Educational attainment and environmental Kuznets curve in China: an aggregate and disaggregate analysis

Does green finance boost carbon-neutral performance? Evidence from China

Carbon neutrality has attracted widespread attention as a key strategy for mitigating environmental degradation, but there is little research on whether the development of green finance can contribute to the process of carbon neutrality. This paper proposes a hypothesis based on the relationship between green finance and carbon-neutral performance and empirically tests it using a spatial Durbin model and combining it with a threshold panel model utilizing Chinese provincial sample data from 2011 to 2021. The study found that (1) green finance development would promote carbon-neutral performance; (2) there are notable spatial characteristics of green finance and carbon neutrality performance, with local green finance impacts both local and neighboring carbon-neutral performance; and (3) green finance impacts carbon-neutral performance at a single threshold and different levels of green finance development affect carbon-neutral performance differently. In the eastern, central, and western regions, the contribution of green finance to carbon-neutral performance gradually decreases. Thus, Chinese authorities should strengthen the green sustainable financing system, promote regional green finance, and enhance the carbon-neutral performance of green finance.

Energy consumption, CO2 emissions, foreign direct investment, and economic growth in Malaysia: an NARDL technique

This study seeks to ascertain whether there is an unbalanced link  between CO₂ emissions, foreign direct investment, and economic growth in Malaysia over a 40-year timeframe between 1980 and 2019. We investigated the asymmetric relationship , using  non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) technique. The findings showed a noteworthy asymmetry between FDI, CO₂ emissions, and GDP in Malaysia. The long-term and short-term effects of negative FDI on GDP are both equivalent to 0.028 and 0.021, respectively. This suggests that, compared to short-term fluctuations, long-term negative FDI adjustments have a considerably more negative impact on economic growth. The coefficient of positive (CO₂⁺) and negative (CO₂^-) changes in economic growth is equal to 0.086 and - 0.152, respectively. It indicates that positive changes in CO₂ emissions have stronger effects in the long run than negative shocks. Considering an asymmetric association between these two variables in the short and long term, Malaysian policymakers must comprehend the dynamic relationship between FDI, CO2 emissions, and GDP to plan appropriate economic and environmental policies that will support sustainable economic development and ensure a safer environment.

Economic Freedom, Education and CO2 Emissions: A Causality Analysis for EU Member States

Environmental sustainability is one of three pillars of sustainability. However, a significant worldwide deterioration in the environment has been experienced since the Industrial Revolution, but the efforts to protect the environment date back to the 1970s. In this context, many economic and non-economic factors underlying environmental degradation have been investigated until today, but the influence of economic freedom indicators and education on the environment have been relatively less analyzed and the researchers have mainly focused on the influence of economic and institutional variables on the environment. Therefore, this paper investigates the reciprocal interplay among economic freedom indicators, education, and environment in EU member states over the 2000–2018 term by using a causality test with cross-sectional dependency and heterogeneity and taking the research gap into consideration. The causality analysis indicates that market-oriented economic structure and education can be beneficial in combatting environmental degradation.