Role of renewable and non-renewable energy consumption in environmental quality and their subsequent effects on average temperature: an assessment of sustainable development goals in South Korea

Reassessing determinants of urban energy intensity in China: insights from controllable and uncontrollable factors

This study adopts a new approach to reassess the factors influencing urban energy intensity in China. Initially, the factors impacting energy intensity are classified into controllable and uncontrollable categories. Subsequently, employing a single-factor multi-stage method combined with the Adaboost method, 289 Chinese cities are categorized based on uncontrollable factors to eliminate the influence of inherent differences on energy intensity. Finally, panel data regression analyses are conducted using data from 289 Chinese cities between 2005 and 2016, individually for each city type, to evaluate the extent to which controllable factors contribute to energy intensity. The findings indicate that (1) heightened energy prices, an increased share of electricity consumption, and a greater proportion of centralized heating significantly influence the reduction of energy intensity across all city types; (2) to optimize energy consumption, each city type should adopt specific strategies. For instance, cities located in resource-rich heating regions with low economic outputs can reduce their energy intensity by increasing electricity consumption, while cities with high economic outputs can decrease their energy intensity by increasing natural gas consumption. The findings of this study carry substantial implications for the Chinese government in shaping targeted energy policies tailored to different city types.

Economic complexity, greenfield investments, and energy innovation: policy implications for sustainable development goals in newly industrialised economies

The crucial role of environmental assessment quality has been recognised by environmental and sustainable development goals in addressing climate change challenges. By focusing on the key identifier of environmental assessment, progress can be made towards overcoming climate change issues effectively. The current study considers environmental commitments under COP28 to study the role of economic complexity, greenfield investments, and energy innovation in environmental degradation in newly industrialised economies from 1995 to 2021. We employ novel panel estimations from CS-ARDL, CS-DL, AMG, and CCEMG to confirm that economic growth and greenfield investments degrade environmental quality. On the other hand, energy innovation and urbanisation improve environmental sustainability. Lastly, we confirm the EKC hypothesis for economic complexity as well. Given the reported empirical findings, the study suggests policymakers must focus on economic complexity to transform industrial sectors' economic potential. Furthermore, foreign investment projects must be linked with environmental goals to increase renewable energy capacity.

Do renewable energy, environmental regulations and green innovation matter for China's zero carbon transition: Evidence from green total factor productivity

Rapid developments in environmental infrastructure have contributed to significant improvements in green total factor productivity, but further investigation is required to provide a detailed assessment to understand the policy mechanisms involved. This paper analyzes environmental progress in China through MMQR, CCEMG, and AMG as empirical strategies for 30 provinces in China. Our empirical results reveal that energy optimization through renewable energy is the most effective channel to improve green total factor productivity, though it is not the only available option. Since environmental regulations, infrastructure development, and green technology innovation also directly impact energy efficiency, adopting these within policy channels will positively impact environmental sustainability. Our empirical approach helps suggest novel environmental policy suggestions. In particular, policymakers must introduce structural changes within energy developments to foster renewable energy. Furthermore, China must increase environmental spending to upgrade its energy infrastructure further and solve ecological issues. These insights offer valuable policy guidance for decision-makers in China and globally, aiming to foster economic and environmental sustainability and achieve zero-carbon transition goals.

Evaluating the roles of energy innovation, fossil fuel costs and environmental compliance towards energy transition in advanced industrial economies

Given the dire state of climate change, investigating key elements that impact the energy transition process and help monitor progress in greenhouse gas emissions to achieve environmental sustainability is of critical importance. The current study explores the association between energy transition, compliance with environmental agreements, fossil fuels costs, environmental technologies, economic growth, and environmental degradation in G20 economies from 1995 to 2019. Our findings from extensive econometric analysis reveal that economic growth, environmental innovation, renewable energy, and environmental compliance facilitate while fossil fuels and environmental degradation hinder the energy transition process. Our findings conclude that developed countries must focus on alternate energy resources to overcome environmental challenges and subsidize renewable energy and environmental technologies to replace fossil fuels with green energy resources methodologically. Further, policy measures have been discussed in detail in the study.