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The roles of nuclear energy, renewable energy, and economic growth in the abatement of carbon dioxide emissions in the G7 countries

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Abstract

In the current century, the G7 countries have attached more importance to energy security, and have prioritized low-carbon sources which have necessitated the consumption of nuclear and renewable energy resources to achieve a resilient low-carbon system. However, it is still not clear if the sacrifice has paid-off since the environmental quality in the majority of these countries is yet to be significantly improved. As such, this study employs advanced panel data econometric techniques that account for cross-sectional dependence and slope heterogeneity issues to explore the impacts of nuclear and renewable energy use in respect of CO2 emission mitigation in six of the seven G7 countries. The core objective of this study is to justify whether energy diversification through the promotion of nuclear and renewable energy consumption can assist the G7 nations in complying with their commitments concerning the Paris Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goals agendas. The overall findings from the econometric analysis affirm the abating role of nuclear energy on CO2 emissions. However, renewable energy consumption is found to be statistically insignificant in explaining the variations in the CO2 emission levels. On the other hand, economic growth is found to initially boost the CO2 emission level but mitigate it later on; thus, the authenticity of the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis is established in the G7 context. Besides, the country-specific results suggest that nuclear energy significantly reduces CO2 emissions in all the countries, except in Canada and the USA. Also, renewable energy significantly curbs CO2 emissions only in Canada and France. Furthermore, the environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis is validated for Canada, France, the UK, and the USA. In line with these findings, it is pertinent for the G7 countries to boost nuclear energy use to reduce the fossil fuel dependency in the majority of the G7 nations to mitigate CO2 emissions. Moreover, it is also suggested that these nations adopt relevant policies to further green their consumption and production processes to ensure complementarity between economic growth and environmental development.

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Data availability

The data sets used during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Notes

  1. BRICS refers to Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria

    Solomon Prince Nathaniel

  2. School of Foundation, Lagos State University, Badagry, Nigeria

    Solomon Prince Nathaniel

  3. College of Commerce and Business Administration, Dhofar University, Salalah, Oman

    Md. Shabbir Alam

  4. School of Business and Economics, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Muntasir Murshed

  5. Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Muntasir Murshed

  6. Department of Finance, College of Business Administration, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, 173, Alkharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia

    Haider Mahmood

  7. Department of Law, College of Humanity Sciences, University of Raparin, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq

    Paiman Ahmad

  8. International Relations and Diplomacy Department, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, Tishk International University, Erbil, Iraq

    Paiman Ahmad

Authors
  1. Solomon Prince Nathaniel
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  2. Md. Shabbir Alam
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  3. Muntasir Murshed
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  4. Haider Mahmood
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  5. Paiman Ahmad
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Contributions

SPN conceptualized the study, compiled the data, wrote the methodology, conducted the econometric analysis, and participated in discussing the results. MSA conducted the literature review and wrote the policy recommendations. MM wrote the introduction, conducted the literature review, and organized the study. HM compiled the literature review. PA compiled the literature review and edited the document.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Muntasir Murshed.

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Nathaniel, S.P., Alam, M.S., Murshed, M. et al. The roles of nuclear energy, renewable energy, and economic growth in the abatement of carbon dioxide emissions in the G7 countries. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 47957–47972 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13728-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13728-6

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