Assessing the role of the insurance market and renewable energy in the load capacity factor of OECD countries

Do circular economy, renewable energy, industrialization, and globalization influence environmental indicators in belt and road initiative countries?

This paper is the first comprehensive research to examine the effect of circular economy on environment employing two environmental degradation indicators (CO2 emissions, ecological footprint) and one environmental quality indicator (load capacity factor) for 57 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries during 2000-2019. The effect of other variables such as renewable energy, industrialization, and globalization was also controlled. The study applied the cross-sectional autoregressive distributed lag method (CS-ARDL), the augmented mean group (AMG), and common correlated effects mean group (CCEMG) methods as a robustness checks. The empirical findings reveal that circular economy and renewable energy have pro-environmental effects by decreasing carbon emissions and ecological footprint and increasing the load capacity factor in BRI countries. However, industrialization and globalization have detrimental effects on the environment. The result of causality shows a bidirectional causality between renewable energy, circular economy, industrialization, and three environmental indicators, but the relationship of globalization with CO2 emissions and the load capacity factor is unidirectional and with the ecological footprint is bidirectional. All the results are confirmed by the robustness tests. The study suggests policy implications for the BRI government.

Green natural capital, the environmental Kuznets curve and development financing in the Global South

This study investigates the nexus between carbon dioxide emissions, economic development, and development finance in seeking an empirical answer to the conundrum at the intersection of development and environmental economics. Employing a theoretical framework that incorporates three dimensions of endowments, the real economy, and the financial sector, our empirical model accounts for the bi-directional causality of environmental degradation and economic growth in the Global South by adopting the simultaneous equations model. Our results confirm an inverted N-shaped environment Kuznets curve which is statistically significant and robust, and consistent with the conceptualized theoretical framework. The results provide insights to enhance the effectiveness of future development finance and policy design by promoting sustainable growth and green transformation through facilitating renewable energy adoption, investing in human capital, and preserving renewable natural capital.

Effects of geopolitical risk on environmental sustainability and the moderating role of environmental policy stringency

This study investigates the impact of geopolitical risk (GPR) on consumption-based carbon (CCO2) emissions as well as the moderating role of environmental policy stringency (EPS) on the above relationship. Based on data collected from 27 countries from 1990 to 2020, the basic results from the sample of the study indicate that GPR accelerates CCO2 emissions. Quantile regression results reveal that the effect of GPR is more pronounced in countries with higher CCO2 emissions. Moreover, EPS weakens the escalating effect of GPR on CCO2 emissions. The robust test results validate the findings reported in the basic regression model. The heterogeneity test indicates that the impact of GPR on CCO2 emissions is greater in developing countries compared in developed countries. The study also proposes these policy implications based on the findings: (1) countries should ensure a stable political environment, establish a robust legal system and promote energy transition; and (2) the scope of environmental taxes should be expanded where different tax rates should be imposed in order to be useful in reducing CCO2 emissions.

Testing the impact of environmental taxation and IFRS adoption on consumption-based carbon in European countries

Several governance regulations have been adopted in European countries to promote environmental sustainability, such as environmental taxation and environmental disclosures in financial reports. In this context, this paper examines the linkage between environmental taxation, International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and environmental sustainability in European countries from 1994 to 2018. Unlike earlier empirical studies, the present work is the first to assess the impact of environmental taxation and IFRS adoption on consumption-based carbon emissions. In order to yield valid and reliable outcomes, the modern econometric method that is vigorous to cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity was employed. Likewise, the study uses the novel method of moment quantile regressions (MMQR). The MMQR outcomes illustrated that environmental taxation significantly negatively affects consumption-based emissions in European countries, indicating that environmental taxation has a positive effect on the ecological sustainability. Besides, the findings show that IFRS negatively affects consumption-based emissions, while economic growth positively affects the level of consumption-based emissions. Therefore, European governments must use fiscal and financial policies to mitigate ecological pollution. Moreover, more environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosure in European industries could also help promote environmental sustainability in European countries.

