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Economic Analysis and Policies for the Environment, Natural Resources and Energy

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "C: Energy Economics and Policy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 21653

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, there has been significant research interest in tackling the various environmental problems with the associated findings of empirical applications and their policy implications. The aim of this Special Issue is to consider economic analysis in terms of the most updated and advanced empirical and theoretical methods applied in various environmental, resource, and energy problems.

The main purpose of this Special Issue is to feature the theoretical and empirical practice of sustainable policy performance measurement. The progress of green economy includes topics such as: indicators and measures to characterize environmental sustainability; methodological issues in order to indicate and present spatio-temporal patterns of resource and energy use and associated pollution; computational frameworks for comparisons of environmental management among economies/economic sectors/socio-economic systems; and techniques to define (design) the structure, dynamics, and change in ecosystems. Results will be discussed in support of sustainable energy policies. This Special Issue seeks the methodological framework to contribute to sustainable energy policy development, provide energy policy initiatives targeted to socio-economic goods/benefit, to capture sustainability obstacles and negative environmental impacts, and to highlight links and interactions between economic and environmental systems.

The expected outcome is to set targets, propose models for sustainable growth and energy policies, and analyze policy interactions. Potential contributors are researchers and specialists in environmental, natural resources, and energy economics; ecologists; and environmental engineers.

Prof. Dr. George Halkos
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Economic growth and the environment: eco-friendly policies
  • Methodologies for studying the environment in all its dimensions: the visual dimension, pollution, the despoliation of resources, air and water quality, noise pollution
  • Biodiversity and valuation
  • Acid rain, deforestation, ozone depletion, polluted seas
  • Global warming and climate change
  • Population, poverty and economic growth
  • Decoupling of environmental and resource pressures
  • Sustainable transportation
  • Sustainable tourism
  • Environmental efficiency and productivity analysis
  • Sustainable development
  • Waste management
  • Unexpected events

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Editorial

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6 pages, 183 KiB  
Editorial
Economic Analysis and Policies for the Environment, Natural Resources, and Energy
by George Halkos
Energies 2023, 16(18), 6578; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16186578 - 13 Sep 2023
Viewed by 667
Abstract
Blueprinting sustainable development pathways is by no means plain sailing [...] Full article

