Does income inequality reshape the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis? A nonlinear panel data analysis

Nuclear energy generation's impact on the CO2 emissions and ecological footprint among European Union countries

This study employs Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares, Common Correlated Effects and Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality techniques to investigate the environmental impacts of nuclear energy generation in European Union countries from 1990 to 2022. The ongoing debate within the European Union and the empirical contradictions in the literature, coupled with the overall singular-dimensionality surrounding the impacts of nuclear energy on the environment, necessitate a broader and comprehensive examination of its effects across various environmental dimensions. These dimensions include the presence of CO2 emissions and the ecological footprint generated. The findings reveal that nuclear energy adoption by countries tends to affect CO2 emissions but this relationship goes from CO2 to nuclear energy consumption as per the causality test, while the ecological footprint variable does not exhibit a causal relationship with nuclear energy consumption. We estimated that a higher presence of air pollutants promotes the generation of nuclear energy as an alternative to fossil fuel energy sources. The study highlights that while nuclear energy generation produces no air pollution, it does impose significant land use requirements, potentially leading to ecosystem degradation. Factors such as uranium extraction, nuclear waste management, disposal, and accidents contribute to this impact. Further research is needed to understand the specific mechanisms and factors contributing to the observed environmental degradation associated with nuclear energy generation.

Sustainable development through green transition in EU countries: New evidence from panel quantile regression

Sustainable development addresses global challenges by promoting practices that balance economic, social, and environmental considerations. Key factors include the shifting to green energy and the integrating of green technology in the sustainable development process. This study investigates the heterogenous effects of green technology development, green energy, R&D expenditures, FDI, economic growth, and urbanization on CO2 emissions in 25 European Union (EU) countries using panel quantile regression over the period 2000-2021. The results, based on panel quantile regression, indicate that green energy decreases CO2 emissions from the 10th to the 90th quantiles, while green technology development increases CO2 emissions at the lower quantiles (10th to 60th) and then turns negative. The robustness of the fixed effect model also confirms the findings of the study. Additionally, panel causality tests indicate no causal link between green technology development and CO2 emissions, but there is bidirectional causality between green energy and CO2 emissions. Therefore, the findings highlight that policymakers should thoroughly evaluate measures and strategies to encourage the development of green technologies and green energy sources to reduce high levels of CO2 emissions. One strategy is to provide financial aid and support technological advances to produce green energy at reduced costs.

Sensitivity to changes in oil prices, tax returns and the cross-section of stock returns: The present situation for net-oil exporting economies

This study investigates the sensitivity of stock returns to changes in oil prices and tax returns in net-oil exporting economies, focusing on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries from March 30, 2003 to March 30, 2022. The problem statement addresses the challenge of understanding the interplay between oil price fluctuations, tax policies, and stock market dynamics in these economies, which are heavily reliant on oil revenues. The aim of the study is to provide insights into how variations in oil prices and tax returns impact the cross-section of stock returns in the GCC region. The objectives include analyzing the econometric relationships between oil prices, tax policies, and stock market performance using an appropriate econometric model. The results reveal a significant sensitivity of stock returns to changes in oil prices and tax returns in the GCC countries during the specified period. The econometric model employed indicates strong correlations between fluctuations in oil prices, tax policies, and stock market movements, highlighting the intricate connections between these variables. Moreover, the study identifies specific sectors within the stock market that are particularly sensitive to oil price changes and tax policy adjustments. Policymakers in the GCC countries can use these insights to design more effective fiscal and economic policies aimed at enhancing market stability and investor confidence amidst dynamic oil market conditions.

Digitalization's contribution towards sustainable development and climate change mitigation: An empirical evidence from EU economies

The current study aims to test the usage of econometric and machine learning approaches to study the relationship between methane (CH4), a hydrocarbon component of natural gas, as a proxy of carbon emission, GDP as economic growth, financial development (FIN), and medium and high technologies as a proxy of information technology (ICT) and human development (HDI). This study observes two extended moderating effect models of human development index and financial development via medium and high technologies on carbon emissions over the 15-year periods from 2007 to 2021 for the 27 EU economies. Results indicate that when considered solely, ICT, economic growth, and HDI improve environmental quality and contribute to climate change mitigation, reducing methane emissions, whereas financial development seems to damage environmental quality. However, the crossed effects of ICT with HDI, and that of ICT with FIN, were considered in estimations, with results pointing out that those favorably affect climate change mitigation. Jointly considering ICT, HDI, and financial development proves to have a synergistic effect in promoting environmental health than each element on its own. Green and yellow countries were also identified revealing the countries for which a reduction and increase, respectively, in the value of methane emissions is predicted after three years. In the case of the entire panel, the STR (linear regression tree) algorithm predicts an average growth in methane emissions of around 3.64 %. Important policy directions are drawn considering the results obtained.

Does marine ecological compensation policy have improved marine carbon emission efficiency? Evidence from coastal areas in China

The marine ecological compensation (MEC) policy is a scheme for protecting and restoring marine ecology. The previous studies have verified that the policy has improved the marine environment, ignoring the comprehensive performance of the economy and environment. Is the MEC policy actually effective for reducing marine carbon emission considering resource input and economy output? To address the question, this paper evaluates the impact of MEC policy on marine carbon emission efficiency by introducing the multi-stage difference-in-difference with propensity score matching. The results show that the MEC policy significantly improves marine carbon emission efficiency, and the positive effects dynamically enhance over time. Low-carbon technology innovation is confirmed to play a mediating role by which the MEC policy improves marine carbon emission efficiency. Therefore, gradually popularizing the MEC policy and accelerating low-carbon technology innovation are crucial measures to improve marine carbon emission efficiency and achieve sustainable marine development.

Assessing energy consumption and economic growth interrelations in Asia-Pacific: A multivariate approach with panel FMOLS and bootstrap Granger causality tests

This study investigates the cointegration and causal relationship between energy consumption and economic growth using data from 16 Asian and Pacific countries from 1970 to 2010. The expanded production function is used in this investigation; this function considers not only labor but also financial resources. This study investigates whether or not a rise in energy demand is associated with a healthy economy. Human capital, in addition to material and labor resources, is taken into account by this operation. One of the first studies to adopt a multivariate method and add human capital was undertaken on the energy-growth nexus. Using the panel unit root and cointegration tests, this study confirms the existence of a long-run cointegrating connection between these variables. These studies recognize the presence of cross-sectional interdependence, according to specific reports. The significance of considering the interconnection of various countries is confirmed by comparing estimates from panel heterogeneous fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) models with those from unceasingly efficient and fully modified models. Nonetheless, the bootstrap panel Granger causality test findings demonstrate that economic growth is a causal factor in rising energy consumption in the region, indicating that the relationship is not constant across countries.

