revealed emission taxes, investment in research and development, technological innovation, and renewable energy use jointly reduce carbon dioxide emissions further. In line with these abovementioned findings, several policy-level recommendations are put forward.

Abstract The rapid industrialization and modernization of the People's Republic of China's economy have significantly aggravated the nation's carbon emission-induced climate change adversities. Under this premise, this study attempts to analyze the roles of green investments and other key macroeconomic aggregates in reducing carbon emissions in 30 provinces in China from 1995 to 2017. The robust econometric tools efficient in handling cross-sectional dependency and slope heterogeneity issues were utilized. The Westerlund cointegration analysis confirms the long-term association between the variables of concern. Moreover, the elasticity estimates from the cross-section augmented autoregressive distributed a lag approach indicate that investments in green projects are seen to reduce short- and long-term carbon emission levels. In contrast, the extraction of natural resources, the development of the financial sector, and energy investments increase carbon emissions, both in the short and long term. Furthermore, the Dumitrescu and Hurlin causality analysis indicate bidirectional causation amongst carbon emissions and the other macroeconomic aggregates considered in this study.