Research

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16 pages, 1265 KiB  
Article
The Role of Fiscal Policy in G20 Countries in the Context of the Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis
by Muhammad Mar’I, Mehdi Seraj and Turgut Tursoy
Energies 2023, 16(5), 2215; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16052215 - 24 Feb 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1821
Abstract
Fiscal policy is an essential tool that policymakers use for guiding the economy. Thus, the effects of fiscal policy may affect many aspects of our lives, including the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This article investigates the role of fiscal [...] Read more.
Fiscal policy is an essential tool that policymakers use for guiding the economy. Thus, the effects of fiscal policy may affect many aspects of our lives, including the impact of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. This article investigates the role of fiscal policy, in addition to gross domestic product (GDP), innovation, and financial development, in mitigating CO2 emissions in the context of the Environmental Kuznets Curve theory in the Group of Twenty (G20) countries from 1995 to 2019. The study implied the autoregressive distributed lag of pooled mean group (ARDL-PMG) approach to analyze the suggested model. The results revealed the validity of the model for the G20 countries, as well as a long-run cointegration between the study variables. The results also showed that fiscal policy is associated positively with CO2 emissions. Hence, we recommend reconsidering the applied financial policy, redirecting it to support clean energy projects, provide incentives for projects combating environmental degradation, and relying on environmentally friendly energy. Full article
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11 pages, 1716 KiB  
Article
Optimal Solution for a Renewable-Energy-Generation System at a Private Educational Institute in South Korea
by Sangjib Kwon, Hyungbae Gil, Seoin Baek and Heetae Kim
Energies 2022, 15(24), 9430; https://doi.org/10.3390/en15249430 - 13 Dec 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1249
Abstract
Climate change has been turning into a climate crisis. Thus, we live in an era in which it is important to carry out the promise of 2050 carbon neutrality worldwide. South Korea is a country with a very large private education market. As [...] Read more.
Climate change has been turning into a climate crisis. Thus, we live in an era in which it is important to carry out the promise of 2050 carbon neutrality worldwide. South Korea is a country with a very large private education market. As the online education market has also recently expanded rapidly, interest in the electricity consumed by educational institutions is growing. One way to reduce the power consumption of private educational institutions, which is expected to gradually increase, is to replace the existing power system with a hybrid energy system based on renewable energy. This study aims to investigate an optimized renewable-energy-based hybrid system to supply adequate power to private educational institutions in Korea. We propose an optimal system using the HOMER (Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables) program. The result is that when private educational institutions adopt a hybrid renewable energy system, the renewable fraction is negligible in the grid-connected type, but it is analyzed that the NPC (Net Present Cost) will greatly increase because it exceeds 70% in the stand-alone type. The difference between on-grid and off-grid is significant, so it must be taken into account when devising renewable energy policies. Full article
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18 pages, 915 KiB  
Article
Does Investing in Renewable Energy Sources Contribute to Growth? A Preliminary Study on Greece’s National Energy and Climate Plan
by Dimitrios Stamopoulos, Petros Dimas, Ioannis Sebos and Aggelos Tsakanikas
Energies 2021, 14(24), 8537; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14248537 - 17 Dec 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3414
Abstract
As more economies are transitioning away from fossil fuels for their electricity production and towards greener alternatives, many socioeconomic implications of this shift remain actively debated. The present paper attempts to assess the economic impact of investments in renewable energy sources (RESs) for [...] Read more.
As more economies are transitioning away from fossil fuels for their electricity production and towards greener alternatives, many socioeconomic implications of this shift remain actively debated. The present paper attempts to assess the economic impact of investments in renewable energy sources (RESs) for Greece and whether the broader effects of this transition can offset the negative impact that will occur due to the targeted phase-out of lignite plants by 2028, which constitute the predominant power source for Greece. Our methodological approach builds on input–output analysis and the creation of composite RES industries for the estimation of the net effects of a series of monetary shocks that correspond to Greece’s phase-out investment plan, utilizing the most recent national input–output tables and satellite structural business statistics. We focus on the structural effects of these shocks on a series of socioeconomic indicators, including GDP, employment, wages, government income (through taxes), and capital formation. The results indicate that even though lignite power production still provides a significant contribution to the Greek economy, investing in renewables presents a significant opportunity for value added and job creation. Full article
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25 pages, 1745 KiB  
Article
Impacts of OFDI on Host Country Energy Consumption and Home Country Energy Efficiency Based on a Belt and Road Perspective
by Xing Zhou, Quan Guo and Ming Zhang
Energies 2021, 14(21), 7343; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14217343 - 04 Nov 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1701
Abstract
Under the Belt and Road concepts of mutual benefit and win–win cooperation, China is strengthening its energy cooperation with other countries. We used several econometric models and social network analysis models to study the impacts of China’s outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on [...] Read more.
Under the Belt and Road concepts of mutual benefit and win–win cooperation, China is strengthening its energy cooperation with other countries. We used several econometric models and social network analysis models to study the impacts of China’s outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) on the host and home countries. We first examined China’s OFDI location preference and analysed the effects of OFDI on energy consumption in host countries. Meanwhile, we observed the impact of the reverse spillover effect of OFDI on China’s energy efficiency. The results indicate that (1) the impact of China’s OFDI on energy consumption in host countries has been lower than that on neighbouring countries, and increased significantly after 2014. (2) The space network of energy consumption in Belt and Road countries has a strict hierarchical structure. However, it was disbanded by the Belt and Road policy in 2014. The network centres are situated primarily in Middle Eastern and European countries, and the network’s periphery is mainly in South-East and West Asian countries. (3) The reverse spillover effects of OFDI, FDI, domestic R&D absorptive capacity, human capital, and financial development levels are conducive to improving China’s energy efficiency whereas regional professionalism does the opposite. Full article
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17 pages, 2279 KiB  
Article
Forecasting Water Quality Index in Groundwater Using Artificial Neural Network
by Monika Kulisz, Justyna Kujawska, Bartosz Przysucha and Wojciech Cel
Energies 2021, 14(18), 5875; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14185875 - 16 Sep 2021
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 5734
Abstract
Groundwater quality monitoring in the vicinity of drilling sites is crucial for the protection of water resources. Selected physicochemical parameters of waters were marked in the study. The water was collected from 19 wells located close to a shale gas extraction site. The [...] Read more.
Groundwater quality monitoring in the vicinity of drilling sites is crucial for the protection of water resources. Selected physicochemical parameters of waters were marked in the study. The water was collected from 19 wells located close to a shale gas extraction site. The water quality index was determined from the obtained parameters. A secondary objective of the study was to test the capacity of the artificial neural network (ANN) methods to model the water quality index in groundwater. The number of ANN input parameters was optimized and limited to seven, which was derived using a multiple regression model. Subsequently, using the stepwise regression method, models with ever fewer variables were tested. The best parameters were obtained for a network with five input neurons (electrical conductivity, pH as well as calcium, magnesium and sodium ions), in addition to five neurons in the hidden layer. The results showed that the use of the parameters is a convenient approach to modeling water quality index with satisfactory and appropriate accuracy. Artificial neural network methods exhibited the capacity to predict water quality index at the desirable level of accuracy (RMSE = 0.651258, R = 0.9992 and R2 = 0.9984). Neural network models can thus be used to directly predict the quality of groundwater, particularly in industrial areas. This proposed method, using advanced artificial intelligence, can aid in water treatment and management. The novelty of these studies is the use of the ANN network to forecast WQI groundwater in an area in eastern Poland that was not previously studied—in Lublin. Full article
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14 pages, 246 KiB  
Article
Non-Parametric Computational Measures for the Analysis of Resource Productivity
by Christina Bampatsou and George Halkos
Energies 2021, 14(11), 3114; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14113114 - 26 May 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1801
Abstract
In this study, we assumed that 28 European countries (Decision Making Units (DMUs)) aimed to accomplish higher economic outputs, using fewer resources and producing fewer emissions in the form of environmental degradation. In this context, we studied the drivers of total factor productivity [...] Read more.
In this study, we assumed that 28 European countries (Decision Making Units (DMUs)) aimed to accomplish higher economic outputs, using fewer resources and producing fewer emissions in the form of environmental degradation. In this context, we studied the drivers of total factor productivity change (TFPCH) in DMUs, associated with either managerial capabilities (efficiency change (EC)) or innovations (technical change (TC)) in resource-saving production methods, before and after the integration of CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions as an additional variable (undesirable output) in the initial model of one output (gross domestic product (GDP)) and five inputs (labor, capital, energy, domestic material consumption and recycled municipal waste). The primary focus of this study is to identify best practices that policymakers can adopt as they attempt to reduce productivity loss. Our results highlight the weak areas of individual countries and seem to indicate the action that should be taken to improve their productivity by taking into consideration the main driving force behind productivity and technical efficiency change. Our findings reveal that an effective use of technological developments is determined as important strategic information for ensuring managerial performance. Full article
9 pages, 254 KiB  
Article
Are Sub-National Agreements for Carbon Abatement Effective?
by Terrence W. Iverson, Joanne C. Burgess and Edward B. Barbier
Energies 2020, 13(14), 3675; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13143675 - 16 Jul 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1457
Abstract
Although national commitments to the Paris Climate Accord have waned, carbon mitigation by sub-national entities is on the rise globally. We examine the effectiveness of sub-national jurisdictions (e.g., states, provinces, cities) in collectively enacting greenhouse gas abatement strategies. We develop a simple model [...] Read more.
Although national commitments to the Paris Climate Accord have waned, carbon mitigation by sub-national entities is on the rise globally. We examine the effectiveness of sub-national jurisdictions (e.g., states, provinces, cities) in collectively enacting greenhouse gas abatement strategies. We develop a simple model to explore the conditions under which an agreement among sub-national jurisdictions within a country may lead to substantial carbon abatement relative to a national policy determined through majority rule. We find that, in the absence of a functional national policy response, a coordinated sub-national agreement can generate meaningful abatement. This could form an important stopgap measure in the absence of better alternatives. Full article
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Review

