The trilemma among CO2 emissions, energy use, and economic growth in Russia

This paper examines the relationship among CO₂ emissions, energy use, and GDP in Russia using annual data ranging from 1990 to 2020. We first conduct time-series analyses (stationarity, structural breaks, cointegration, and causality tests). Then, we performed some Machine Learning experiments as robustness checks. Both approaches underline a bidirectional causal flow between energy use and CO₂ emissions; a unidirectional link running from CO₂ emissions to real GDP; and the predominance of the "neutrality hypothesis" for energy use-GDP nexus. Therefore, energy conservation measures should not adversely affect the economic growth path of the country. In the current geopolitical scenario, relevant policy implications may be derived.

Dynamics and Co-movements Between the COVID-19 Outbreak and the Stock Market in Latin American Countries: An Evaluation Based on the Wavelet-Partial Wavelet Coherence Model

The COVID-19 outbreak and the global uncertainty it causes produce an apparent panic in stock markets. Efforts to explain the economic spillover effects of COVID-19 can guide authorities to design a control policy against the financial impacts of pandemics. The paper examines the effects of the COVID-19 cases on the stock markets in the emerging Latin American countries of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru. The paper employs a continuous partial wavelet methodology to observe lead-lag relations between the daily variables of new COVID-19 cases and the stock market index for each Latin American country. Brazilian new COVID-19 cases led the Bovespa (BVSP) index to decline during the whole period, except February and June 2020, at one month-two month-frequency band. The wavelet and phase difference analyses indicate that, except for Brazil, COVID-19 cases did not affect the stock market indexes adversely during the whole sample period but did affect the stock exchange markets negatively during some sub-sample periods of the entire sample of each country. Dynamics of Latin American stock exchange markets in the short and long run can be explained by some other parameters of real and financial sectors and COVID-19 cases.

Export quality, economic growth, and renewable-nonrenewable energy use: non-linear evidence through regime shifts

Since export has a key role in economic growth in terms of national production quantity, export quality can be considered another important factor regarding the revenue from the export product. Hence, both export and export quality can contribute to the economic growth process positively when the countries' terms of trade have moved in a favorable direction from this point of view, it is essential to examine the relationship between the energy-growth nexus and export quality. Although available seminal studies are monitoring the energy-growth nexus, there exists a limited number of works employing the export quality. Besides, one might claim that there exists no research on how the terms of trade (export quality) alter the economic growth and energy use through regime shifts. Markov regime-shifting models estimate (a) the impact of export and terms of trade on growth, and (b) the effect of growth on the use of fossil energy and renewable energy for the USA at regime 1 and regime 2 for the period 1980:Q4-2019:Q2. After conducting the non-linear analyses, this paper (i) reveals the estimated parameters varying from one regime to another regime through transition probabilities, (ii) finds evidence that (a) export and export quality growths affect positively GDP growth, (b) GDP growth increases fossil fuel consumption growth, (c) renewable energy growth increases at decreasing rate due to GDP growth, and (iii) yields relevant energy-environmental policy proposals by underlying the prominence of terms of trade within growth-energy nexus.

The co-movements between geothermal energy usage and CO2 emissions through high and low frequency cycles

Geothermal energy is considered environmentally friendly than fossil fuel sources, and geothermal power plants are expected to have a low carbon footprint. It is renewable that can last million years. There exist, however, several gases stored under the earth's surface which are released into the atmosphere during digging (TWI 2020). This research paper aims at monitoring the potential positive and negative effects of geothermal on environmental quality (CO₂ emissions) in the USA for the period January 1980 to August 2019. The paper employed wavelet and partial wavelet coherence computations to explore the impacts of geothermal energy usage on the environment. The concluding remarks from the estimations can be classified into short-term (1-3-year cycle) results and long-term (3-8-year cycle) results. It is found in the short term that (i) geothermal usage increased CO₂ emissions during 1980-1983 and 1993-1997 and (ii) CO₂ emissions caused geothermal usage to increase for the period 2000-2009 and after 2015. The paper reveals also that in the long term, (a) geothermal energy consumption increased CO₂ emissions during the periods 1985-1990, 1993-1996, and 2013-2016 and (b) geothermal energy consumption decreased CO2 emissions for the period 1996-2008 in the USA. This research work eventually yields some relevant geothermal energy policy suggestions for US policymakers to make geothermal more environmentally friendly.

