Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, National Institute of Technology Puducherry, Karaikal, India.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Sep;30(45):100717-100730. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-29402-y. Epub 2023 Aug 28.
Since 1990, the ecological footprints have been increasing significantly with a continuous increase rate, which led to challenges to environmental quality. The basis for economic growth was said to be the shift of energy and environmental strategies toward a sustainable future. Indeed, it became a matter of proclaimed acceptance that environmental challenges nurtured expansion, innovation, and competitiveness. Climate change is the most pressing issue being faced by the world due to an increase in ecological footprint from 7.0 billion to 20.6 billion GHA. It indicates the seriousness of environmental degradation; therefore, nations need to ensure environmental sustainability. Keeping this in mind, the present research mainly aims to examine the impact of renewable energy utilization on the ecological footprints of RECAI economies, spanning the period from 1990 to 2020. To significantly achieve the research objective, we utilized panel econometric methods for empirical analysis. The results of long-run elasticities indicate that both renewable energy utilization as well as trade openness significantly controls the ecological footprints, while higher conventional energy utilization and economic growth significantly impede environmental sustainability. The empirical findings provide new insights for policymakers on renewable energy for the betterment of environmental quality in RECAI countries.
自 1990 年以来，生态足迹持续显著增加，增长率不断上升，这对环境质量构成了挑战。据说，经济增长的基础是能源和环境战略向可持续未来的转变。事实上，人们已经公开承认，环境挑战促进了扩张、创新和竞争力。由于生态足迹从 70 亿增至 206 亿公顷，气候变化成为世界面临的最紧迫问题。这表明环境退化的严重性；因此，各国需要确保环境的可持续性。考虑到这一点，本研究主要旨在检验可再生能源利用对 RECAI 经济体生态足迹的影响，时间跨度为 1990 年至 2020 年。为了显著实现研究目标，我们利用面板计量经济学方法进行实证分析。长期弹性的结果表明，可再生能源的利用和贸易开放度都显著控制了生态足迹，而较高的传统能源利用和经济增长则显著阻碍了环境的可持续性。实证结果为决策者提供了有关可再生能源的新见解，以改善 RECAI 国家的环境质量。