Assessment of the environmental kuznets curve within EU-27: Steps toward environmental sustainability (1990-2019)

Reducing environmental pollution is a critical goal in global environmental economics and economic development. The European Union (EU) faces environmental challenges due to its development activities. Here we present a comprehensive approach to assess the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, energy consumption (EC), population structure (POP), economy (GDP), and policies on the environment within the EU using the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). Our research reveals that between 1990 and 2019, the EU-27 experienced an increase of +1.18 million tonnes of oil equivalent (Mtoe) per year in energy consumption (p < 0.05), while CO2 emissions decreased by 24.25 million tonnes (Mt) per year (p < 0.05). The highest reduction in CO2 emissions occurred in Germany (-7.52 Mt CO2 annually), and the lowest in Latvia (-0.087 Mt CO2 annually). The empirical EKC analysis shows an inverted-U shaped relationship between GDP and CO2 emissions in the EU-27. Specifically, a 1% increase in GDP results in a 0.705% increase in carbon emission, while a 1% increase in GDP2 leads to a 0.062% reduction in environmental pollution in the long run (p < 0.01). These findings indicate that economic development within the EU has reached a stage where economic growth positively impacts the environment. Overall, this study provides insights into the effectiveness of environmental policies in mitigating degradation and promoting green growth in the EU 27 countries.

The existence of environmental Kuznets curve: Critical look and future implications for environmental management

Against the backdrop of the great challenge of climate change and growing global environmental concerns, this study deals a systematic literature review of research related to Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) from 1991 to 2023, details the background, definition, significance, critiques, theoretical foundations and model specifications of EKC, and summarizes the data, variables, econometric methods and findings used in over 100 EKC studies. This study focuses on EKC studies that examine the relationship between energy consumption, economic growth and environmental degradation, with most of the studies reviewed using global pollutants (carbon emissions) to measure the level of environmental degradation. This study found that EKC still has great research potential, and with the development of energy diversification, energy consumption in EKC studies have been further subdivided into renewable or non-renewable energy consumption; innovative EKC studies in the last few years have favoured the use of novel environmental and economic indicators and econometric method, and have validated the existence of EKC at the sectoral level rather than the national level. Finally, the present study summarizes the development and innovations of EKC and provides suggestions for future research aimed at advancing the development of EKC and environmental management.

How do energy consumption, globalization, and income inequality affect environmental quality across growth regimes?

This paper investigates the impacts of renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption, income inequality, and globalization on the ecological footprints of 49 countries for the period of 1995-2018. Panel cointegration test reveals a long-run relationship between the variables. Long-run parameter estimates derived from AMG and CCEMG, increasing income and nonrenewable energy consumption, have a significant positive impact on the ecological footprint, while countries that consume more renewable energy have seen an improvement in the quality of the environment. Conversely, neither income inequality nor globalization has a significant effect on national EFs. Evidence from the estimation of the panel threshold error correction model, where GDP growth is used as the transition variable, indicates a significant threshold effect, which supports a nonlinear relationship among the variables by identifying two distinct growth regimes: lower and upper. For the estimation sample, the positive and significant parameter estimates for economic growth in both growth regimes do not support the EKC hypothesis. The results indicate that renewable and nonrenewable energy consumption has a larger impact on the EF in the upper than lower growth regime. The threshold estimates are in line with the linear long-run estimates that do not indicate that income inequality has a significant impact on ecological footprint. However, globalization appears to negatively affect environmental quality in the lower growth regime.

Pathways for regions to achieve carbon emission peak: New insights from the four economic growth poles in China

Regional synergy is critical to achieving High Quality Development (HQD) and reducing emissions in China. Economic growth poles (EGPS), namely Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao, and Cheng-Yu, are typical examples of regional synergy in China. It is critical to explore whether the pulling power of the EGPS to other regions can accelerate China's carbon peaking. First, this study applies the Miller-Round model to measure the spillover effects of the EGPS and selects the radiation-driven areas. Second, based on the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis, a panel smoothing transformation model is applied to explore the relationship between regional HQD and carbon emissions. Finally, under different scenarios, the inter-regional spillover effect is used to explore the path to achieving the carbon emissions peak. The results show an inverted U-shaped relationship between carbon emissions and HQD. Additionally, with the spillover pull of the EGPS, the peak carbon emission time of all provinces is earlier by 1-6 years in different scenarios, and it can promote Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu, Guizhou to achieve a carbon peak by 2030. However, the pulling effects of Shanxi, Shaanxi, Jilin, and Guangxi require further improvement. Therefore, the policy implications of increasing inter-regional production efficiency, improving innovation levels, and using renewable energy are proposed to improve the level of HQD, thus achieving a carbon peak. Moreover, improving the industrial linkage between the EGPS and other regions would also be effective. The industrial structure promotes the cultivation of the EGPS in Cheng-Yu and strengthens regional integration in the western region.

Testing the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis in the transport sector for OECD countries: a dynamic panel threshold approach

This study tests the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis in the transport sector for 28 OECD countries from 1990 to 2019. As a novelty, the relationship between gross domestic product (GDP) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the transport sector is investigated with the estimation of the dynamic panel threshold regression based on the generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator by Seo and Shin (Seo and Shin, J Econom 2:169-186, 2016). This approach enables us to test EKC and capture possible nonlinearities between variables. Along with the analysis of the EKC hypothesis, our study also investigates the effects of road petroleum products consumption, renewable energy consumption, and trade openness on transport CO2 emissions. The threshold regression results, where GDP per capita is employed as the transition variable, support the nonlinear relationship between CO2 emissions from the transportation sector and GDP by rejecting the null hypothesis of no threshold effect. This finding indicates the existence of two different regimes, i.e., the lower and upper regimes, based on the optimum value of the GDP per capita. Economic growth damages the environment in the lower regime, whereas it improves environmental quality in the upper regime. Therefore, the results indicate the presence of an inverted U-shaped relationship and support the EKC hypothesis in the OECD transportation sector. As a result, it is concluded that achieving sustainable economic growth is critical for investing in environmentally friendly technologies required to achieve the goal of reducing transportation-related CO2.

