• Energy Research
• 1. No poverty close
• 8. Economic growth close
• GB close
• DK close

Abstract The present study aims to fill an important research gap by investigating the role of environmental-related technologies on energy demand and energy efficiency in a sample of 28 OECD economies. The current study utilizes annual data for the period of 1990–2014 and employs panel estimation techniques, which addresses the issues of cross-sectional dependence, fixed effect, and endogeneity. The results, across various estimates, confirm that environmental technology has a substantial negative influence on energy consumption and also plays an important role in improving energy efficiency by reducing energy intensity. These evidences suggest that environmental technology helps the OECD economies to reduce their overall energy consumption and improves overall energy efficiency in their respective countries. The comprehensive empirical outcomes document that financial development and income are the key determinants of energy demand. Given these results, the study proposes several fruitful implications regarding sustainable development goals of OECD countries.

Numerous nations' policies have integrated the imperative of restraining the expansion of CO2 emissions, recognizing the increasingly dire and unmanageable consequences it entails. Despite empirical literature identifying diverse drivers of CO2, the impact of national security, healthcare, entitlement programs, and total petroleum stocks has largely been overlooked. Thus, this study aims to bridge this gap by investigating, for the first time, the role of these economic variables in determining whether they contribute to CO2 reduction or escalation in the United States. To evaluate the interconnections among these variables, this study utilizes monthly data spanning from 1985 to 2022. Employing contemporary quantile approaches like Recursive CQ correlations, Cross-Quantilogram, and nonparametric quantile causality, the study effectively accommodates the nonlinear nature of the variables. These analytical techniques offer a comprehensive assessment of the relationships among the variables under scrutiny. The outcomes of the Cross-Quantilogram analysis reveal that health care, national security, and entitlement programs enhance ecological quality at different quantiles. Conversely, total petroleum stocks are associated with ecological deterioration. Based on these results, the study recommends a focus on raising awareness regarding sustainable procurement strategies, embracing environmentally friendly technologies, and improving energy efficiency in healthcare facilities.

Abstract The article provides the analysis of fuel and energy transition in Lithuanian households sector and its sustainable development after the integration of Lithuania into the European Union (EU) and covers the period 2005–2012. Lithuania has limited quantity of indigenous energy resources and is depended from the import of energy resources, such as natural gas, petroleum and hard coal. Up to the year 2009 about 70–80% of electricity was produced from Ignalina NPP. At the end of 2009, according to the requirements of EU, Ignalina NPP was closed. Lithuania׳s energy dependence on the imports of fuel increased remarkably from 50.3% in 2009 to about 82% in 2010–2012 and considerably exceeded the EU average 54%. The share of renewable and indigenous energy sources in gross inland fuel and energy consumption increased from 14.7% in 2009 to 19.5% in 2012. About 40.4% of RES and indigenous energy belonged to households sector and 44.9% were transformed in Combined Heat and Power (CHP), and only 14.7% belonged to industry and other sectors. In article, the sustainable development of Lithuanian and European households were overviewed and recent analysis of Lithuanian households sector was carried out. Dwellings were sorted by the year of construction. Distribution of households by dwelling type and heated area was assessed. Final fuel and energy consumption and distribution by different consumer groups were shown. In 2009–2012 final fuel and energy consumption of Lithuanian households comprised about 65 PJ or 33% of all final consumption. Household׳s energy consumption by different energy sources was disclosed. In 2012 about 36.5% of household׳s energy consumption belonged to solid biofuels and about 31.7% to heat energy. Electricity consumptions of households and electricity prices for household consumers were indicated and comparisons with EU-27 countries were made. Lithuanian RES flows diagram was constructed and RES share for households was revealed. The reduction of greenhouse gases emissions in Lithuania and other European countries was indicated.

Abstract Biofuels have been promoted as a renewable energy option in many countries, but have also faced extensive scrutiny over their sustainability. Food security is perhaps the most debated sustainability impact of biofuels, especially in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa that experience high rates of malnutrition and have been a major destination for biofuel-related investments. This study assesses the local food security impacts of engagement in biofuel crop production using a consistent protocol between multiple crops and sites. We use standardized metrics of food security related to dietary diversity and perceptions of hunger, and focus on feedstock smallholders and plantation workers in four operational projects: a large-scale jatropha plantation (Mozambique), a smallholder-based jatropha project (Malawi) and two hybrid sugarcane projects (Malawi, Eswatini). Collectively these reflect the main feedstocks, modes of production and land use transitions related to biofuel projects in Sub-Sahara Africa. Inverse Probability Weighting analysis indicates that involvement in sugarcane production improved household food security for plantation workers and feedstock smallholders. Conversely, involvement in jatropha production does not have a statistically significant positive effect on household food security for both workers and smallholders. Regression models indicate that the factors driving food security indicator levels vary between study sites. Wealth indicators influence food security indicators in several sites, but the absolute level of income plays a smaller role, while income stability/regularity, access to credit and stable markets for selling sugarcane be important drivers as indicated by the strong effect of proxy variables on indicators.

