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Environmental higher education-renewable energy consumption nexus in China: pathways toward carbon neutrality

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Abstract

Pro-environmental behavior has a significant role to play in environmental sustainability. There has been little research done on environmental higher education-renewable energy consumption nexus. This study examines the impact of environmental higher education on renewable energy consumption in China from 1997 to 2021. The ARDL results show that higher environmental education enhances renewable energy consumption in long run. Findings also show that internet usage and economic development encourage renewable energy consumption in the long run. However, financial development and internet usage have a short-term impact on renewable energy consumption in China. The QARDL estimates are robust, and the finding shows that environmental higher education has a positive impact on renewable energy consumption in short and long run at higher quantiles. The empirical findings have environmental implications for China in terms of achieving long-term environmental sustainability by embracing patterns of pro-environmental behavior.

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The datasets/materials used and/or analyzed for present manuscript are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

2021 Shanxi Province Higher Education Teaching Reform and Innovation Project (J2021615) “Exploration and Application of Student Learning Achievement Evaluation in Applied Universities under the Background of Quality Revolution”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Planning and Evaluation Department, Jinzhong University, Jinzhong, China

    Mao Jiali

  2. Education Evaluation and Monitoring Center, Nanchang Institute of Technology, Nanchang, China

    Luo Ting

  3. Institute of Business Administration, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, R.Y. Khan, Pakistan

    Adnan Maqbool

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  1. Mao Jiali
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  2. Luo Ting
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The idea was given by Mao Jiali. Mao Jiali and Luo Ting have done the data acquisitions, analysis, and written the whole draft. Adnan Maqbool read and approved the final version.

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Correspondence to Mao Jiali.

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Jiali, M., Ting, L. & Maqbool, A. Environmental higher education-renewable energy consumption nexus in China: pathways toward carbon neutrality. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 102260–102270 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29261-7

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