Digital finance, government intervention, and carbon emission efficiency in China

In accordance with the "dual carbon" objective, China is required to effectively pursue economic expansion and environmental preservation while concurrently enhancing carbon emission efficiency (CEE). This study examines the influence of digital finance on CEE and evaluates the moderating effect of government intervention. The analysis uses panel data collected from 282 cities in China at the prefecture level and above, spanning the period from 2011 to 2021. The findings indicate the following: (1) CEE in China is relatively low, and there are notable regional disparities. Specifically, there is a discernible downward trend in CEE throughout the eastern, central, and western areas. (2) In general, the implementation of digital finance has the potential to enhance the efficiency of carbon emissions. The observed effect is significant in the eastern and central regions but not in the western region. (3) Government subsidies have the potential to amplify digital finance's impact on CEE in the eastern region. Conversely, in the central and western regions, its influence can be increased by environmental regulations. Based on these findings, this study presents recommendations for advancing digital finance, enhancing the targeting and assessment of government subsidies, refining environmental regulations, and encouraging the adoption of green technologies.

The determinants of ecological footprint in the UK: The role of transportation activities, renewable energy, trade openness, and globalization

The objective of this study is to explore the interaction between transportation energy consumption, GDP, renewable energy, trade, globalization and ecological footprint in the United Kingdom over the period 1990-2020. To achieve this aim, the study uses the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach and Fourier Toda-Yamamoto causality test. The research findings demonstrate that an increase in transportation energy consumption, renewable energy, and globalization is associated with a reduction in environmental pollution. On the contrary, GDP and trade contribute to worsening the environment. Moreover, there exists a unidirectional causal relationship from transportation energy consumption, GDP, renewable energy, trade, and globalization towards the ecological footprint. The findings of the study recommend that the policymakers should implement strategies and provide incentives to increase the deployment of renewables in the transportation sector, specifically focusing on electric vehicles (EVs) and the necessary charging infrastructure. Overall, the UK government should prioritize sustainable environmental development when planning its economic development strategies.

Incorporating Russo-Ukrainian war in Brent crude oil price forecasting: A comparative analysis of ARIMA, TARMA and ENNReg models

This article investigates the performance of three models - Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA), Threshold Autoregressive Moving Average (TARMA) and Evidential Neural Network for Regression (ENNReg) - in forecasting the Brent crude oil price, a crucial economic variable with a significant impact on the global economy. With the increasing complexity of the price dynamics due to geopolitical factors such as the Russo-Ukrainian war, we examine the impact of incorporating information on the war on the forecasting accuracy of these models. Our analysis shows that incorporating the impact of the war can significantly improve the forecasting accuracy of the models, and the ENNReg model with the inclusion of the dummy variable outperforms the other models during the war period. Including the war variable has enhanced the forecasting accuracy of the ENNReg model by 0.11%. These results carry significant implications regarding policymakers, investors, and researchers interested in developing accurate forecasting models in the presence of geopolitical events such as the Russo-Ukrainian war. The results can be used by the governments of oil-exporting countries for budget policies.

Impact of banking development and renewable energy consumption on environmental sustainability in Germany: Novel findings using the bootstrap ARDL approach

This study examines the effects of banking development, economic growth and consumption of renewable energy on carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and load capacity factor (LCF). Previous empirical studies have assessed the interrelationship between banking development and CO2 emissions; however, these studies have ignored supply-side ecological issues. To overcome this issue, this study evaluates the effect of banking development on LCF, which is considered to be one of the most comprehensive ecological proxies to date, including both biocapacity and ecological footprint (EF). Using the bootstrap autoregressive distributed lag model, the study reveals that renewable energy improves ecological quality in Germany. The results of the investigation demonstrate that the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis is valid in Germany using CO2 emissions and LCF indicators. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that banking growth and renewable energy in Germany correlate with improved environmental quality. These findings provide policymakers with important insights. In this context, the study advises the banking industry and government authorities to leverage banking expansion to support green energy to achieve the national goal of zero CO2 emissions by 2045.

Are clean energy technologies a panacea for environmental sustainability in sub-Saharan African countries?

