IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eco/journ2/2024-06-57.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Evaluating the Environmental Kuznets Curve: The Role of Renewable Energy, Economic Growth, Urban Density and Trade Openness on CO2 Emissions. An Analysis for High-Income Countries Using the CS-ARDL Model

Author

Listed:
  • Juan Pablo Vallejo Mata

    (Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Ecuador)

  • María Gabriela González Bautista

    (Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo, Ecuador)

  • Luis Eduardo Solis Granda

    (Universidad Estatal de Milagro, Ecuador)

  • Eduardo Germán Zurita Moreano

    (Universidad Nacional de Chimborazo, Ecuador)

Abstract

In view of the environmental challenges the world is currently facing, the objective of this research was to examine the short- and long-term effect of renewable energies on CO2 emissions. In addition, to deepen the analysis, the Environmental Kuznet Curve (EKC) hypothesis, and the effects of urban population density and trade openness on CO2 emissions in 30 high-income countries in the period 2000-2020 were evaluated. A cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lags model (CS-ARDL) and the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) model were estimated for robustness checks. The findings reveal that renewable energy consumption reduces CO2 emissions in both the short and long term. Furthermore, there is strong evidence to support the EKC hypothesis. Finally, openness to trade was found to increase CO2 emissions, while the relationship between urban density and CO2 emissions is statistically non-significant. This information is expected to be crucial for the generation of public policies framed in sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Juan Pablo Vallejo Mata & María Gabriela González Bautista & Luis Eduardo Solis Granda & Eduardo Germán Zurita Moreano, 2024. "Evaluating the Environmental Kuznets Curve: The Role of Renewable Energy, Economic Growth, Urban Density and Trade Openness on CO2 Emissions. An Analysis for High-Income Countries Using the CS-ARDL Mo," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 14(6), pages 580-596, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:eco:journ2:2024-06-57
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econjournals.com/index.php/ijeep/article/download/16740/8376
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.econjournals.com/index.php/ijeep/article/view/16740
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Brian R. Copeland & M. Scott Taylor, 2004. "Trade, Growth, and the Environment," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 42(1), pages 7-71, March.
    2. Huang, Yongming & Haseeb, Mohammad & Usman, Muhammad & Ozturk, Ilhan, 2022. "Dynamic association between ICT, renewable energy, economic complexity and ecological footprint: Is there any difference between E-7 (developing) and G-7 (developed) countries?," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    3. Semet, Raphaël, 2024. "Coordinating social equity and emissions: Challenges in carbon tax policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    4. Nepal, Rabindra & Liu, Yang & Wang, Jianda & Dong, Kangyin, 2024. "How does green finance promote renewable energy technology innovation? A quasi-natural experiment perspective," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    5. Ashutosh Yadav & Bright Akwasi Gyamfi & Simplice A. Asongu & Deepak Kumar Behera, 2021. "The role of green finance and governance effectiveness in the impact of renewable energy investment on CO2 emissions in BRICS economies," Working Papers 24/015, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    6. Bretschger, Lucas, 2020. "Malthus in the light of climate change," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    7. Wang, Qiang & Sun, Ziyi & Guo, Jiale & Li, Rongrong, 2023. "The more effective option to combat environmental degradation: Energy efficiency vs. renewable energy vs. natural gas?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 283(C).
    8. Hayat Khan & Liu Weili & Itbar Khan, 2022. "Environmental innovation, trade openness and quality institutions: an integrated investigation about environmental sustainability," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 3832-3862, March.
    9. Hashem Pesaran, M. & Yamagata, Takashi, 2008. "Testing slope homogeneity in large panels," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 142(1), pages 50-93, January.
    10. Apergis, Nicholas & Ben Jebli, Mehdi & Ben Youssef, Slim, 2018. "Does renewable energy consumption and health expenditures decrease carbon dioxide emissions? Evidence for sub-Saharan Africa countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 1011-1016.
