Investigating the dynamic linkages among carbon dioxide emissions, economic growth, and renewable and non-renewable energy consumption: evidence from developing countries

Renewable energy plays a crucial role in increasing economic growth while reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The aim of this study is to examine the interaction between renewable energy consumption, economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions for selected Middle East and North Africa countries. For this aim, panel vector autoregression approach are used in the study. The annual data used in this study cover the period from 1988 to 2010 for Middle East and North Africa countries. Firstly, second generation unit root test are used to investigate stationarity properties of the variables and second generation panel cointegration test is applied to the data under consideration because of the cross-sectional dependence. Then a panel causality approach is proposed to examine the causal relationship between the variables. Finally, panel vector autoregression model, impulse-response and variance decomposition analysis are applied using generalized moment methods. The finding of this study shows that there is a bi-directional causality between growth and renewable energy consumption, which is consistent with the feedback hypothesis in terms of the energy consumption-growth nexus. It is found the evidence of unidirectional causality from carbon dioxide emissions to renewable energy consumption and from growth to carbon dioxide emissions. It is also found that the responses of growth to a shock of energy consumption are positive and the impact of renewable energy consumption on carbon dioxide emissions is negative.

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The Paradoxical Relationship between Renewable Energy and Economic Growth: A Cross-National Panel Study, 1990-2013

Journal of World-Systems Research ◽

10.5195/jwsr.2017.711 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 540-564 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Ryan P Thombs

Keyword(s):

Economic Growth ◽

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Renewable Energy ◽

Energy Consumption ◽

Carbon Emissions ◽

Carbon Dioxide Emissions ◽

Total Carbon ◽

Renewable Energy Consumption ◽

Negative Effect ◽

Cross National

This cross-national study employs a time-series cross-sectional Prais-Winsten regression model with panel-corrected standard errors to examine the relationship between renewable energy consumption and economic growth, and its impact on total carbon dioxide emissions and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP. Findings indicate that renewable energy consumption has its largest negative effect on total carbon emissions and carbon emissions per unit of GDP in low-income countries. Contrary to conventional wisdom, renewable energy has little influence on total carbon dioxide emissions or carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP at high levels of GDP per capita. The findings of this study indicate the presence of a “renewable energy paradox,” where economic growth becomes increasingly coupled with carbon emissions at high levels of renewable energy, and the negative effect of economic growth on carbon emissions per unit of GDP lessens as renewable energy increases. These findings suggest that public policy should be directed at deploying renewable energy in developing countries, while focusing on non-or-de-growth strategies accompanied with renewable energy in developed nations.

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