Narrow Results

This study examines the relationship between the market size of sustainable finance and the energy expenditure of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Southern Europe from 2000 to 2019, using the CUP-FM method and panel cointegration estimation. It finds a significant negative correlation: a 1% increase in sustainable finance is associated with a 0.69% decrease in SMEs’ energy spending. Additionally, the study highlights a positive correlation between inflation rates and higher energy consumption by SMEs, suggesting that rising operational costs may lead to increased energy use. To support the energy transition of SMEs, practical policies are needed in Southern European economies, focusing on developing green finance markets, promoting sustainable digitalization, creating green jobs and encouraging environmentally friendly economic growth.

The looming climate emergency coupled with the present-day energy crisis has led to an urgent need to decarbonize the building stock for a clean energy transition. However, the sector is not at pace with the Paris Agreement goals and requires deep systematic changes to achieve the 2050 net-zero targets. This paper presents energy sufficiency as an approach to accelerate building decarbonization that goes beyond energy efficient and renewable energy technologies and leverages lifestyle choices and practices to achieve the targeted climate goals. We synthesize the existing knowledge on sufficiency in the buildings domain encompassing empirical studies, estimating up to 48% energy savings and 54% GHG emissions reduction potential of sufficiency actions, and the possible approaches for implementation to develop a comprehensive understanding of sufficiency potential in the building sector. We also present different categories of sufficiency measures and identify the related policy and technological innovations required to implement them. Lastly, we discuss the opportunities for sufficiency-oriented building decarbonization within the national policies and roadmaps. This review intends to provide insights into the development of sufficiency-oriented strategies and policies for enabling a just energy transition in the building sector.

This study pioneers in quantitatively evaluating policies and commercial strategies of China to facilitate its coal-to-gas transition, concerning their impacts on energy security, especially for Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import dependency and cost-effectiveness. An econometric approach is developed to examine the impacts of natural gas domestic production expansions, pipeline import expansions, and LNG price volatilities on LNG import. Empirical evidence reveals two challenges: (1) insufficient growth in domestic gas production to substitute and reduce import volumes via LNG shipping; (2) under increased import prices from major spot markets, LNG import volumes continued increasing, which implies cost ineffectiveness.

For the activation of the target nucleus, bremsstrahlung photons generated in a medical linear accelerator can be used. Due to particle separation energy limitations for low photon energies in the giant resonance region ($\sim$18MeV), the reaction exit channels are restricted to the ejection of one or two particles only. Thus, the gamma spectrum is relatively clear, and the use of ancillary detectors coupled to HPGe is not highly needed. In this study, the bremsstrahlung photons have been used for the activation of the titanium target. ${}^{46-48}$Sc isotopes are observed from the natural titanium target via photo-proton reactions. Decay radiations from the isotopes and half-life of ${}^{47}$Sc which is from the most abundant natural titanium have been determined consistent with the literature values.

The development of renewable energy policies in Taiwan has been thoroughly discussed from political, economic, social, industrial and environmental perspectives. Energy policies, particularly those adopted by the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations, have influenced both (1) the decision-making process of energy policies such as action plans, programs and (2) the transition to renewable energies. This paper argues that the transfer of global environmental and energy policies serves as the mechanism behind Taiwan’s efforts to expand renewable energy production. These global policies have so far been practiced by international organizations through agreements designed to combat climate change, achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), and reduce fossil fuel subsidies. This paper examines renewable energy policies and legislation in Taiwan through the lens of policy transfers, an area which has not been fully explored in previous research.

Green finance (GFIN) has become a viable option for dealing with climate change in recent years. However, it is yet unknown how well it will affect low-carbon paths in recipient nations. As a result, the main goal of this study is to determine the causal relationship between clean energy (CENE), GFIN, and environmental responsibility (ERES) by using the innovative time-varying causality test on daily data from August 25, 2014, to September 12, 2021. The study is based on S&P Dow Jones Global Clean Energy, Green Bond, and Environmental and Social Indices. Adopting a time-varying technique should be trustworthy and resilient since the data exhibit consistent rising and negative trends. The findings demonstrate that GFIN helps to reduce carbon emissions. This research demonstrates the need to develop a thorough strategy to enhance ERES and GFIN by acquiring green technologies to achieve effective energy transition and sustainable development objectives.

