Renewable energy transition in global carbon mitigation: Does the use of metallic minerals matter?

Abstract

Renewable energy transition inevitably requires the consumption of metallic minerals, which not only increases the development of renewable energy but also causes potential environmental issues. Based on this hypothesis, applying a panel dataset of 71 economies from 2003 to 2019, this study constructs an econometric model of the influence of renewable energy transition on carbon emissions and examines the moderating effect of the consumption of metallic minerals. The major results indicate that: (1) Renewable energy transition significantly decreases carbon emissions; (2) the use of metallic minerals positively promotes carbon emissions, but weakens the carbon mitigation effect of the renewable energy transition; (3) the moderating effect of the use of metallic minerals is significant only in groups with higher metallic minerals; (4) the use of metallic minerals has a moderating impact on the influence of emission reduction in the process of the transition to renewable energy in areas with lower emissions; and (5) the use of non-metallic minerals, as with metallic minerals, also presents a significant obstacle in decreasing carbon emissions during the transition to renewable energy. The results will provide strategic guidance for the transition to renewable energy and carbon mitigation globally.