    11. Wisniewski, Grzegorz & Rogulska, Magdalena & Grzybek, Anna & Pietruszko, Stanislaw M., 1995. "The role of renewable energy in carbon dioxide emission reduction in Poland," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 52(2-3), pages 291-298.
    12. Grossman, G.M & Krueger, A.B., 1991. "Environmental Impacts of a North American Free Trade Agreement," Papers 158, Princeton, Woodrow Wilson School - Public and International Affairs.
    13. Wang, Wei-Zheng & Liu, Lan-Cui & Liao, Hua & Wei, Yi-Ming, 2021. "Impacts of urbanization on carbon emissions: An empirical analysis from OECD countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    14. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2007. "A simple panel unit root test in the presence of cross-section dependence," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(2), pages 265-312.
    15. Pata, Ugur Korkut, 2021. "Linking renewable energy, globalization, agriculture, CO2 emissions and ecological footprint in BRIC countries: A sustainability perspective," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 197-208.
    16. Mohammed Musah & Yusheng Kong & Isaac Adjei Mensah & Stephen Kwadwo Antwi & Mary Donkor, 2021. "The connection between urbanization and carbon emissions: a panel evidence from West Africa," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(8), pages 11525-11552, August.
    17. Chudik, Alexander & Pesaran, M. Hashem, 2015. "Common correlated effects estimation of heterogeneous dynamic panel data models with weakly exogenous regressors," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 188(2), pages 393-420.
    18. Stern, David I., 1993. "Energy and economic growth in the USA : A multivariate approach," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 137-150, April.
    19. Jie Zhang & Majed Alharthi & Qaiser Abbas & Weiqing Li & Muhammad Mohsin & Khan Jamal & Farhad Taghizadeh-Hesary, 2020. "Reassessing the Environmental Kuznets Curve in Relation to Energy Efficiency and Economic Growth," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-21, October.
    20. Lin, Boqiang & Okoye, Jude O., 2023. "Towards renewable energy generation and low greenhouse gas emission in high-income countries: Performance of financial development and governance," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 215(C).
    21. York, Richard & Rosa, Eugene A. & Dietz, Thomas, 2003. "STIRPAT, IPAT and ImPACT: analytic tools for unpacking the driving forces of environmental impacts," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 351-365, October.
    22. Balsalobre-Lorente, Daniel & Contente dos Santos Parente, Clara & Leitão, Nuno Carlos & Cantos-Cantos, José María, 2023. "The influence of economic complexity processes and renewable energy on CO2 emissions of BRICS. What about industry 4.0?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    23. M. Hashem Pesaran, 2021. "General diagnostic tests for cross-sectional dependence in panels," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 60(1), pages 13-50, January.
    24. Ben Jebli, Mehdi & Farhani, Sahbi & Guesmi, Khaled, 2020. "Renewable energy, CO2 emissions and value added: Empirical evidence from countries with different income levels," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 402-410.
    25. Nabila Amin & Muhammad Salman Shabbir & Huaming Song & Kashif Abbass, 2024. "Renewable energy consumption and its impact on environmental quality: A pathway for achieving sustainable development goals in ASEAN countries," Energy & Environment, , vol. 35(2), pages 644-662, March.
    26. Bowden, Nicholas & Payne, James E., 2009. "The causal relationship between U.S. energy consumption and real output: A disaggregated analysis," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 31(2), pages 180-188.
    27. Agboola, Mary Oluwatoyin & Bekun, Festus Victor & Joshua, Udi, 2021. "Pathway to environmental sustainability: Nexus between economic growth, energy consumption, CO2 emission, oil rent and total natural resources rent in Saudi Arabia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    28. Rashid Latief & Usman Sattar & Sohail Ahmad Javeed & Ammar Ali Gull & Yingshun Pei, 2022. "The Environmental Effects of Urbanization, Education, and Green Innovation in the Union for Mediterranean Countries: Evidence from Quantile Regression Model," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-17, July.
    29. Wencong, Lu & Kasimov, Ikboljon & Saydaliev, Hayot Berk, 2023. "Foreign direct investment and renewable energy: Examining the environmental Kuznets curve in resource-rich transition economies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 301-310.
    30. Mortaza Ojaghlou & Erginbay Ugurlu & Marta Kadłubek & Eleftherios Thalassinos, 2023. "Economic Activities and Management Issues for the Environment: An Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) and STIRPAT Analysis in Turkey," Resources, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-14, April.
