Examination of carbon dioxide emissions and renewables in Southeast Asian countries based on a panel vector autoregressive model

Abstract

Recently, the increasing energy consumption for economic growth has resulted in higher carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. In this regard, the reduction of such emissions has become one of the main targets of economic planning for both developed and developing countries. Thus, this study determines whether economic growth and increased energy consumption can have a significant impact on CO2 emissions and whether this relationship is mutual, bidirectional, or unidirectional. For this purpose, we employ a panel autoregressive (VAR) model and focus on a group of developing countries in Southeast Asia in which their economic and population growth are expected to increase CO2 emissions in the future. Additionally, we examine their difficulties in meeting the CO2 emission targets and consider modern renewable energy sources (RES) in our quantitative research. Based on the results, there have been various rebound effects and rising expenses for modern RES in these countries, which have hampered their long-term goal of reducing CO2 emissions. The implication of the findings is that it is important to tailor subsidy schemes and energy policies to the specific needs of developing countries and their respective populations.