The average population in sub-Saharan Africa that has access to clean fuel for cooking and technology is 23.6%. This study examines the panel data for 29 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries for the period 2000-2018 to estimate impacts of clean energy technologies on environmental sustainability measured by load capacity factor (LCF) to capture both nature's supply and man's demand for the environment. The study used generalized quantile regression, which is more robust to outliers and eliminates the endogeneity of variables in the model using lagged instruments. Results show that clean energy technologies (clean fuels for cooking and renewable energy) have positive and statistically significant impacts on environmental sustainability in SSA for almost all quantiles. For robustness checks, we used Bayesian panel regression estimates and the results remained unchanged. The overall results suggest that clean energy technologies improve environmental sustainability in SSA. The result shows a U-shaped relationship between environmental quality and income and confirms the Load Capacity Curve (LCC) hypothesis in SSA, which implies that income first worsens environmental sustainability and then, after exceeding certain quantiles, improves environmental sustainability. On the other hand, the results also confirm the environmental Kuznet curve (EKC) hypothesis in SSA. The findings show the importance of using clean fuels for cooking, trade, and renewable energy consumption in improving environmental sustainability in the region. The policy implication is that governments in SSA should reduce the cost of energy services (i.e., renewable energy and clean fuels for cooking) to achieve greater environmental sustainability in the region.

Do financial development and renewable energy shocks matter for environmental quality: evidence from top 10 emitting emissions countries

Creating a reliable energy supply, ecological quality, and economic development has become a global effort. Finance is at the center stage ecological transition to low-carbon emission. Against this backdrop, the present work analyses the impact of the financial sector on CO₂ emissions using data from the top 10 emitting emissions economies from 1990 to 2018. Using the novel method of moments quantile regression, the findings illustrate that renewable energy usage enhances ecological quality while economic growth lowers it. The results also affirm that financial development is positively linked with carbon emission in the top 10 emitting emissions economies. These results can be explained by the fact that financial development facilities offer low borrowing rates with less restrictions for environmental sustainability projects. The empirical findings of this study highlight the necessity for policies that boost the proportion of clean energy consumption in the top 10 polluting nations' overall energy mix to reduce carbon emissions. It follows that the financial sectors in these nations must invest in cutting-edge energy-efficient technology and clean, green, and environmentally friendly initiatives. This trend will increase productivity, improve energy efficiency, and reduce pollution.

The potency of natural resources and trade globalisation in the ecological sustainability target for the BRICS economies

The BRICS nations have yet to significantly contribute to achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 7 and 13. Dealing with this problem might necessitate a policy shift, which is the main topic of this research. Therefore, the current study scrutinizes the interrelationship between natural resources, energy, trade globalisation and ecological footprint using panel data from the period between 1990 and 2018 for the BRICS nations. To assess the interrelationship between ecological footprint and its determinants, we used the Cross sectional autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) and common correlated effects. mean group (CCEMG) estimators. The findings show that economic progress, and natural resources lessen ecological quality, while renewable energy and trade globalization improves ecological quality in the BRICS nations. Based on these results, the BRICS nations need to upgrade their use of renewable energy sources and improve the structure of their natural resource endowments. Furthermore, trade globalisation necessitates immediate policy responses in these nations since it reduces ecological damage.

Insights from BRICS-T economies on the impact of human capital and renewable electricity consumption on environmental quality

This paper evaluates the impact of electricity consumption from renewable and nonrenewable sources on the load capacity factor for BRICS-T nations using data from 1990 to 2018. The paper used linear and nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approaches to explore these associations. The results of the Westerlund co-integration show long-run co-integration between load capacity factor and the independent variables. The results show that renewable electricity energy and human capital contribute to the sustainability of the environment, while electricity consumption, economic growth, and industrialization impede environmental sustainability. Similarly, the nonlinear effect of renewable electricity energy on LCF shows interesting findings. The positive (negative) shift in renewable electricity energy increases ecological sustainability in the BRICS-T nations. Furthermore, the Dumitrescu Hurlin panel causality gives credence to both linear and nonlinear ARDL results. The study suggests policy recommendations based on these results.