scholarly journals Fresh Validation of the Low Carbon Development Hypothesis under the EKC Scheme in Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 250
Author(s):  
Daniel Balsalobre-Lorente ◽  
Nuno Carlos Leitão ◽  
Festus Victor Bekun

The present study is in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs) that address pertinent global issues. This study focuses on the need for access to clean and affordable energy consumption, responsible energy consumption, sustainable economic growth, and climate change mitigation. To this end, this paper evaluates the relevance of the renewable energy sector on the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework in Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain for the period 1995–2015. As an econometric strategy, we adopt the use of panel data over the highlighted countries. In the first step, we apply the unit root test recommended by Levin, Lin, and Chu in conjunction with ADF-Fisher, and Phillips-Perron for robustness and consistency. We found that the variables used in this study are integrated I (1) in the first difference. In the second step, we apply the Pedroni cointegration test, and Kao Residual cointegration test, and we observe that the variables are cointegrated in the long run. The generalized least squares (GLS), the panel fully modified least squares (FMOLS), ordinary least squares robust (OLS), and panel quantile regression are considered in this research. The econometric results validate the assumption of the environmental Kuznets curve, i.e., and there is a positive correlation between income per capita and a negative effect of squared income per capita on carbon dioxide emissions. In contrast, we observe that renewable energy reduces CO2 emissions. Finally, we also find a direct connection between the urban population and the environmental degradation in the examined blocs. These results show that in Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Spain, more is required to achieve environmental sustainability in the respective countries growth trajectory. Further policy prescriptions are appended in the concluding section of this study.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suleyman Yurtkuran

Abstract This study aims to investigate the dynamic relationship between income, clean energy consumption, exports, imports, urbanization and ecological footprint for Turkey from 1973 to 2015 using the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis. The long-term coefficients derived from the ARDL approach demonstrate that import increase the ecological footprint, whereas urbanization and clean energy consumption do not have an impact on environmental pollution in the long-term. In addition, the 2001 dummy variable is negative and statistically significant. The crisis in 2001 slowed down the economic growth rate. This situation also caused reduction of environmental pollution. Moreover, the long run estimates indicate that the EKC hypothesis is valid in Turkey. However, the turning point of per capita income was calculated as $16,045 that outside of the analyzed period. As economic activities increase, human pressure on nature continues to increase. Consequently, the only factor that reduces the ecological footprint has been determined as exports. In contrast, economic growth and clean energy consumption cannot be used as a tool to reduce the ecological footprint. Turkey needs a higher level of per capita income than the threshold level to improve environmental quality.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (17) ◽  
pp. 3289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasylieva ◽  
Lyulyov ◽  
Bilan ◽  
Streimikiene

The paper investigates the relationships between economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. GDP growth represents the main economic dimension, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and renewable energy consumption the environmental dimension, and corruption the social dimension of sustainable development. The investigation of these relationships is based on the concept of the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis about the non-linear relationship between economic growth and environmental pollution. The authors used the panel data of EU countries and Ukraine for 2000–2016 years from the Eurostat database. The obtained results confirmed the Environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis for the EU and Ukraine. All the indicators were statistically significant at 1% and 5% levels. The findings proved that increasing renewable energy (RE) by 1% led to a decline of GHG in the interval (0.166103, 0.220551), and аn increase of the Control of Corruption Index by 1% provoked a decline of GHG by 0.88%. The conducted study enabled the authors to conclude that Ukraine needs to increase the GDP level per capita given the economy diversification and via the introduction of more effective and “clean” production technologies.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (11) ◽  
pp. 3302
Author(s):  
Mihaela Simionescu ◽  
Adam Wojciechowski ◽  
Arkadiusz Tomczyk ◽  
Marcin Rabe

Sustainable development can be achieved when economic development does not produce environmental deterioration. In this context, the aim of the paper is to evaluate the effects of economic development on GHG emissions in the Baltic States (Latvia, Letonia, and Lithuania), and in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland (the Visegrád Group or V4 countries) in the period of 1996–2019. The study introduces dynamic ARDL panels in the context of the traditional environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) and renewable Kuznets curve (RKC). The results indicated an inverse-N-shaped and a U-shaped pattern. Energy consumption and labour productivity enhanced pollution, while domestic credit to the private sector, as a share of GDP, and renewable energy consumption supported environmental protection. The implications of these results might help these countries to achieve the targets of the European Green Deal related to the reduction of pollution and the attainment of net zero emissions by 2050. However, national regulations should further promote the use of renewable energy sources.