This study investigates the pros and cons of the energy transition process as a part of environmental sustainability’s policy in Iran. To analyse the strategic transition towards clean energy in Iran and extract practical policies and operational solutions, the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) technique was applied. Based on the findings, Iran’s most significant strengths towards greening economy are low operational cost of clean energy and academic experts’ involvement in localisation and environmental protection. Non-renewable energy trade, high initial costs, and Iran’s economic and foreign policy instability are the major weaknesses. Moreover, the opportunities include diversifying the economy to increase income and reduce dependence on oil. Finally, a lack of institutional capacity and coordination with related industries were the biggest threats. Based on the internal and external matrix, Iran’s energy transition process towards clean (renewable) energies is strategically in ST (Strengths and Threats) situation. It means, this transition in Iran has strengths (i.e. low cost of clean energy) as well as threats (i.e. increased competition in the global energy market) due to the internal and external factors, which can take advantage of existing strengths and predict future threats to reduce the effect of threats on the movement towards clean energy.

This study investigates how foreign direct investment (FDI) has impacted Vietnam’s sustainable energy transition from 1988 to 2020, utilising the autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) technique for analysis. In the short term, a 1% increase in FDI is linked to a minor 0.015% reduction in the quality of energy transformation, indicating initial adverse environmental effects. However, in the long term, a notable improvement of 0.042% in energy transformation quality suggests that FDI-driven initiatives positively contribute to sustainable energy practices. Simultaneously, other factors such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI) demonstrate detrimental impacts both in the short term (0.039% decrease) and the long term (0.429% decrease), posing challenges to environmentally friendly projects. Conversely, the Green Economic Growth Index displays significant positive effects in both the short term (0.397% increase) and the long term (0.184% increase), emphasising the importance of fostering green economic growth. To accelerate the progress of sustainable energy transition, Vietnam is encouraged to implement policies encompassing the digitization of green initiatives, the introduction of green financing mechanisms, and the provision of supportive incentives for environmentally-conscious investors.

The aim of this study is to assess the impacts of woodfuel prices distortion on the eco-efficiency of woodfuel exploitation systems. The study, conducted in Cameroon, involved 415 randomly selected woodfuel operators. To achieve this, the marginal opportunity cost approach and the stochastic specification of the production technology were used to assess the price distortion degree and the eco-efficiency indices, respectively. In doing so, the 2SLS allowed to evaluate the impacts of woodfuel prices distortion on eco-efficiency of woodfuel exploitation systems. From this study, we conclude that the woodfuel prices distortion does not encourage eco-efficient exploitation of this resource. A 1% increase in the degree of distortion results in a reduction in eco-efficiency of −0.019 points. Including the optimal price in the woodfuel pricing system will improve eco-efficiency by 0.030 points. In view of these results, a marginal opportunity cost pricing system that takes into account all the exploitation costs ignored by the market price like user costs associated with resource depletion and the external costs associated with CO₂ emissions will encourage producers to adopt a sustainable woodfuel exploitation path.

Climate science suggests that moving to a zero-carbon economy will not immediately halt the environmental and economic damage caused by anthropogenic greenhouse–gas (GHG) emissions. Whereas air temperature increase will (almost) stop when the CO₂ concentration in the atmosphere is stabilized, ocean temperature will continue to increase for decades. In this paper, we introduce an environmental dynamic general equilibrium model with a natural transition from fossil to renewable fuels and then use that model to explore this temperature disconnect. We find that the transition to nonfossil energy is accelerated when damages due to persistent ocean temperature rise are taken into account. Sensitivity analysis reveals that (i) economic growth increases energy consumption but accelerates the transition; (ii) energy-augmented technological change does not accelerate the transition; (iii) emissions efficiency technological change has perversely harmful effects on the energy transition; and (iv) the elasticity of substitution between dirty and clean energy sources and the discount factor are key in determining optimal energy transition path.

Beijing is making systematic efforts to accelerate its energy transition by setting ambitious targets, developing and employing clean technology, and stepping up global cooperation. This embrace of green and low-carbon development comes at a time when Beijing has arrived at a crossroads where it must choose a more sustainable development model that lays equal emphasis on resilience and efficiency. Even though China’s past concrete actions have paved the way for a smoother transition, more robust measures, not least concerted efforts by major countries, are still required to secure more irreversible progress as the current Russia–Ukraine crisis and potential fallout may create new roadblocks for the global race to zero carbon emissions. Rising geopolitical tensions as a result of the return of great power competition make it more urgent for leading countries to increase policy coordination to avert climate calamity.

Pakistan is ranked in the 7th position among the affected countries by climate changes. Although many studies have been done on the impacts of climate change in Pakistan, little attention has been given to the need for an energy transition and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in this country. This study highlights the needs of the national energy transition in Pakistan to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. Considering the fact that natural gas has lower greenhouse gas emission than coal or oil, Pakistan needs to shift its energy system towards natural gas in the near future. Meanwhile, Pakistan government should take key measures and revise energy policies to support such energy transition by making large gas discoveries, increasing energy conversion systems, and implementing renewable and sustainable energies.

