The role of natural resources and governance in alleviating energy poverty – evidence with the MMQR method

The focus of this paper is to bring to light the vital issue of energy poverty alleviation and how big data could improve the data collection quality and mechanism. It also explains the vicious circle of low productivity, health risk, environmental pollution and energy poverty and presents currently used energy poverty measures and alleviation policies and stresses the associated problems in application due to the underlying dynamics.

How does regional technological innovation affect energy poverty? The role of industrial structure distortion

As the world’s largest emerging market country, not only has China faced the contradiction between its huge population size and per capita energy scarcity for a long time, but the rigid constraints brought by energy poverty have also plagued the lives and production of Chinese residents. Based on panel data from 30 provinces (except Tibet) in mainland China from 2009 to 2021, this study employs double machine learning and spatial difference-in-difference for causal inference to explore the impact of a medium- to long-term regional innovation pilot policy in China—the new policy for innovative transformation in regional industrial chains—on energy poverty alleviation. This study also introduces China’s conversion of new and old kinetic energy into this quasi-natural experiment. This study presents the following findings: (1) The new policy for innovative transformation in regional industrial chains and the concept of the conversion of new and old kinetic energy can both significantly promote energy poverty alleviation. (2) The mechanism pathway of “the new policy for innovative transformation in regional industrial chains → the conversion of new and old kinetic energy → the energy poverty alleviation in heating/household electricity/transportation segments” has proved to be an effective practice in China. (3) Based on the spatial double difference model, the spatial direct effect of the new regional industrial chain innovation and change policy on energy poverty alleviation is significantly positive, while the spatial direct effect and spatial spillover effect of the new and old kinetic energy transformation on energy poverty alleviation are both significantly positive. (4) Based on the counterfactual framework analysis, in addition to the causal mediating mechanism of the demand-side conversion of new and old kinetic energy being impeded, both the supply-side and the structural-side conversion of new and old kinetic energy are able to play a significant positive causal mediating role in both the treatment and control groups.

Does the belt and road initiative alleviate energy poverty in participating countries?

South Africa’s worsening inequality and unemployment and high greenhouse gas emissions require climate-resilient strategies that empower local governments. Responding to the country’s highly contested energy transition and bringing together decarbonization and development priorities are critical for all spheres of government. The energy transition presents a confluence of challenges and opportunities for climate action that are exacerbated in urban settings. The needs of vulnerable households must deliberately be centred for energy transition responses that support just and inclusive climate action. Targeting energy poverty sheds light on household energy behaviour that can promote inclusive shifts to cleaner, affordable, and safe energy sources and inform appropriate urban climate action strategies by local governments. Drawing from experience with energy poverty alleviation in the City of Cape Town (CCT), we argue that a context-sensitive understanding of energy poverty is required to support urban climate resilience and inclusive development. CCT has made progress with centring energy poverty in its climate resilience and urban development strategies, signified in the establishment of the Energy Poverty Alleviation team in 2017, plus the inclusion of energy poverty as a pillar in the 2050 Energy Strategy. We reflect on these efforts to mainstream energy poverty alleviation within CCT and elaborate on interventions and partnerships that demonstrate this strategic commitment. We further emphasize five priorities for research and innovation for climate action from the vantage point that energy poverty alleviation is a critical dimension of local governments’ climate action strategies and South Africa’s broader just energy transition.

With Green Deals and a competitive techno-economic basis for low-carbon energy transitions, energy infrastructural change is intensifying. This is matched by rapid growth in scholarship on sociotechnical transitions and energy justice, combined in the phrase ‘just transitions’. Yet how can an abstract concern with a normative concept like justice be brought to bear on the socio-technical complexities of specific changes in energy infrastructure? This is an important and timely question to consider in a practical sense, since the energy policy landscape is increasingly focused on a ‘just transition’ as combining decarbonisation and a progressive vision of social equity and justice. Our synthesis review argues that a focus on the alleviation of energy poverty – a condition whereby people are unable to secure adequate levels of energy services in the home – can enable policy-oriented mobilisation of energy justice as an integral component of evolving energy infrastructure. We approach energy poverty as an opportunity to constructively broach issues of justice in global energy policy discourse, not as a catch-all for wider injustices and vulnerabilities. We present a conceptual framework, applied to three schematic cases of energy infrastructure under transition. In and across these cross-sectoral cases, we reflect on scope for energy poverty alleviation.