Author(s):  
Funda Yurdakul

This study examines the relationship of energy consumption per capita with growth rate, industrialisation, trade volume and urbanisation in Turkish economy throughout the 1980–2015 period using the Engle-Granger, Fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS), canonical cointegration regression (CCR) and dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) methods. Analysis results revealed a long-run equilibrium relationship between the change in energy consumption per capita and growth rate, industrialisation, trade volume and urbanisation. Urbanisation, industrialisation, growth rate and trade volume positively influence the change in energy consumption per capita. Keywords: Energy consumption, Engle-Granger method, fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) method, canonical cointegration regression (CCR), dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) method.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuro Uehara ◽  
Mateo Cordier

A study by Barnes (2019) concluded that there exists an empirical environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) relationship between mismanaged plastic waste per capita and income per capita. However, this result needs careful interpretation. The study adopted data that used the World Bank database to compute mismanaged plastic waste amounts. Because data to compute them were not available for all countries, missing data were estimated by relating them to economic classification (i.e., income level). In other words, the data used for the analysis by Barnes simply assumed—without scientific validation—that mismanaged plastic waste amounts are related to economic classification (i.e., income level).


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 9150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cem Ișik ◽  
Munir Ahmad ◽  
Uğur Korkut Pata ◽  
Serdar Ongan ◽  
Magdalena Radulescu ◽  
...  

This paper analyzes the legitimacy of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis for a group of seven (G7) countries over the period 1995–2015. In addition to testing the EKC speculation, the authors also would like to understand the ways in which increases in renewable energy consumption and the international tourism receipt affect the CO2 emissions in G7 countries, because the energy and tourism sectors may have considerable direct impacts on CO2 emissions. In this investigation, a panel bootstrap cointegration test and an augmented mean group (AMG) estimator were applied. The empirical findings indicate that the tourism-induced EKC hypothesis is valid only for France. Additionally, it was detected that a rise in renewable energy consumption has a negative (reduction) impact on CO2 emissions in France, Italy, the UK, and the US. However, an increase in the receipt of international touristm has a positive (additional) impact on Italy’s CO2 emissions. Hence, this country’s decision-makers should re-review their tourism policy to adopt a renewable-inclusive one for sustainable tourism and the environment.


2013 ◽  
Vol 291-294 ◽  
pp. 1195-1201
Author(s):  
Guang Yue Xu

Based on the environmental Kuznets curve theory, using of panel data of 27 provinces in China during 1990 -2008 and the panel unit root and cointegration methods, the time window for per capita energy consumption inflection point is empirically researched. The results are as follows: China and its eastern and central regions have the environmental Kuznets curve for per capita energy consumption, but it does not exist in the western region. On this basis, the paper studies the scenario analysis for achieving the inflection point of per capita energy consumption for provinces in the eastern and central regions and depicts their specific time path, and finds that China and its provinces in eastern and central regions can have the win-win and decoupling development between economic growth and energy consumption by reducing the energy intensity.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanon Kumar Sen ◽  
Md. Thasinul Abedin

PurposeDue to large amounts of coal burning, huge carbon dioxide emission and poor environmental quality, it is important to identify whether environmental Kuznets curve exists in China and India since in downward period of environmental Kuznets curve, economic growth in these countries will largely contribute to world environmental quality. Further, it helps to make a comparative analysis between China and India on how economic growth will contribute to the environmental quality in both upward and downward period of environmental Kuznets curve due to energy consumption.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the data of carbon dioxide emission, per capita GDP and energy consumption from 1972 to 2017 to identify individual and panel-level environmental Kuznets curve of China and India. Before going to regression and causality analysis, unit root and cointegration tests are performed.FindingsThis study finds the existence of environmental Kuznets curve in China and India at both individual and panel level. Further, due to high energy consumption, environmental quality in China will deteriorate at a lower rate in the long run than that of India. Next, the increase in economic growth or per capita GDP in the long run will deteriorate environmental quality at a lower rate in China than that of India. Besides, with the zero level of energy consumption and per capita GDP, the environmental quality of China will be worse than that of India. However, increase in per capita GDP after threshold level will improve environmental quality in India at a higher rate than that of China.Research limitations/implicationsIt helps to formalize the comparative relationship between the two large Asian economies by knowing the influence of economic growth on environmental degradation due to energy consumption. However, this study cannot conclude exactly when China and India can avail the downturn in environmental Kuznets curve.Originality/valueIt firstly establishes a link among energy consumption, economic growth and environmental quality between China and India including comparative pace in both upward and downward period of environmental Kuznets curve.


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