Does green innovation reduce environmental degradation? A panel threshold analysis for BRICS countries

In this present age, innovation has become inextricably tied to both long-term economic growth and environmentally sound development. In this context, the impact that environmentally focused technological advancements or innovations have on environmental quality is of the utmost importance. Therefore, the main goal of the present study is to determine how Green innovation (GI) affects environmental degradation in the BRICS countries from 1992 to 2021. The ecological footprint (EFT) is an indicator used in the study to measure environmental degradation. The study divides the components that contribute to the explanation into two categories: the GI threshold variable and the independent variables RE, GDP, and population (POP). Additionally, this study investigates the indirect impact of RE, GDP, and POP through the threshold effect of GI. The stochastic impacts of the explanatory factors are explored using sophisticated panel data estimation methods and a panel threshold model. According to the findings of the study, an improvement in environmental quality occurs when the threshold level of GI is achieved, which indicates that innovation in the form of a lower EFT is responsible for the improvement. In light of the findings, recommendations for policymakers and stakeholders in BRICS countries are to promote RE and drive GI.

The nexus between labour force participation and environmental sustainability: Global comparative evidence

The pursuit of environmental sustainability and decent employment are among the fundamental macroeconomic priorities of the 21st century. Extant studies reveal that labour market dynamics have a bearing on global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Thus, this study empirically examines the effect of labour force participation on environmental sustainability from a global perspective. Employing the Driscoll-Kraay fixed effects (DKFE) and system Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) estimators for a panel of 173 countries from 1996 to 2020, we find that labour force participation (LFP) enhances environmental quality. When controlled for income differences, the study reveals that while LFP significantly reduces environmental pollution in Low-income and High-income countries, it is environment-degrading in Upper-middle-income countries. Furthermore, with regard to level of development and geographical region, rising LFP significantly reduces GHG emissions in developing countries, whereas the effect is insignificant in developed economies. Likewise, the effect of LFP is divergent across geographical regions. However, when LFP is disaggregated into the male and female components, the results show that male-LFP is environment degrading while female-LFP is environmental augmenting. Contingent on these findings, practical policy implications are discussed.

How to lead on carbon neutrality through sustainable development: A perspective on renewable energy, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and logistics networks

In the face of intensifying climate change-induced environmental problems, understanding the causal relationship between carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and socioeconomic factors is crucial for achieving sustainable development. This study investigates how the causal relationships between renewable energy, information and communication technology (ICT), logistics networks, economic growth, industrialization, and energy intensity impact sustainable development using a panel dataset drawn from 104 countries and covering 2006 to 2019. Methodologically, panel unit root, panel co-integration, and Granger causality tests are employed as robust econometric techniques. The results of the panel unit root and co-integration tests confirm the stationarity of the variables and reveal significant long-term relationships among them throughout the empirical analysis period. Notably, the panel FMOLS and DOLS estimates indicate a positive effect of RE and ICT on reducing CO2 emissions, whereas GDP and energy intensity have a negative impact on CO2 emissions reduction. Moreover, the pairwise Granger causality test findings indicate bidirectional causal relationships between RE and CO2, IND and CO2, ICT and RE, IND and RE, GDP and ICT, as well as IND and ICT. The study recommends providing policy support, including for technological development and innovation, towards establishing a system that fosters sustainable development.

Evaluation of carbon emission efficiency based on urban scaling law: take 308 cities in China as an example

The development of urban low carbonization is an important foundation for achieving the goal of "dual carbon." The differences in spatial differences based on scientific methods revealing the characteristics of urban carbon emissions and its efficiency are of great significance for shaping the green low-carbon land space pattern. This article uses urban standard models and scale adjustments to the urban index (SAMIs) identification in 2006-2017 308 Chinese urban carbon discharge standards and efficiency time and space evolution pattern and their characteristics. The results of the study show that there is a stable secondary relationship between carbon emissions and urban population scale, which means that the growth rate of urban carbon emissions is significantly lagging behind the growth of urban systems. The analysis of urban carbon emission efficiency based on SAMI values shows significant spatial heterogeneity: the carbon emission efficiency of cities in North China, East China, and Northeast China is lower than that of other regions. In terms of temporal changes, there was a phenomenon of SAMI high-value cities moving north and low-value cities moving south between 2006 and 2017, and △SAMIs showed a pattern of hot in the west and cold in the east. This study broadens the applicability of urban scaling law models in urban environmental research, providing a new perspective for evaluating urban carbon emission efficiency and China's energy conservation and emission reduction work.

Does environmental quality react asymmetrically to unemployment and inflation rates? African OPEC countries' perspective

Environmental degradation, inflation, and unemployment are unquestionably among the current global issues. However, there has not been an in-depth investigation of how unemployment and inflation rates affect environmental quality, particularly when considering the asymmetric scenario in oil-producing countries. This gap in the literature motivated this study to investigate how the environment (proxied by CO2 emissions) reacts to asymmetric shocks in inflation and unemployment rates using the panel NARDL model methodology. This study also examines whether the environmental Phillips curve (EPC) hypothesis holds true in the context of African OPEC countries over the period 1990 to 2019. The study presents three interesting findings. First, CO2 emissions are adversely associated with unemployment and inflation rates, meaning that protecting a healthy environment would have to come at the expense of two undesirable outcomes: losing employment and a decline in purchasing power. Second, the asymmetry analysis demonstrates that both negative unemployment and positive inflation shocks have a larger effect on CO2 emissions than the opposite scenario. Finally, long-term evidence exists to support the presence of the EPC in these countries.

Research on the spatial spillover effect of China's carbon emission trading on total-factor carbon emission efficiency of the power industry

Improving the carbon emission efficiency in the power industry is a crucial step to achieve China's "double carbon" goal. Carbon emission trading (CET) is an important tool for carbon emission reduction in the power industry. This paper collects data on the power industry of 30 provinces in China from 2005 to 2020 and applies an undesirable super-efficiency epsilon-based measure (EBM) model to measure the total-factor carbon emission efficiency of the power industry (CEEP). A spatial difference-in-differences (SDID) model is constructed to analyze the spatial spillover effects of China's CET on CEEP. Then, a spatial mediating effect model is employed to explore the influence mechanism of CET. The results show that (1) during the sample period, CEEP shows a trend of fluctuating growth, and the overall level of CEEP is still relatively low; (2) CET has a significant promotion effect on CEEP, resulting in an average increase of 6.02% in the efficiency value of the pilot areas; (3) the spatial spillover effect test proves that CET not only improves the CEEP in the pilot areas, but also promotes the improvement of CEEP in the adjacent areas; and (4) the influence mechanism test shows that CET can improve CEEP by reducing energy intensity, promoting technological progress, and upgrading industrial structure. This study provides a new perspective for the measurement of CEEP and expands the research on the emission reduction effect of CET in the power industry. Finally, based on the research results, this study proposes targeted suggestions to provide reference for the government to formulate emission reduction 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.

