Energy Policy Development Research Articles

China’s Energy Demand Forecasting Based on the Hybrid PSO-LSSVR Model

Forecasting energy demand accurately is the basis for the formulation and implementation of energy planning. In this paper, energy demand influencing factors are mainly decomposed into scale economy effect, population size effect, energy structure effect, and residential consumption effect based on the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI). Then, the Cointegration and Granger Causality tests are used to discover the influencing factors of energy demand in China. On this basis, a hybrid optimization algorithm, the least-squares support-vector regression optimized by particle swarm optimization (PSO-LSSVR), is proposed to forecast the energy demand of China. Then, three scenarios are set up to analyze the further development of drive factors of energy demand. Finally, in accordance with the forecasting results, some suggestions related to China’s energy development policy are given. The main results are as follows. First, gross domestic product (GDP), the total population at the end of the year (POP), the coal consumption ratio in energy (CCR), and residential consumption levels (RCLs) are dominant indicators of energy demand in China. Second, the improved PSO-LSSVR model has significant superiority than other models in energy demand forecasting, a complex and nonlinear system with small samples. Third, China’s energy demand will peak in 2022, which is 4.9 million tce in all scenarios.

Does Energy Community Membership Change Sustainable Attitudes and Behavioral Patterns? Empirical Evidence from Community Wind Energy in Germany

Community energy is seen as a helping hand for local, decentralized energy transition. Besides the main goal of supporting the community-friendly and socially acceptable development of renewable energies, the hope is also that a pro-environmental influence on sustainability behavior will be triggered when joining a community energy project. An analysis of a survey among 16 community energy projects in Germany, with 565 completed questionnaires, shows that a certain part of the members pays more attention to their energy behavior and develop a more positive attitude towards a decentralized energy transition and citizen participation after joining the community energy project. Therefore, we can empirically support that climate protection projects, such as community energy, influence pro-environmental attitudes and behavior, but this does not apply equally to all population groups. Members with higher income and stronger interest in returns are less likely to change their behavior. Based on these findings, we recommend the development of community energy policies that are more responsive to differences in social structure and address both privileged and underprivileged groups in a sophisticated way using specific offers and modes of involvement within the associations.

Fiscal decentralization as new determinant of renewable energy demand in China: The role of income inequality and urbanization

This paper examines the nexus between fiscal decentralization and renewable energy demand by including income inequality, economic growth, urbanization, and economic globalization as the main determinants in the energy demand function for the case of China. Quarterly frequency data for the period 1980–2018 are used for empirical analysis. Our empirical results show fiscal decentralization positively impacts the demand for renewable energy; in other words, fiscal decentralization can help increase renewable energy demand. In addition, income inequality is negatively linked to renewable energy consumption, while economic growth is positively associated with renewable energy demand. Urbanization and economic globalization add to renewable energy consumption. This study presents Chinese authorities with new guidelines for using fiscal decentralization as an economic tool to formulate effective energy policies for long-term development of the use of renewable energy sources.

Using Machine Learning to Identify the Potential Marginal Land Suitable for Giant Silvergrass (Miscanthus × giganteus)

Developing biomass energy, seen as the most important renewable energy, is becoming a prospective solution in attempting to deal with the world’s sustainability-related challenges, such as climate change, energy crisis, and carbon emission reduction. As one of the most promising second-generation energy crops, giant silvergrass (Miscanthus × giganteus) is highly valued for its high potential for biomass production and low maintenance requirements. Mapping the potential global distribution of marginal land suitable for giant silvergrass is an essential prerequisite for the development of giant silvergrass-based biomass energy. In this study, a boosting regression tree was used to identify the marginal land resources for giant silvergrass cultivation using influencing factors, which include climate conditions, soil conditions, topography conditions, and land use. The results indicate that there are 3068.25 million hectares of land resources worldwide suitable for giant silvergrass cultivation, which are mainly located in Africa (902.05 million hectares), Asia (620.32 million hectares), South America (547.60 million hectares), and North America (529.26 million hectares). Among them, countries with the most land resources, Russia and Brazil, have the first- and second-highest amounts of suitable marginal land for giant silvergrass, with areas of 373.35 and 332.37 million hectares, respectively. Our results also rank the involved factors by their contribution. Climatic conditions have the greatest influence on the spatial distribution of giant silvergrass, with an average contribution of 74.38%, followed by land use, with a contribution of 17.38%. The contribution of the soil conditions is 7.26%. The results of this study provide instructive support for future biomass energy policy development.