How renewable energy alleviate energy poverty? A global analysis

Can internet development alleviate energy poverty? Evidence from China

Alleviating energy poverty for forest conservation: It seems to work, but what are we missing?

High-quality development (HQD) has been listed as the first and foremost task in building a modern socialist country in all respects and also an overarching issue of China’s economic and social development in the new era. To achieve economic HQD, a key approach lies in integrating energy development with poverty alleviation and fully leveraging the foundational role of energy infrastructure and supply services in reducing poverty. Using the provincial panel data from 2007 to 2017, this paper analyzes the impact of energy poverty alleviation on economic HQD from multiple dimensions in an empirical way and draws the following conclusions: first, energy poverty alleviation drives the economic growth of China’s eastern region and western region, but it cannot effectively promote the synchronous economic growth of the central region, thereby resulting in a greater imbalance in regional development; second, energy poverty alleviation has an effect on reducing the urban–rural income inequality, and such an effect is more significant in the western region; and finally, energy poverty alleviation has a significant effect on promoting economic HQD, and the effect is more significant in the central region and the western region. Furthermore, the transmission mechanism of energy poverty alleviation driving HQD is tested. It is found that energy poverty alleviation can drive HQD by promoting urbanization and technological progress.

Chapter Ten - Alleviation path V: is the coal-to-gas/electricity policy a valid strategy for energy poverty alleviation?

This research investigated the association between financial inclusion, energy poverty alleviation, and economic development in South Asian countries and found significant connections. In order to make multilateral conclusions, we have created a panel of data for nations in South Asia and estimated not only the dynamic panel estimation but also the panel unit root, Kao (1999) estimates, and the ARDL tests for each country. A significant association between financial inclusion and economic development and poverty reduction is discovered by using dynamic panel estimates. Economic development has also been shown to have a favorable influence on energy poverty alleviation. According to the findings of the ARDL analysis, financial inclusion has a beneficial influence on economic development. Financial inclusion and economic growth have reciprocal causalities in energy poverty alleviation, as shown by the study's testing of this association. As a result, it is acceptable to infer that financial inclusion favors economic development and poverty reduction in South Asia. The study also suggests the policy implications for stakeholders.

Role of financial inclusion and natural resources for green economic recovery in developing economies

Agriculture is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (GHGEs) in Africa, a region highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Rising food demand and expanding cultivation are intensifying the challenge of balancing productivity with environmental sustainability. Although previous studies have examined aggregate CO₂ emissions in resource-dependent economies, limited attention has been given to agriculture-specific emissions and their interactions with renewable energy use, natural resource dependency, and technological innovation. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the determinants of agricultural CO₂ (ACO₂) emissions in 41 African countries from 1996 to 2023, using econometric methods including Fixed Effects (FE), Random Effects (RE), Panel Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE), and Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) together with seven machine learning models to assess both linear and nonlinear dynamics. The results indicate that renewable energy adoption reduces ACO₂ emissions, whereas reliance on natural resources and technological innovations under current practices increases emissions, raising concerns about rebound effects and unsustainable resource use. Causality analysis reveals reciprocal relationships between renewable energy, natural resources, and ACO₂ emissions, while technological innovations exert a unidirectional effect. Among the machine learning approaches tested, the Extra Trees model achieved the highest predictive accuracy. Feature importance analysis confirmed the role of renewable energy, natural resources, and technology in shaping emission outcomes. These findings provide critical policy guidance, emphasizing the need for low-carbon energy transitions, sustainable resource governance, and inclusive climate-smart technological strategies to advance resilient agricultural development in Africa.

Do the photovoltaic poverty alleviation programs alleviate local energy poverty? —Empirical evidence of 9 counties in rural China