Testing environmental Kuznets curve for the USA under a regime shift: the role of renewable energy

BULUT Ü.

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, vol.26, no.14, pp.14562-14569, 2019 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 26 Issue: 14
  • Publication Date: 2019
  • Doi Number: 10.1007/s11356-019-04835-6
  • Journal Name: Environmental Science and Pollution Research
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.14562-14569
  • Keywords: CO2 emissions, Cointegration test with a regime shift, DOLS estimator, Environmental Kuznets curve, Renewable energy consumption, The US economy
  • Open Archive Collection: Article
  • Azerbaijan State University of Economics (UNEC) Affiliated: No

Abstract

The goals of this paper are to examine whether the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) holds and to investigate whether renewable energy consumption can decrease CO2 emissions in the USA using monthly data spanning the period 2000:M01– 2018:M07. For these purposes, the paper employs a cointegration test with a regime shift and observes the long-run coefficients before and after the regime shift. The findings support the presence of the EKC. The findings also indicate that renewable energy consumption has negative effects on CO2 emissions, while these effects are greater when the share of renewable energy consumption in total energy consumption is higher in the USA. Theoretical and practical implications for these findings are discussed.