Renewable energy, agriculture, and carbon dioxide emissions nexus: implications for sustainable development in sub-Saharan African countries
Abstract Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has experienced a high economic growth rate over the last two decades, which has been accompanied by concerns about increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This study aims to find out whether renewable energy and agriculture can help reduce CO2 emissions for sele...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-09-01
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| Series: | Sustainable Environment Research |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42834-023-00193-8 |
| _version_ | 1797451375020343296 |
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| author | Jingyi Wang Chenglin Jiang Mingquan Li Shuai Zhang Xuebiao Zhang |
| author_facet | Jingyi Wang Chenglin Jiang Mingquan Li Shuai Zhang Xuebiao Zhang |
| author_sort | Jingyi Wang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has experienced a high economic growth rate over the last two decades, which has been accompanied by concerns about increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This study aims to find out whether renewable energy and agriculture can help reduce CO2 emissions for selected SSA countries. A balanced dataset incorporating CO2 emissions, renewable energy consumption, agricultural land per capita, GDP per capita, urbanization level and energy intensity of 38 SSA countries covering the period 2000–2019 is utilized. The differentiated-generalized method of moments (GMM) is employed as a benchmark estimation method to estimate the effects of renewable energy and agriculture on CO2. The regional heterogeneity analysis of countries at different income levels is then carried out. The moderating role of government governance in the energy-agriculture-environment nexus is also investigated. The following conclusions are highlighted: (1) the consumption of renewable energy can reduce CO2 emissions, while agriculture increases them; (2) the mitigating effect of renewable energy on CO2 emissions is relatively larger in countries at a low income level countries than in high-income countries, while agriculture aggravates CO2 emissions in lower middle-income and low-income regions, but mitigates emissions in upper middle-income regions; and (3) governance quality turns the mitigating role of renewable energy use on CO2 emissions into an increasing one, and exaggerates the polluting effect of agriculture. Finally, the study proposes policy implications for improving renewable energy use and green agricultural growth to achieve sustainable development in SSA. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:53:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fbd710d9157b401f8251620e3ae78237 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2468-2039 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T14:53:46Z |
| publishDate | 2023-09-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Sustainable Environment Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-fbd710d9157b401f8251620e3ae782372023-11-26T14:21:36ZengBMCSustainable Environment Research2468-20392023-09-0133111210.1186/s42834-023-00193-8Renewable energy, agriculture, and carbon dioxide emissions nexus: implications for sustainable development in sub-Saharan African countriesJingyi Wang0Chenglin Jiang1Mingquan Li2Shuai Zhang3Xuebiao Zhang4Agricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesJilin Agro-Tech Extension StationDehui Agro-Tech Extension CenterDivision of Graduate Studies Administration, China Foreign Affairs UniversityAgricultural Information Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural SciencesAbstract Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has experienced a high economic growth rate over the last two decades, which has been accompanied by concerns about increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This study aims to find out whether renewable energy and agriculture can help reduce CO2 emissions for selected SSA countries. A balanced dataset incorporating CO2 emissions, renewable energy consumption, agricultural land per capita, GDP per capita, urbanization level and energy intensity of 38 SSA countries covering the period 2000–2019 is utilized. The differentiated-generalized method of moments (GMM) is employed as a benchmark estimation method to estimate the effects of renewable energy and agriculture on CO2. The regional heterogeneity analysis of countries at different income levels is then carried out. The moderating role of government governance in the energy-agriculture-environment nexus is also investigated. The following conclusions are highlighted: (1) the consumption of renewable energy can reduce CO2 emissions, while agriculture increases them; (2) the mitigating effect of renewable energy on CO2 emissions is relatively larger in countries at a low income level countries than in high-income countries, while agriculture aggravates CO2 emissions in lower middle-income and low-income regions, but mitigates emissions in upper middle-income regions; and (3) governance quality turns the mitigating role of renewable energy use on CO2 emissions into an increasing one, and exaggerates the polluting effect of agriculture. Finally, the study proposes policy implications for improving renewable energy use and green agricultural growth to achieve sustainable development in SSA.https://doi.org/10.1186/s42834-023-00193-8Renewable energy consumptionAgricultureCO2 emissionsGovernment governance |
| spellingShingle | Jingyi Wang Chenglin Jiang Mingquan Li Shuai Zhang Xuebiao Zhang Renewable energy, agriculture, and carbon dioxide emissions nexus: implications for sustainable development in sub-Saharan African countries Sustainable Environment Research Renewable energy consumption Agriculture CO2 emissions Government governance |
| title | Renewable energy, agriculture, and carbon dioxide emissions nexus: implications for sustainable development in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_full | Renewable energy, agriculture, and carbon dioxide emissions nexus: implications for sustainable development in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_fullStr | Renewable energy, agriculture, and carbon dioxide emissions nexus: implications for sustainable development in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Renewable energy, agriculture, and carbon dioxide emissions nexus: implications for sustainable development in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_short | Renewable energy, agriculture, and carbon dioxide emissions nexus: implications for sustainable development in sub-Saharan African countries |
| title_sort | renewable energy agriculture and carbon dioxide emissions nexus implications for sustainable development in sub saharan african countries |
| topic | Renewable energy consumption Agriculture CO2 emissions Government governance |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s42834-023-00193-8 |
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