    31. Işık, Cem & Bulut, Umit & Ongan, Serdar & Islam, Hasibul & Irfan, Muhammad, 2024. "Exploring how economic growth, renewable energy, internet usage, and mineral rents influence CO2 emissions: A panel quantile regression analysis for 27 OECD countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    32. Briera, Thibault & Lefèvre, Julien, 2024. "Reducing the cost of capital through international climate finance to accelerate the renewable energy transition in developing countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    33. Eberhardt, Markus & Bond, Stephen, 2009. "Cross-section dependence in nonstationary panel models: a novel estimator," MPRA Paper 17692, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    34. Wang, Qian & Hubacek, Klaus & Feng, Kuishuang & Wei, Yi-Ming & Liang, Qiao-Mei, 2016. "Distributional effects of carbon taxation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C), pages 1123-1131.
    35. Rahman, Mohammad Mafizur & Alam, Khosrul, 2022. "Effects of corruption, technological innovation, globalisation, and renewable energy on carbon emissions in Asian countries," Utilities Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    36. Raihan, Asif, 2023. "The influences of renewable energy, globalization, technological innovations, and forests on emission reduction in Colombia," Innovation and Green Development, Elsevier, vol. 2(4).
    37. Recep Ulucak & Danish & Yacouba Kassouri, 2020. "An assessment of the environmental sustainability corridor: Investigating the non‐linear effects of environmental taxation on CO2 emissions," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(4), pages 1010-1018, July.
    38. Dinda, Soumyananda, 2004. "Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis: A Survey," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 431-455, August.
    39. Cropper, Maureen & Griffiths, Charles, 1994. "The Interaction of Population Growth and Environmental Quality," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(2), pages 250-254, May.
    40. Bilgili, Faik & Lorente, Daniel Balsalobre & Kuşkaya, Sevda & Ünlü, Fatma & Gençoğlu, Pelin & Rosha, Pali, 2021. "The role of hydropower energy in the level of CO2 emissions: An application of continuous wavelet transform," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 178(C), pages 283-294.
    41. Fakher, Hossein Ali & Ahmed, Zahoor & Acheampong, Alex O. & Nathaniel, Solomon Prince, 2023. "Renewable energy, nonrenewable energy, and environmental quality nexus: An investigation of the N-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve based on six environmental indicators," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PA).
    42. Liao, Wang & Liu, Dong & Xue, Yusheng & Wu, Yufeng & Xue, Feng & Chang, Kang, 2024. "Power generation expansion planning considering natural disaster scenarios under carbon emission trajectory constraints," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 361(C).
    43. Tugcu, Can Tansel & Ozturk, Ilhan & Aslan, Alper, 2012. "Renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth relationship revisited: Evidence from G7 countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(6), pages 1942-1950.
    44. Celil Aydin & Ömer Esen, 2018. "Reducing CO2 emissions in the EU member states: Do environmental taxes work?," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(13), pages 2396-2420, November.
    45. Ahmad, Mahmood & Dai, Jiapeng & Mehmood, Usman & Abou Houran, Mohamad, 2023. "Renewable energy transition, resource richness, economic growth, and environmental quality: Assessing the role of financial globalization," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    46. David I. Stern, 2004. "The Environmental Kuznets Curve," Chapters, in: John Proops & Paul Safonov (ed.), Modelling in Ecological Economics, chapter 9, pages 173-202, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gong, Xue & Aslam, Muhammad Umar, 2024. "The role of natural resources, and economic development in evaluating the environmental effects of biofuel and waste energy generation in the group of BRICS," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 372(C).
    2. Guo, Xiuping & Meng, Xianglei & Luan, Qingfeng & Wang, Yanhua, 2023. "Trade openness, globalization, and natural resources management: The moderating role of economic complexity in newly industrialized countries," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PA).
    3. Wei, Zhao & Huang, Lihua, 2022. "Does renewable energy matter to achieve sustainable development? Fresh evidence from ten Asian economies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 199(C), pages 759-767.
    4. Iftikhar Yasin & Nawaz Ahmad & M. Aslam Chaudhary, 2020. "Catechizing the Environmental-Impression of Urbanization, Financial Development, and Political Institutions: A Circumstance of Ecological Footprints in 110 Developed and Less-Developed Countries," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 147(2), pages 621-649, January.