Exploring the potential of the belt and road initiative as a gateway for renewable energy in diverse economies

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), spearheaded by China, is anticipated to bolster trade, investment, and economic growth among participating countries to advance the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 7 through international trade. Within this context, renewable energy has emerged as a promising avenue to address environmental degradation and foster sustainable development. However, the impact of BRI's trade volume on renewable energy development and adoption in these nations remains unresolved. To address this, our study examines the influence of trade openness, foreign direct investment, economic growth, and oil prices on renewable energy consumption in 94 BRI countries with varying income levels from 2000 to 2019. Employing panel data analysis, including fixed effects (FE), random effects (RE), and the system generalised method of moments (GMM), we present findings across income groups: i) Trade openness exhibits a positive effect on renewable energy consumption in high-income and upper-middle-income countries; ii) In contrast, it diminishes renewable energy consumption in lower-middle-income countries; iii) Trade openness demonstrates insignificant effects on renewable energy consumption in low-income countries; iv) On the panel level, trade openness significantly and positively impacts renewable energy consumption. Our research underscores the significance of trade openness as a crucial instrument for advancing renewable energy development in high-income BRI countries, thereby fostering environmental sustainability. Policy interventions targeting renewable energy hold promise for enhancing environmental quality in low-income countries.

Investigating the fishing grounds load capacity curve in G7 nations: Evaluating the influence of human capital and renewable energy use

This paper introduces a novel approach to explore marine ecosystem by examining the Fishing Grounds Load Capacity Curve (FGLCC) hypothesis. The study investigates the impact of income on the marine condition in G7 nations from 1970 to 2019 by exploring the U-shaped relationship between income and the Fishing Grounds Load Capacity Factor (FGLCF). This research diverges from previous studies focused solely on the demand side through fishing footprints, as it considers the neglected aspect of the marine supply side. Furthermore, it explores the influence of renewable energies and human capital as indicators inversely related to non-renewable energy use and population on the marine condition. The findings reveal the U-shaped FGLCC hypothesis. Additionally, the results demonstrate that renewable energies and human capital have a positive impact on the marine ecosystem. These outcomes provide valuable insights for decision-makers, enabling them to identify key variables that contribute to the preservation of marine diversity.

Evolution and driving factors of ocean carbon emission efficiency: A novel perspective on regional differences

Existing studies on carbon emission efficiency seldom discuss ocean carbon emission efficiency, and few studies on ocean carbon emission efficiency hardly discuss its regional differences. To fill this research gap, this paper innovatively measures and evaluates the ocean carbon emission efficiency of 11 Chinese coastal provinces from 2001 to 2019 using the super-efficiency SBM-GML model, and empirically analyzes the dynamic link between ocean carbon emission efficiency, trade openness and financial development by constructing a PVAR model based on an endogeneity perspective. Meanwhile, another major innovation of this study is to divide China's 11 coastal provinces into two coastal areas, north and south, with the Huaihe River as the boundary, in order to investigate the regional heterogeneity of ocean carbon emission efficiency and its influencing factors. The results show that (i) China's average ocean carbon emission efficiency has improved significantly, which is mainly due to the driving effect of technological progress. (ii) China's ocean carbon emission efficiency generally presents a spatial pattern that is higher in the south and lower in the north. Technological progress is the main source of the improvement in ocean carbon emission efficiency in the two regions. (iii) Significant regional heterogeneity exists in the impact of trade openness and financial development on ocean carbon emission efficiency, that is, trade openness and financial development both promote and hinder ocean carbon emission efficiency in the southern region than in the northern region. Finally, targeted policy recommendations are proposed.

Assessing regional economic growth through green financial policy: Insights from PSM-DID model on 107 cities of China

The crucial role of green finance policies in advocating environmental sustainability cannot be overlooked and has resulted in an increased attention in recent years. Despite their significance, the connection between these policies and economic growth remains disputed among policymakers. This study presents an empirical analysis that aims to uncover the relationship between green finance policies and economic growth rates by analysing the data from 107 cities in China, spanning a period of 16 years from 2003 to 2019. The research focuses on the implications of green finance reforms and innovation pilot zones by employing PSM-DID model to evaluate their effects on the regional GDP by segregating the industries in primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. The results indicate that the green finance reforms and innovation pilot zones are associated with reduced growth rates of regional GDP for secondary industries. However, the growth rates of the tertiary industry are positively affected. Thus, the study offers valuable guidance and recommendations to policymakers and cities seeking to join the pilot zones for green financial reform to foster economic growth while supporting environmental sustainability. The findings of the study also contribute to the understanding of how targeted policy interventions, such as the establishment of pilot zones, can influence economic dynamics at the regional level and describes the complex relationship between policy interventions, economic growth, and industry composition, particularly in the context of environmental sustainability.

Interaction patterns between economic growth and atmospheric environment in China under the "carbon neutrality" target

Clarifying the interaction patterns between economic growth and atmospheric environment (EG-AE) in China is important to achieve the "carbon neutrality" target. A conceptual framework of air pollutant emission in urban economic growth (APEUEG) was proposed to explore the interaction patterns in China from 2007 to 2017. The empirical analysis revealed that a N-shaped EKC exists between aerosol optical depth (AOD) and gross domestic product (GDP), with inflection points of $5000 and $27,000, respectively. Therefore, we speculated that when GDP per capita of a city exceeded $5000, the AOD gradually decreased. However, when GDP per capita of a city gained over $27,000, the economic growth and the atmospheric environment would be coordinated steadily. The interaction of EG-AE experienced three stages-pollution, improvement, and coordination-in China. Spatially, the interaction patterns of EG-AE presented five clusters, which were associated with the spatial distribution of city levels. China's prefecture-level cities have undergone the cluster of low AOD-low GDP (LL), the cluster of high AOD-high GDP (HH), and the cluster of low AOD-high GDP (LH), as urban level improves. By 2017, about 44% of Chinese cities had not completed the coordinated development yet. We found that policymakers should formulate differentiated urban greener economic development policies to reduce APEUEG.