Environmental pollution and energy research and development: an Environmental Kuznets Curve model through quantile simulation approach

Energy research and development (R&D) and environmental sustainability is often referred to as two interrelated trends, especially in the current context of the 4^th industrial revolution. As a primary input of energy innovations, R&D in the energy sector constitutes a vital tool in addressing global environmental and energy challenges. In this frame, we observe the effects of disaggregated energy R&D on environmental pollution within the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) framework in thirteen developed countries over the period 2003-2018. By employing the panel quantile regression technique, we find an inverted U-shaped nexus between economic growth and carbon emissions only in higher carbon-emitting countries, thus, confirming the EKC hypothesis. However, the U-shaped nexus is more predominant in lower carbon-emitting countries. As such, we demonstrate that there is not any single dynamic in the relationship between economic growth and pollution as reported in previous studies. Contrary to expectations, we find that energy efficiency research and development is more effective in curbing carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels and renewable energy research and development. The empirical results indicate also that only energy efficiency R&D mitigates significantly the CO₂ emissions from the 50^th quantile up to 90^th quantile, although the magnitude of the negative sign is more pronounced (in absolute term) at the highest quantile (90th). In this light, our findings would guide policymakers in the establishment of sustainable energy research and development schemes that will allow the preservation of equilibrium for the environment while also promoting energy innovations.

The roles of economic growth and health expenditure on CO2 emissions in selected Asian countries: a quantile regression model approach

Continuous economic growth and the rise in energy consumption are linked with environmental pollution. Demand for health care expenditure increased after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is interesting in modeling the nexus between public and private health expenditure, carbon dioxide emissions, and economic growth. To this end, the present study analyzed the nexus between public and private health care expenditure, economic growth, and environmental pollution for 36 Asian countries for the period 1991-2017. FMOLS, GMM, and quantile regression analysis confirm the EKC hypothesis in Asia. Besides, FMOLS and quantile regressions reached the reducing effects of government and private health expenditures on CO₂ emissions. While quantile regression results show that public and private health expenditures can mitigate CO₂ emissions; however, these results differ for various levels of CO₂. Findings of quantile regression show a significant impact of both public and private health expenditures in reducing CO₂ at the 50^th and 75^th quantiles but results are insignificant for the 25^th quantile. Overall, the paper concludes that both government and private health sectors' expenditures caused CO₂ emissions to decrease in Asia and that the negative impact of the private health sector on CO₂ emissions is greater than that of the government health sector. The concluding remark is that the higher the health spending, the higher the environmental quality will be in Asia. Hence, the health administrators need to increase public and private health expenditures with an effective cost-service and energy-efficient management approach to reach sustainable health services and a sustainable environment in Asia.

The Age Structure, Stringency Policy, Income, and Spread of Coronavirus Disease 2019: Evidence From 209 Countries

This article aims at answering the following questions: (1) What is the influence of age structure on the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? (2) What can be the impact of stringency policy (policy responses to the coronavirus pandemic) on the spread of COVID-19? (3) What might be the quantitative effect of development levelincome and number of hospital beds on the number of deaths due to the COVID-19 epidemic? By employing the methodologies of generalized linear model, generalized moments method, and quantile regression models, this article reveals that the shares of median age, age 65, and age 70 and older population have significant positive impacts on the spread of COVID-19 and that the share of age 70 and older people in the population has a relatively greater influence on the spread of the pandemic. The second output of this research is the significant impact of stringency policy on diminishing COVID-19 total cases. The third finding of this paper reveals that the number of hospital beds appears to be vital in reducing the total number of COVID-19 deaths, while GDP per capita does not affect much the level of deaths of the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, this article suggests some governmental health policies to control and decrease the spread of COVID-19.

Does waste energy usage mitigate the CO2 emissions? A time-frequency domain analysis

There exist many seminal studies in the literature searching the influences of total renewable usage (or usage of its some components) on CO₂ emissions. However, to the best of our knowledge, there does not exist a research work in the literature considering the co-movements between waste energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. This paper aims at observing the possible negative or positive impacts of waste energy consumption on environmental quality (in terms of CO₂) by monitoring the whole sample period and all subsample periods in the USA for the monthly period 1980:1-2018:12. This paper searches also the positive or negative lead-lag relations between waste and CO₂ emissions, if exist, by considering high frequency (1-3-year cycle) and low frequency (3-8-year cycle) of the same sample period and subsample periods. The findings obtained by this research in general might underline (a) the outcome indicating that waste energy usage has been effective in diminishing the carbon emissions after the second half of the 2010s in the USA and (b) the energy policy act(s) in the USA implemented which eventually resulted in lower CO₂ emissions in the USA especially after the second half of the 2000s. The paper suggests as well some policy proposals which might result in positive contribution of waste energy on environmental quality.