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19 pages, 316 KiB  
Review
Exploring the Impact of Economic Growth on the Environment: An Overview of Trends and Developments
by George Ekonomou and George Halkos
Energies 2023, 16(11), 4497; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16114497 - 02 Jun 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2236
Abstract
In our modern world, energy keeps the global economy running, and economic growth concerns are profoundly interrelated with environmental quality issues. Interestingly, scientists engage with empirical research to identify the impacts and causalities at the interface of economic activities, energy supply, and demand. [...] Read more.
In our modern world, energy keeps the global economy running, and economic growth concerns are profoundly interrelated with environmental quality issues. Interestingly, scientists engage with empirical research to identify the impacts and causalities at the interface of economic activities, energy supply, and demand. The importance of the present study lies in a discussion of all contemporary research efforts bridging two strands of empirical literature in environmental economics: developments in energy growth nexus discussion and the environmental Kuznets curve. Furthermore, it highlights the inclusion of untested explanatory variables and the impacts on environmental degradation levels. In the context of the EKC hypothesis, the most popular indicators are greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and carbon dioxide emissions in conceptualizing environmental degradation. A review of relevant empirical studies disclosed additional research opportunities that can consider currently untested and less visible proxies of economic growth. For both strands in the literature, results differ based on the group of countries investigated, the econometric models adopted, the format of data, e.g., time series or panel analyses, the time frames due to data availability, and the proxies used to conceptualize energy, environmental degradation, and economic growth. Practical implications indicate that environmental degradation can be avoided or significantly limited within sustainable economic growth to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and increase the use of renewables in the energy mix. Furthermore, one particular implication is the concept of energy efficiency to reduce relevant demand to produce the same outcome or task. Full article
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