China has been the largest energy consumer in the world for almost a decade and faces increasing pressure in terms of energy supply. By reviewing China’s historical energy data since the reform and opening up, we analyzed the status quo of China from five aspects including growing external energy dependence, coal-dominated energy mix, regional imbalance between supply and demand, rapid development of renewable energy, and structural overcapacity. Then, we analyzed the evolution of China’s energy strategy and policy since the reform and opening up, dividing it into three stages: diversification strategy focused on electricity (1981–2005), energy security strategy focused on energy conservation and efficiency (2005–2015), and transition strategy focused on low-carbon and clean energy (2015–Present). Over this history of near forty years, China’s energy production and consumption has grown at a surprising speed, as did their dependence on external energy supplies. Energy intensity exhibited early fluctuations and a subsequent gradual decrease after the turbulence phase, and a diverse trend has been witnessed with the increasing growth of gas consumption and renewable energy capacity. Finally, this chapter proposes the future path for China’s energy transition: diversification, low-carbonization, intellectualization, integration, and international cooperation, which offers some policy implications for shaping China’s energy future.

Renewable energy costs are now below those of fossil fuels. Five years ago, fossil fuels were the cheapest baseload. The collapse in renewable costs means that for 85% of the world, renewable electricity is the cheapest source of new baseload. By the early 2020s it will be every major country. Because of the rise of cheap renewables, the fossil fuel system is ripe for disruption. This disruption will be having profound financial implications for investors as a quarter of equity markets and half of corporate bond markets are “carbon entangled”…

Making cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, and resilient implies addressing numerous interdependent — often conflicting — sustainability demands. A paradoxical approach to these demands suggests finding synergies among these conflicts in order to achieve successful sustainable outcomes. Drawing on participatory action research (PAR), we highlight specific synergies and possible unintended consequences of efforts associated with meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, “Sustainable Cities and Communities.” The context of this research is energy interventions by social housing associations in the Netherlands. This context highlights the overlap and interaction of complex challenges, such as increasing poverty, refugee shelters, and aging population. We identify and explain four sustainability paradoxes: planning, involvement, impact, and performance. The understanding of these paradoxes can inform organizations and urban planners’ strategic choices for environmental and social interventions. With this chapter, we join the debate on the unsustainability of sustainability efforts in urban planning, suggesting that the recognition of these paradoxes can help to mitigate the risk of unintended consequences.

The chapter focuses on the energy transition as a necessary prerequisite for developing a green economy. The features of the new energy transition are based on the introduction and use of clean technologies, such as renewable energy and hydrogen. The urgency of taking drastic measures to transition to green energy is connected with the speedy solution to climate problems on the planet. The countries are actively taking measures to decarbonize economic processes; businesses are adopting business strategies that include reducing the negative impact on the environment and introducing green technologies. The paper analyzes current trends in the energy sector to identify the readiness of a new energy transition to the principles of a green economy.

Escalating global energy demand, largely met through fossil fuel consumption, has driven surging carbon emissions, posing a substantial threat to climate change. Thailand has committed to achieving net zero emissions by 2065 and carbon neutrality by 2050 as part of the Paris Agreement and the 26th annual session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 26) in 2021. Various policies and mitigation options have been implemented in Thailand, including adopting electric vehicles, biofuels, green building practices, energy conservation, and renewable energy sources. This chapter mainly focuses on carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS) technology and explores its potential as a critical decarbonization tool to address Thailand’s increasing energy demand and greenhouse gas emissions. Successful deployment requires that government and industry collaborate to establish a sustainable market and achieve cost reductions. It concludes that scaling up CCUS technologies and fostering CCUS collaborations are crucial for achieving a cleaner, sustainable energy future.

At the latest public reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) or the UN Climate Change Conferences, a socio-political discussion arose over possible harmful impacts of fossil energy sources for the global climate and our environment. Also, due to the still unsolved problem of radioactive waste disposal and diverse tragic incidents in nuclear power plants within the last years, many experts criticize the use of nuclear power as a non-sustainable energy source. With regards to the finiteness and environmental harmfulness of fossil energy sources and the danger of nuclear material for present and future generations, the importance and popularity of renewable energies in Germany increases continuously. In particular, Wind Energy influences the success story of renewable energiesover the last years.

In addition to positive environmental, CO²-saving aspects, Wind Energy can also be supportive and even fundamental in terms of growth and development for Germany's economy. Economic growth indicators such as a rising revenue development, increasing employment rate or a high export volume are representatives for the economic importance of renewable energies and wind energy in particular.