    5. Aytun, Cengiz & Erdogan, Sinan & Pata, Ugur Korkut & Cengiz, Orhan, 2024. "Associating environmental quality, human capital, financial development and technological innovation in 19 middle-income countries: A disaggregated ecological footprint approach," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    6. Bakry, Walid & Mallik, Girijasankar & Nghiem, Xuan-Hoa & Sinha, Avik & Vo, Xuan Vinh, 2023. "Is green finance really “green”? Examining the long-run relationship between green finance, renewable energy and environmental performance in developing countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 208(C), pages 341-355.
    7. Boris OK Lokonon & Ichaou Mounirou, 2019. "Does foreign direct investment impede forest area in Sub‐Saharan Africa?," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 43(4), pages 230-240, November.
    8. Belaïd, Fateh & Zrelli, Maha Harbaoui, 2019. "Renewable and non-renewable electricity consumption, environmental degradation and economic development: Evidence from Mediterranean countries," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    9. Borowiec, Justyna & Papież, Monika, 2024. "Convergence of CO2 emissions in countries at different stages of development. Do globalisation and environmental policies matter?," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 184(C).
    10. Ahmad, Mahmood & Jiang, Ping & Majeed, Abdul & Umar, Muhammad & Khan, Zeeshan & Muhammad, Sulaman, 2020. "The dynamic impact of natural resources, technological innovations and economic growth on ecological footprint: An advanced panel data estimation," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    11. Wen, Jun & Mughal, Nafeesa & Kashif, Maryam & Jain, Vipin & Ramos Meza, Carlos Samuel & Cong, Phan The, 2022. "Volatility in natural resources prices and economic performance: Evidence from BRICS economies," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    12. Zhongwei, Huang & Liu, Yishu, 2022. "The role of eco-innovations, trade openness, and human capital in sustainable renewable energy consumption: Evidence using CS-ARDL approach," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 201(P1), pages 131-140.
    13. Ajanaku, B.A. & Collins, A.R., 2021. "Economic growth and deforestation in African countries: Is the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis applicable?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    14. Degirmenci, Tunahan & Yavuz, Hakan, 2024. "Environmental taxes, R&D expenditures and renewable energy consumption in EU countries: Are fiscal instruments effective in the expansion of clean energy?," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    15. Murshed, Muntasir & Saboori, Behnaz & Madaleno, Mara & Wang, Hong & Doğan, Buhari, 2022. "Exploring the nexuses between nuclear energy, renewable energy, and carbon dioxide emissions: The role of economic complexity in the G7 countries," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 664-674.
    16. Richard T. Carson, 2010. "The Environmental Kuznets Curve: Seeking Empirical Regularity and Theoretical Structure," Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 4(1), pages 3-23, Winter.
    17. Zhao, Wei & Liu, Yishu & Huang, Lihua, 2022. "Estimating environmental Kuznets Curve in the presence of eco-innovation and solar energy: An analysis of G-7 economies," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 304-314.
    18. Lars Sorge & Anne Neumann, 2019. "The Impact of Population, Affluence, Technology, and Urbanization on CO2 Emissions across Income Groups," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1812, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    19. Quynh Chau Pham Holland & Benjamin Liu & Eduardo Roca, 2019. "International funding cost and heterogeneous mortgage interest-rate pass-through: a bank-level analysis," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 57(4), pages 1255-1289, October.
    20. Abdelaziz Boukhelkhal, 2022. "Energy use, economic growth and CO2 emissions in Africa: does the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis exist? New evidence from heterogeneous panel under cross-sectional dependence," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 13083-13110, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    CO2 Emissions; Renewable Energies; Kuznet Hypothesis; Trade Openness; CS-ARDL;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • F18 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Environment

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eco:journ2:2024-06-57. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Ilhan Ozturk (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.econjournals.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.