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How Effective Are Renewable Energy in Addition of Economic Growth and Curbing CO2 Emissions in the Long Run? A Panel Data Analysis for Four Mediterranean Countries

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Abstract

This paper aims to examine the long-term causal relationship between renewable energy, CO2 emissions, and economic growth in the four Mediterranean countries; including France, Spain, Italy, and Turkey over the 1980–2012 period. The results of Pedroni and Kao co-integration tests indicate a long-term relationship between these variables. In fact, the results of the long-term model show that the growth has a significant and positive impact on CO2 emissions in the four countries. VECM Granger causality analysis offer conflicting evidence on the links between renewable energy use and economic growth which supported the feedback hypothesis. This finding has vital consequences regarding energy and economic policy, as it suggests that renewable energy use do not seem to damage economic growth and development in these countries.

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Correspondence to Mounir Ben Mbarek.

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Mbarek, M.B., Saidi, K. & Feki, R. How Effective Are Renewable Energy in Addition of Economic Growth and Curbing CO2 Emissions in the Long Run? A Panel Data Analysis for Four Mediterranean Countries. J Knowl Econ 9, 754–766 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-016-0365-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13132-016-0365-9

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