There is a strand of the economics literature that considers the regionalized economic effects of natural resource endowments. The so-called Natural Resource Curse suggests that natural resource endowments are associated with lower longterm growth rates in the areas in which the resources are located. Lower growth arises because these areas tend to specialize in the development and exploitation of the natural resources at the expense of other dynamic economic activities that offer higher long-term growth potential. Empirical evidence has, however, not reached consistent conclusions. In this paper, we take advantage of the rapid growth in oil and gas development and production in Texas over the course of a decade to consider the localized effects on inter-industry county-level employment at the NAICS-2, county-level mean and median income, and key public finance measures at both the county and school district levels. Considering the effects within a single, large and economically diverse state enables us to control for important state-level variables that influence local public finances. We find little evidence of short term effects necessary to generate the circumstance of a resource curse over the longer term.

Despite the commitment of the United Nations (UN) to provide everyone with equal access to basic services, the construction sector still fails to reach the production capacity and quality standards which are needed to meet the fast-growing demand for affordable homes. Whilst innovation measures are urgently needed to address the existing inefficiencies, the identification and development of the most appropriate solutions require a comprehensive understanding of the barriers obstructing the design and construction phase of affordable housing. To identify such barriers, an exploratory data mining analysis was conducted in which agglomerative hierarchical clustering made it possible to gather latent knowledge from 3566 text-based research outputs sourced from the Web of Science and Scopus. The analysis captured 83 supply-side barriers which impact the efficiency of the value chain for affordable housing provision. Of these barriers, 18 affected the design and construction phase, and after grouping them by thematic area, seven key matters of concern were identified: (1) design (not) for all, (2) homogeneity of provision, (3) unhealthy living environment, (4) inadequate construction project management, (5) environmental unsustainability, (6) placemaking, and (7) inadequate technical knowledge and skillsets. The insights which resulted from the analysis were seen to support evidence-informed decision making across the affordable housing sector. The findings suggest that fixing the inefficiencies of the affordable housing provision system will require UN Member States to accelerate the transition towards a fully sustainable design and construction process. This transition should prioritize a more inclusive and socially sensitive approach to the design and construction of affordable homes, capitalizing on the benefits of greater user involvement. In addition, transformative actions which seek to deliver more resource-efficient and environmentally friendly homes should be promoted, as well as new investments in the training and upskilling of construction professionals.

Abstract Different assumptions and methodologies prompt divergent policy recommendationgs for combatting climate change. Although climate scientists would like to be as precise as possible, policymakers with different attitudes towards climate change will always choose the result that matches their own value judgments. This paper discusses the impact of climate change attitudes on optimal mitigation in 15 regions. The climate change attitude is refined by a meta-analysis of 27 climate damage estimations and distilled into five damage functions. The optimal mitigation is calculated using the non-cooperative scenario of the regional integrated model of climate economy (RICE). The results show that the optimal mitigation paths in developing countries are more sensitive to climate change attitudes than they are in developed countries. In 2100, the range of optimal emissions represents 20% of the average optimal emissions by developing countries, which is twice the value of average optimal emissions by developed countries. The average social carbon cost in developing countries is 20 times higher than that in developed countries. This large uncertainty may be the combined result of high shadow prices of capital and large quantities of future emissions in these developing countries.

The comparative efficiency of privatized electricity distribution is critical to the case for deregulation. The area electricity boards in England and Wales are to be privatized in 1990, and measurement of the potential efficiency gains is essential to the proposed regulatory regime. This paper describes a non-parametric linear programming methodology for measuring productive efficiency which was pioneered by Farrell, and applies it to the present regulated electricity distribution industry in England and Wales. It finds that only five of the twelve boards are technically efficient, and that there are wide divergences in performance. Target improvements for inefficient boards are suggested, and implications for the regulatory mechanism are drawn.