In-depth analysis of the effect of decomposed growth on the environment: A global perspective

The traditional Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory, which establishes a relationship between economic growth and a select number of pollutants, does not fully capture the broad and nuanced impacts on environmental qualityThis research examines the implications of decomposed economic growth by considering the separate contributions of scale, composition, and technique effects on environmental health and ecosystem vitality. The research spans 121 countries from 2001-2019, using robust statistical methods, including Driscoll-Kraay standard error, fully modified ordinary least squares, and panel quantile estimation techniques. The study reveals complex relationships that depend on countries' income levels. A predominantly positive and non-linear relationship between the scale effect and environmental health is observed for the full sample of countries and for low-income countries. The scale effect also shows a non-linear and predominantly positive relationship with ecosystem vitality in lower-middle-income, upper-middle-income, and high-income countries. The association between the composition effect and environmental health is inverted U-shaped in lower-middle-income countries, while it is mostly negative and non-linear in low-income and high-income countries. For ecosystem vitality, the composition effect shows a negative, non-linear relationship in all sampled countries, but a positive, non-linear relationship in higher-income countries. The relationship between the technology effect and environmental health is largely positive and non-linear in all sampled countries, lower-middle-income countries, upper-middle-income countries, and higher-income countries. However, the relationship is negative in lower-middle-income countries. These results have important policy implications. Governments are encouraged to adopt renewable, sustainable, and low-carbon technologies to address the scale effect. In addition, the formulation and enforcement of stringent environmental regulations for polluting industries is crucial, given the significant impact of the composition effect.

Analysis of spatial correlation networks of carbon emissions in emerging economies

Studies have shown that energy consumption from economic development leads to an increase in carbon emissions. Emerging economies, as important sources of carbon emissions with high growth potential, play a crucial role in global decarbonisation efforts. However, the spatial pattern and evolution trend of carbon emissions in emerging economies have not been studied in depth. Therefore, this paper uses the improved gravitational model and carbon emission data from 2000 to 2018 to construct a spatial correlation network of carbon emissions in 30 emerging economies around the world, aiming to reveal the spatial characteristics and influencing factors of carbon emissions at the national level. The results show that the spatial network structure of carbon emissions in emerging economies is closely linked, forming a "big network" of interconnection. Amongst them, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Estonia, etc. are at the centre of the network and play a leading role. Geographical distance, economic development level, population density, and scientific and technological level have a significant impact on the formation of spatial correlation between carbon emissions. Further use of GeoDetector shows that the explanatory power of two-factor interaction on centrality is greater than that of a single factor, indicating that a single economic development cannot well enhance the influence of countries in the carbon emission network, and needs to be combined with factors such as industrial structure and scientific and technological level. These results are helpful to understand the correlation between carbon emissions between countries from the perspective of the whole and part and provide a reference for optimizing the carbon emission network structure in the future.

Decomposition and decoupling analysis of multi-sector CO2 emissions based on LMDI and Tapio models: Case study of Henan Province, China

The peak carbon dioxide emissions at the provincial level is the foundation for achieving the national target of carbon emission peak, thus it is important to analyze the characteristics of provincial CO2 emissions. However, there is a lack of comprehensive analysis and research on quantifying the contributions of the driving factors to decoupling at the provincial level. Therefore, taking Henan Province as the research object, this study establishes the decoupling effort model by combining the traditional LMDI model and Tapio model based on compiling the CO2 emission inventories from 2006 to 2019. The results showed that total CO2 emissions increased from 2006 to 2011, and decreased after 2011 in Henan Province. Raw coal was the primary fuel source of Henan's CO2 emissions, and the sector of "power and heat production" was the major industrial source, accounting for above 45% of the total emissions. Economic output and energy intensity were the major factors promoting and restraining the increase in Henan's CO2 emissions, respectively. In terms of the decoupling state, Henan achieved the transformation from weak decoupling to strong decoupling from 2006 to 2019. Industry presented a strong decoupling condition, while weak decoupling was detected in the agriculture sector during the study period. The changing trend of energy intensity decoupling effort was consistent with that of total decoupling effort, indicating that energy intensity is a crucial factor in achieving decoupling. This study is helpful to grasp the CO2 emission characteristics of Henan Province and provide the theoretical basis for formulating emission mitigation measures of peak carbon dioxide emissions in Henan and other provinces.

The effect of the pilot free trade zone policy on carbon emissions: evidence from China

The pilot free trade zone (PFTZ) policy is an important strategic initiative to lead green and high-quality economic development. Based on panel data from 2012 to 2019 of 287 Chinese cities, this study systematically investigates the effect of the PFTZ policy on carbon emissions by building the staggered difference-in-difference (DID) model. The results showed that the PFTZ policy significantly reduced carbon emissions and that this reduction effect increased over time. These findings hold true after robustness tests. Additionally, the heterogeneity analysis showed that the carbon emission reduction effect was more significant in coastal areas. In terms of impact mechanisms, the main driving force of carbon emission reduction from the PFTZ policy is technological progress. Furthermore, the PFTZ policy has a spatial spillover effect, which can drive neighboring cities to reduce their carbon emissions. This study provides useful policy insights for building a green low-carbon trade system and helps achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals.

Revisiting the impact of trade openness on environmental sustainability in Belt and Road countries: a heterogeneous panel approach

The nations participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) are particularly vulnerable to the challenges posed by climate change due to their extensive trading activities. The need to protect the environment and mitigate the adverse impacts of climate change in these countries is of utmost importance. Therefore, this study contributes to the scientific understanding of this issue by examining the relationship between trade openness and environmental sustainability in 89 BRI countries from 1990 to 2020. Additionally, control variables, including economic growth, energy consumption, urbanization, industrialization, and foreign direct investment, are considered to address omitted variable bias issues. The study utilizes the Augmented Mean Group (AMG) and Common Correlated Effects Mean Group (CCEMG) regression estimators, and the findings reveal that trade openness improves environmental sustainability. However, economic growth, energy consumption, urbanization, and industrialization degrade environmental sustainability. Interestingly, the results affirm foreign direct investment as a trivial determinant of environmental sustainability. Regarding causal relationships, reciprocal causalities are observed between trade openness and carbon emissions, energy consumption and carbon emissions, and urbanization and carbon emissions. Furthermore, one-way causalities exist from economic growth to carbon emissions and from carbon emissions to foreign direct investment. Nevertheless, no causal relationship is identified between industrialization and carbon emissions. Based on these significant findings, it is recommended that China, as a prominent player in the BRI, takes further steps to enhance and promote energy-efficient practices in BRI countries. One practical approach is the establishment of energy efficiency standards for the goods and services traded with these countries.

Does renewable energy consumption improve environmental efficiency in 121 countries? A matter of income inequality

Renewable energy is a key component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations, and is an important factor in facilitating the energy transition and carbon neutrality of countries. This study aims to examine the interaction between renewable energy consumption and carbon efficiency to achieve the goal of carbon reduction for environmental sustainability. This study measures the carbon efficiency globally and countries in each income group through the data envelopment analysis method. Then, this study empirically analyzes the impact of renewable energy consumption on carbon efficiency by controlling for heterogeneity, cross-sectional dependence and generalized moments estimation. The results show that (1) carbon efficiency enhances with the increase of income level, and the global carbon efficiency improvement is mainly due to the change of technological progress. (2) There is a weak improvement in scale efficiency in LI and LMI, dragged down by the decline in pure technical efficiency, which is the opposite of countries at higher income levels. (3) Renewable energy consumption has a positive effect on the improvement of carbon efficiency at all income levels, and there is a two-way causal relationship between renewable energy consumption and carbon efficiency. The effect of renewable energy on carbon efficiency is most significant in countries with middle income levels. Policy makers in each country should promote the renewable energy development to achieve energy transition and reduce carbon emissions. In addition, this study emphasizes that countries should consider the interaction between the renewable energy consumption and income level in ensuring sustainable development.

