School of International Trade and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing, China.
School of Economics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 May;27(15):18254-18268. doi: 10.1007/s11356-020-08353-8. Epub 2020 Mar 16.
Embracing energy efficiency (EE) and renewable energy (RE) is essential for improving environmental quality. This research investigates the asymmetric impacts of EE, RE, and other factors on CO emissions in BRICS (i.e., Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) countries from 1990 to 2014. In contrast to previous studies, the present study considers EE as a major cause of CO emissions in BRICS countries. By using the new hidden panel cointegration and nonlinear panel autoregressive distributive lag model, this study is the first of its kind that unfolds the asymmetric links among EE, RE, and CO emissions. Findings clearly explain that the impact of the selected variables on CO emissions is asymmetric, and both EE and RE help to lower CO emissions in BRICS countries. In the long run, positive shocks in EE and RE can significantly mitigate CO emissions in BRICS economies. In particular, a 1% fluctuation in the positive sum of EE reduces CO emissions by 0.783% in the long run. On the other hand, a 1% fluctuation in the positive component of RE reduces CO emissions by 0.733%. Moreover, individual country estimates suggest the heterogeneous effects among BRICS countries. Based on the empirical findings, policymakers should consider the asymmetric behavior of the EE, RE, and economic growth while formulating, energy, environment, and growth policies of BRICS countries. Graphical abstract.
摘要：采用新的隐藏面板协整和非线性面板自回归分布滞后模型，探讨了 1990—2014 年期间金砖五国（巴西、俄罗斯、印度、中国和南非）能源效率（EE）、可再生能源（RE）及其他因素对 CO2 排放的非对称影响。与以往研究不同的是，本研究将 EE 视为金砖国家 CO2 排放的主要原因。研究结果表明，所选变量对 CO2 排放的影响是非对称的，EE 和 RE 均有助于降低金砖国家的 CO2 排放。从长期来看，EE 和 RE 的正向冲击可以显著降低金砖国家的 CO2 排放。具体来说，EE 的正向总和每波动 1%，长期内 CO2 排放量将减少 0.783%。另一方面，RE 的正向部分每波动 1%，CO2 排放量将减少 0.733%。此外，分国别估计表明金砖国家之间存在异质效应。基于实证结果，决策者在制定金砖国家的能源、环境和增长政策时，应考虑 EE、RE 和经济增长的非对称行为。
