A Dynamic Analysis of Air Pollution: Implications of Economic Growth and Renewable Energy Consumption

Jia Yu Xie, Dong Hee Suh and Sung-Kwan Joo
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Jia Yu Xie: Department of Food and Resource Economics, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea
Sung-Kwan Joo: School of Electrical Engineering, Korea University, 145 Anam-ro, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-15

Abstract: This paper examines how economic growth and renewable energy consumption are associated with air pollution using a dynamic panel approach. Focusing on several major air pollutants, namely, particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and carbon monoxide, this paper tests the environmental Kuznets hypothesis and determines whether the use of renewable energy sources contributes to a reduction in air pollution. Data from a balanced panel of 145 countries for the period between 2000 and 2014 was used for the estimation of the dynamic panel model. The results of the dynamic panel model showed inverted U-shaped curves for the relationship between economic development and particulate matter and sulfur dioxide emissions. The results also revealed that increasing renewable energy consumption contributes to an improvement in air quality. Moreover, it was found that urbanization tends to decrease sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, while trade openness reduces particulate matter and carbon monoxide emissions but increases sulfur dioxide emissions.

Keywords: particulate matter; sulfur dioxide; nitrogen oxide; carbon monoxide; air quality; environmental Kuznets curve; renewable energy; dynamic panel (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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