Spatiotemporal differentiation of carbon emission efficiency and influencing factors: From the perspective of 136 countries

The severity of the global climate issue is rising, primarily as a result of excessive carbon dioxide emissions. Climate change is a global problem. How to reduce carbon dioxide emissions while promoting social and economic development is a problem that all countries need to face. This study examines global carbon emission efficiency in order to make recommendations for comprehensively improving global low-carbon development level. We extend the research scale of carbon emission efficiency from countries, regions, economic belts and sectors to the world, which can show the differences of countries and has theoretical guiding significance for global low-carbon development. This study calculates the carbon emission efficiency for 136 countries from 2000 to 2019 using the Super-EBM model. The discussion that follows examines the temporal and spatial characteristics of carbon emissions efficiency in 136 countries from the perspective of countries, developed and developing countries, and regions. Finally, the Tobit model is used to comprehensively analyze the factors that affect carbon emission efficiency. The results show that: (1) There are great differences in carbon emission efficiency among countries and regions. Only a few countries reach the production frontier, mainly in Europe, which are Switzerland, Luxembourg, Iraq, Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom. The carbon emission efficiency of most countries is not ideal, being mainly concentrated in Asia and Africa, and has not achieved significant improvement over time. Asia has the lowest carbon emission efficiency. Mongolia, Ukraine, Iran, Angola, Belarus and Uzbekistan are the key governance areas for global energy conservation and carbon emissions reduction. (2) Developed countries have the much higher average carbon emission efficiency than developing countries. Combined with the industrial development stages of developed and developing countries, this is in line with the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis. The average carbon emission efficiency gap between developing and developed countries shows a trend of "first narrowing and then widening", which demonstrates that developing countries' reliance on energy input to boost their economies will improve carbon emission efficiency, but only temporarily. (3) Urbanization level, foreign trade and proportion of renewable energy effectively improve the carbon emission efficiency, while industrial structure and proportion of electricity users have an inhibitory effect on the carbon emission efficiency. Global low-carbon development should be hastened by strengthening international cooperation, optimizing industrial structure, promoting urbanization and foreign trade, and adjusting the energy structure.

Could the digital economy increase renewable energy and reduce carbon emissions? Empirical research on EKC in 67 countries

The digital economy is considered important to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality. This paper explores the impact of the digital economy on carbon emissions and renewable energy development using panel data for 67 countries from 2005-2019. The results show that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between the digital economy and carbon emissions, which is consistent with the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, and a U-shaped relationship with renewable energy consumption, which is consistent with the Renewable energy Kuznets Curve (RKC) hypothesis. Compared with gross domestic product (GDP), the digital economy is more likely to accelerate the process of energy transition and carbon reduction, which is a key factor for carbon peaking. In addition, it is also found that the turning point of the RKC precedes the EKC, which means that the RKC reaching its turning point is a prerequisite for the corresponding EKC to reach its peak.Therefore, the digital economy should be accelerated to push RKC to cross the turning point as soon as possible, thereby accelerating EKC to cross the turning point.

Pollution, political instabilities and electricity price in the cee countries during the war time

Pollution, war and energy crisis are the CEE countries' most important global actual issues. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the impact of political stability and electricity price in 11 CEE countries in the period 2007-2021 to anticipate the effect of these factors on pollution in times of political and energy crisis. The common results based on DOLS/FMOLS and CCEMG estimations indicate that political stability enhances CO2 emissions, while higher electricity prices for non-household consumers reduce pollution. An inverted-U pattern was observed in the relationship between growth and pollution, while renewable energy consumption is the most powerful tool to reduce CO2 emissions. These results are the starting point for policy recommendations.

The influence of shadow economy, environmental policies and geopolitical risk on renewable energy: A comparison of high- and middle-income countries

Given the alarming rate of climate change and environmental degradation, major countries are seeking ways to curtail environmental damage and attain sustainability in the future. In the quest for a green economy, countries are motivated to adopt renewable energy that can assist in resource conservation and efficiency. Accordingly, this study examines the diverse effects of the underground economy, environmental policy strictness, geopolitical risk, gross domestic product, carbon emissions, population, and oil prices on renewable energy for 30 high- and middle-income countries from 1990 to 2018. The empirical outcomes based on quantile regression document significant variations across two country groups. For instance, for high-income countries, the shadow economy has a detrimental effect across all quantiles but it is statistically significant at the top quantiles. Nonetheless, the effect of the shadow economy on renewable energy is detrimental and significant statistically across all quantiles for middle-income countries. In the context of environmental policy stringency, the effect is positive across both country groups, though there is heterogeneity in outcomes. Geopolitical risk has a positive influence on the deployment of renewable energy for high-income countries but negatively impacts renewables for middle-income countries. As far as policy suggestions are concerned, the policymakers of both high- and middle-income countries need to take steps to constrain the growth of the shadow economy by adopting effective policy strategies. Policies need to be implemented for middle income-countries to reduce the unfavorable effect of geopolitical uncertainty. The findings of this study contribute to a better and more precise understanding of factors shaping the role of renewables whereby the energy crisis would be mitigated.

Environment-growth nexus and corruption in the MENA region: Novel evidence based on method of moments quantile estimations

This study contributes to the environment-growth nexus literature by examining corruption's effect on environmental quality in 17 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries between 1984 and 2018. We use four different indicators of environmental degradation (ecological footprint, carbon dioxide emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon emission intensity) to gain a comprehensive view of the relationship. This study's methodological value added is the application of the method of moments quantile regression, which enables us to account for different relationships between the independent variables and environmental quality at different levels of environmental degradation. The results indicate that corruption worsens environmental quality based on three of the four indicators of environmental degradation, while the impact appears to become less severe at higher levels of environmental deterioration. The results also indicate that traditional mean-based panel data estimation methods provide an incomplete picture of the factors behind environmental problems: The explanatory variables' impacts tend to vary at different levels of environmental quality, and the impact's sign can even change when moving from the lowest to the highest environmental degradation quantiles. Overall, the results highlight the importance of curbing corruption to enable enforcement of more stringent environmental regulations.

