Abstract
The 21st-century development pathway is facing a challenge between climate change mitigation, sustained economic prosperity, and energy security. While extant literature focuses on drivers of anthropogenic emissions, the role of policy measures including green energy innovation, and energy research and development are limited in scope. Here we develop conceptual tools across IEA member countries with four decades of data that demonstrate the role of green energy innovation, and research and development in reducing emissions. Our assessment reveals that sectoral fossil-based CO2 contributes directly to GHG emissions by 29.7–40.6% from transport, 24.6–32% from industry, 18.6–19.5% from buildings, 15–18.4% from other sectors, and 0.5–1.1% from power. We highlight that industrialized high-income countries converge on green energy innovation but diverge on emissions. The empirical evidence shows that achieving green growth is possible through green energy innovation amidst climate change and its impact.
Highlights
Climate change has become a global concern due to its longstanding impact on the biosphere
We examine the heterogeneous effects of anthropogenic emissions, green energy innovation, energy intensity, energy research and development, and service-based industrial structure
Our study demonstrates that investment and integration of green energy innovation, energy research and development, and expansion of service-based industrial structure have mitigating effects on GHG emissions
Summary
Climate change has become a global concern due to its longstanding impact on the biosphere. Adverse effects of climate change include variability in weather patterns leading to extreme conditions and events such as flooding, hunger, earthquake, tsunamis, wildfires, drought, and sea-level rise (Bowman et al, 2020; Bronselaer and Zanna, 2020; Fujimori et al, 2019; Trnka et al, 2014). Climate change is inevitable owing to natural occurrences, increasing population, urban sprawl, growing energy, food, and water demands (Meehl et al, 2007). The rate of biospheric deterioration driven by human activities can be curtailed through emission-reduction strategies (Meckling and Allan, 2020; Meckling et al, 2017).
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