Evaluating the total-factor efficiency of E3 in oil-producing countries, with emphasis on education

Global warming is one of the greatest challenges of the contemporary world. Overcoming this problem requires a global determination in energy management and a significant reduction in the use of fossil fuels worldwide. The objectives of this article are to investigate the role of education in economic growth and to evaluate the total-factor energy, economic and environmental efficiency (E3) of oil-producing countries and productivity changes between 2000 and 2019. These countries were divided into two categories of middle- and high-income ones. The panel data model was used to estimate the role of education in the countries' economic growth, and the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method was used to measure their total-factor efficiency (E3). The findings indicate that education has a positive role in economic growth. In general, Norway proved to be efficient in all indicators of e1, e2, e3, and E3. The worst performance in e1 belonged to Canada (0.45) and Saudi Arabia (0.45); in e2, to Algeria (0.67) and Saudi Arabia (0.73); in e3, to the USA (0.04) and Canada (0.08); and in E3, to Canada (0.46), Saudi Arabia (0.48), and the USA (0.64). The average total-factor efficiency of all indicators for the selected countries was low. Average changes in total-factor productivity and technological changes for all the selected countries had decreased in e1 and e3 but improved in e2 and E3 during the studied period. The changes in technical efficiency also decreased during the period. Moving towards a low-carbon economy, developing creative and environment-friendly technologies, more investment in clean and renewable energy, and creating diversity in production, especially for OPEC and countries with single-product economies, are some of the ways suggested for improving E3 efficiency in the countries.

The impact of COVID-19 on economy, air pollution and income: evidence from China

The global pandemic caused by the outbreak of COVID-19 has posed significant risks to our health. Preventive measures such as closed management have greatly affected the economies, environments and societies of various countries. Economy, air pollution and income are three important interconnected aspects of sustainable development. However, current research lacks systematic quantitative analysis of their relationships. To fill the gap, this study adopts monthly data from January 2016 to April 2022 and constructs both a Simultaneous Equation Model (SEM) and a Time Varying Parameter Stochastic Volatility Vector Autoregressive (TVP-SV-VAR) model to empirically analyze the impact of COVID-19 on China's economy, air pollution and income. This study finds that the COVID-19 has a negative impact on China's economy and income, and a positive impact on air pollution, and the impact of the COVID-19 is systematic. In addition, there is an inverted-U shaped relationship between air pollution and economics, and a positive correlation between economic and income. The impact of COVID-19 on the economy, air pollution and income show a process of sharp fluctuations to gradual stabilization that gradually stabilized over time. This process is time-varying in the short-term, medium-term and long-term. The impacts are persistent at three different time points (before, during and after the outbreak of COVID-19), but the negative impact on the economy and income is persistent, while the positive impact on air pollution is limited. This study provides a more systematic and dynamic understanding of the COVID-19 preventive and mitigation measures in China and even the world, which helps to provide insights into the formulation of more comprehensive planning strategies in the future.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00477-023-02450-z.

Technological innovations, renewable energy, globalization, financial development, and carbon emissions: role of inward remittances for top ten remittances receiving countries

Asides from renewable energy consumption, technological innovation and remittances are mostly ignored as critical tools and resources that can be adopted to ameliorate environmental worries, even when remittances have more considerable resource inflow than official development aids. Based on this information, the current research investigates the implications of technological innovation, remittances, globalization, financial development, and renewable energy on CO₂ emissions in top remittances-receiving countries from 1990 to 2021. To obtain reliable estimates, we use a battery of advanced econometric techniques and method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) method. The AMG results suggest that innovation, remittances, renewable energy, and financial development alleviate CO₂ emanations, whereas globalization and economic growth worsen environmental sustainability by increasing CO₂ emissions. Besides, the MMQR results confirm that renewable energy, innovation, and remittances decrease CO₂ emissions across all quantiles. A bidirectional causality exists amid financial development and CO₂ emanations, and across remittances and CO₂ emissions. However, one-way causality flows from economic growth, renewable energy and innovation to CO₂. This study suggests some essential measures for ecological sustainability in light of the findings.

Evaluation of linkage relationships between carbon emissions and economic development based on the decoupling model and the VAR model: a case study of Shanxi Province (China)

Economic development is the core driver of carbon emissions. It is of great significance to clarify the linkage relationship between economic development and carbon emissions. Therefore, the static and dynamic relationship between carbon emissions and economic development in Shanxi Province is analyzed by using the VAR model and decoupling model combined with data from 2001 to 2020. The results show that economic development and carbon emissions in Shanxi Province have mainly presented a weak decoupling state in the past 20 years, but the decoupling state is gradually increasing. Meanwhile, carbon emissions and economic development constitute a bidirectional cycle dynamic system. The impact of economic development on itself and carbon emissions account for 60% and 40%, respectively, while the impact of carbon emissions on itself and economic development accounts for 71% and 29%, respectively. This study provides a relevant theoretical basis for solving the problem of excessive dependence on energy consumption in economic development.

Formulating sustainable development policies for China within the framework of socioeconomic conditions and government stability

Improvement in the environmental quality has been seen as a major concern worldwide, and a crucial agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). In this study, we examined the causal impacts of economic growth, financial development, nuclear energy, government stability, and socioeconomic conditions on the environmental quality of China, using quarterly data, covering the period 1984-2018. We used different proxies for environmental quality, i.e., Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, ecological footprints, and load capacity factor, and a unique methodology named Fourier quantile causality, recently recommended by Cheng et al. (2021), for the first time in case of China. We find that nuclear energy, and government stability are positively causing the environmental quality, while economic growth, financial development, and socioeconomic conditions are degrading the environmental quality in China, since they are linked with increased income and energy consumption. Furthermore, all the explanatory variables are largely sensitive on different quantiles to affect the environmental quality; however, economic growth is a highly causing environmental degradation. Our study suggests that increasing nuclear energy consumption along with green financial measures that simultaneously support economic growth and socioeconomic conditions can be effective tools for improving environmental quality and realizing the SDGs in China.

Exploring the role of nuclear energy in the energy transition: A comparative perspective of the effects of coal, oil, natural gas, renewable energy, and nuclear power on economic growth and carbon emissions

Nuclear power has received renewed attention during the energy transition in recent years. This study is aimed to explore whether nuclear energy can promote economic growth without increasing carbon emissions. In order to have a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between nuclear energy, economic growth, and carbon emissions, this study also discusses the impact of coal, oil, natural gas, and renewable energy on economic growth and carbon emissions. The second-generation panel unit root test, panel cointegration test, panel fully modified ordinary least squares, and Heterogeneous Dumitrescu and Hurlin causality test were used to estimate the long-term elasticity and causality among variables. Results based on panel data from 24 countries with nuclear energy from 2001 to 2020 show that both nuclear energy and renewable energy can curb carbon emissions. Especially in Canada, Finland, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, and The United Kingdom, nuclear energy reduces carbon emissions more significantly than renewable energy. Meanwhile, there is a positive relationship between increased nuclear energy, increased renewable energy, and economic growth, which means that nuclear energy and renewable energy could increase economic growth as well. There is a positive relationship between increased oil, increased natural gas, and economic growth, while there is a negative relationship between the increase in coal and economic growth. Meanwhile, there is a positive relationship between increased oil, increased coal, and increased carbon emissions, while the positive relationship between increased natural gas and increased carbon emissions is not significant. Thus, in the 22 countries with nuclear power, increased coal consumption does not drive economic growth but increases carbon emissions. Increased oil consumption increases economic growth, but it increases carbon emissions. Increased natural gas consumption boosts economic growth but adds little to carbon emissions. In the authors' view, nuclear power and renewable energy are all options for these nuclear-power countries to pursue economic growth without increasing carbon emissions. Moreover, nuclear power has a better effect on curbing carbon emissions in some countries than renewable energy. Therefore, under the premise of safety, nuclear power should be seriously considered and re-developed.

How Do R&D and Renewable Energy Consumption Lead to Carbon Neutrality? Evidence from G-7 Economies

The discussion about whether research and development and advanced energy structure can efficiently control pollution has gained the consideration of researchers across the globe. However, there is a lack of enough empirical and theoretical evidence to support this phenomenon. To offer support of empirical evidence along with theoretical mechanism, we examine the net Impact of research and development (R&D) and renewable energy consumption (RENG) on CO2E utilizing panel data from G-7 economies for 1990-2020. Moreover, this study investigates the controlling role of economic growth and nonrenewable energy consumption (NRENG) in the R&D-CO2E models. The results obtained from the CS-ARDL panel approach verified a long-run and short-run relationship between R&D, RENG, economic growth, NRENG, and CO2E. Short- and long-run empirical results suggest that R&D and RENG improve environmental stability by decreasing CO2E, while economic growth and NRENG increase CO2E. Particularly, long-run R&D and RENG reduce CO2E with the effect of -0.091 and -0.101, respectively, while in the short run, they reduce CO2E with the effect of -0.084 and -0.094, respectively. Likewise, the 0.650% (long run) and 0.700% (short-run) increase in CO2E is due to economic growth, while the 0.138% (long run) and 0.136% (short run) upsurge in CO2E is due to an increase in NRENG. The findings obtained from the CS-ARDL model were also verified by the AMG model, while D-H non-causality approach was applied to check the pair-wise relationship among variables. The D-H causal relationship revealed that policies to focus on R&D, economic growth, and NRENG explain variation in CO2E but not vice versa. Furthermore, policies considering RENG and human capital can also affect CO2E and vice versa, meaning there is a round effect between the variables. All this indication may guide the concerned authorities to devise comprehensive policies that are helpful to environmental stability and in line with CO2E reduction.

Does environmental regulation improve marine carbon efficiency? The role of marine industrial structure

With the continuous increase of marine development, intensive economic activities have reduced the marine carbon efficiency and seriously damaged the marine ecological environment, which needs reasonable environmental regulations to guide. This study aims to examine the interactions between marine environmental regulation and carbon efficiency to achieve the goal of carbon emission reduction for the sustainability of marine ecosystem. This study empirically analyzes the heterogeneous effects and mediating effects of China's marine environmental policies on marine carbon efficiency using the mediating effects model and generalized moments estimation. The results show that there is a "U" shaped relationship between marine environmental regulation and marine carbon efficiency in China, marine environmental regulation can indirectly promote marine carbon efficiency through the transmission mechanism of resource allocation efficiency and structural optimization of marine industries. In addition, China's marine environmental regulation policies have regional heterogeneous effects on marine carbon efficiency. This study provides a new perspective for optimizing marine carbon efficiency and sustainable development of marine ecosystem.

How do information and communication technology and urbanization affect carbon emissions? Evidence from 42 selected "Belt and Road Initiative" countries

Reducing carbon emissions is key to achieving the 13th UN sustainable development goals. With the acceleration of informatization and urbanization in the "Belt and Road Initiative" (BRI) countries, it is necessary to explore the impact of ICT and urbanization on carbon emissions in the BRI countries. This paper uses the Driscoll-Kraay panel regression method, multi-chain mediation effect model, and panel moment quantile regression method to study the influence channel and heterogeneous impact of ICT, urbanization, and their interaction on carbon emissions in 42 selected BRI countries. The main empirical results reveal the inhibition of ICT and the promotion of urbanization on carbon emissions. Moreover, the integrated development of ICT and urbanization contributes to reducing carbon emissions. Industrial structure upgrading and energy intensity are found to be the channels through which ICT, urbanization, and their interactions affect carbon emissions. In addition, the impact of ICT, urbanization, and their interaction on carbon emissions varies with different measurement indicators and quantiles. Therefore, it is suggested that BRI countries should formulate appropriate ICT development policies according to their conditions, strengthen ICT application, and especially promote the integrated development of ICT and urbanization, to achieve sustainable urban development.

An empirical analysis of the impact of Chinese government investment on high-quality economic development--A study based on spatial Dubin model

China's economy has shifted from the stage of high-speed growth to the stage of high-quality development. This paper selects panel data of 30 provinces, municipalities directly under the Central Government and autonomous regions (except Tibet) in mainland China with the time dimension of 2006-2016, selects indicators from five dimensions of innovation, coordination, greenness, openness and sharing, uses principal component analysis to construct a system of indicators of high-quality economic development, and uses the spatial Durbin model to empirically the impact of government investment behavior in the three industries on the regional economic high-quality development was studied. The results show that: first, there is a significant positive spatial correlation between China's economic quality development. Second, government investment in different industries has different effects on the quality development of the economy. Investment in the tertiary industry can boost employment, raise income level, promote economic quality development, and enhance sharing, coordination and innovation; investment in the secondary industry can enhance innovation, but because of the "crowding-out effect", it will reduce openness and sharing, and is not conducive to promoting economic quality development; investment in the primary industry can Investment in the primary industry can significantly improve coordination, but it will reduce innovation, greenness, openness and sharing, which will also have a negative impact on the overall high-quality economic development. Third, there is a significant spatial spillover effect of government investment behavior on regional economic quality development, and the economic quality development of this region will have an impact on neighboring regions. Finally, based on the research results, this paper puts forward countermeasure suggestions for promoting high-quality economic development.