Application of geographical information system and agent-based modeling to estimate particle-gaseous pollutant emissions and transportation cost of woody biomass supply chain

Wood based bioenergy industry is growing rapidly due to climate change, challenging environmental and economic conditions, progress in energy conversion, and development of renewable energy policies. In this regard, an important challenge is employing woody biomass effectively and considering the lower environmental emissions, transportation, and emissions cost of the supply chain and activities needed to convert biomass into a valued energy source. Geographical scale, distribution, and the type of transportation of waste wood cause considerable challenges to meet the economic and environmental sustainability of the woody biomass supply chain (BSC). This study aims to develop an integrated Geographical Information System and Agent-based simulation modeling tool to fill this knowledge gap by investigating the particle-gaseous pollutant emissions and transportation cost of woody BSC. The two main forms of land freight, train and truck, with three sizes of capacity (light, medium, and heavy) are considered for the study. Scenario analysis is conducted to measure the particle-gaseous pollutantemissions and transportation costs of woody BSC. The developed model is tested through a case study in Victoria, Australia. Results showed that a combination of truck and train transport with increasing size and capacity of container leads to a reduction of around 60% gaseous pollutantemissions. Using 80% train transportation mode by suppliers would reduce emissions cost by 58%. Using rail transport emitted higher particulate emissions, and trucks with higher capacity reduced the particulate emissions by 55%. Results also depict that the higher capacity of containers leads to a decrease of at least 50% emissions cost. Harvesting and collection include 50% of total production costs. Finally, the sensitivity analysis results revealed that the factors with the highest impact on the overall transportation and emission costs of woody BSC are those in relation to transport network (i.e., type, capacity, and distance).Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Australian Government and biomass industry stockholders may apply these results to define and develop plans and policies to contribute towards delivering net zero emissions by 2050. The model proposed in this study can be generalized and adapted to biofuel or other renewable energy supply chains worldwide.

Unconventional energy resources: a system dynamics evaluation of social, environment and economic aspects

This study substantiates the usefulness of a systemic approach to investigate the multi-dimensional challenges regarding environmental, economic, and social impacts facing the sustainable development of unconventional energy resources, particularly oil sands (OS) in Canada. This research uses the system dynamics (SD) methodology to examine the impact of shocks in oil demand using real and theoretical scenarios. This was done by identifying leading indicators critical to OS resource development to capture sustainable development effects. The study identifies the contribution of OS resources in Canada to global sustainable development and has developed a model structure that captures the critical parameters associated with the economic-dynamics, socio-dynamics, and enviro-dynamics for the next 30 years. It also includes the impact of sudden oil supply and demand shocks and presents various recovery scenarios. The results from these scenarios indicate that it may take up to 25 years for the industry to return to its pre-shock trajectory, even assuming a rapid recovery. As such, the study proposes an adaptive model to assist sustainable energy development policies and decision-making. Accordingly, the approach can be helpful for academicians, policymakers, and practitioners for objective decision-making regarding sustainable development. Meanwhile, it provides cogent and valuable information for natural resource governance.

METHODS OF DETERMINATION OF PRODUCT ENERGY INTENSITY ON THE EXAMPLE OF A POULTRY FARM

The article highlights the issues of energy management in order to monitor energy consumption, aimed at achieving high performance of the enterprise in market conditions by increasing energy efficiency. An important detail of the energy management system (EnMS) are measures to save energy resources and establish basic levels of energy consumption at different stages of the enterprise: monitoring energy consumption and product energy capacity, analysis of existing indicators, energy policy development and planning current and future measures aimed at high economic efficiency. activities of the enterprise. The authors of the article developed a method for determining the energy intensity of products for a particular enterprise, which can be extended to any poultry farm and reflects the following: norms of electricity and heat consumption per unit of production, as well as electricity and fuel consumption rates These indicators are the basic levels that need to be taken into account when calculating the energy efficiency of the entire enterprise, which will better assess the savings from energy efficiency measures. These indicators are benchmarks for assessing the current state of the enterprise and for future periods, taking into account changes in production volumes, the introduction of new technological processes, the implementation of energy saving measures and more. Energy intensity of products is an indicator used to assess the energy efficiency of poultry farms during energy audits under the auspices of international financial organizations, which allows the company to enter international markets and thus improve the efficiency of economic activity. The calculation of energy intensity of products was carried out on the example of the factory of PJSC "Agrofirma Berezanska poultry farm" located in Berezan, Baryshiv district, Kyiv region. The company produces eggs, poultry and egg powder. The following indicators of energy intensity of production are calculated: norms of consumption of electricity, heat and cold for the production of eggs, meat and egg powder; rate of fuel and electricity consumption for heat supply by heat generators, boiler room and mini-boiler rooms; rate of electricity consumption for cold production. These indicators are indicators of energy efficiency of the enterprise, which are developed taking into account the technical characteristics of the equipment, its operating time, climatic conditions, etc. These indicators will be used to assess the energy efficiency of technological and ancillary equipment in the future, as well as the boiler company that releases thermal energy.

АНАЛІЗ ВПРОВАДЖЕННЯ ВІДНОВЛЮВАНИХ ДЖЕРЕЛ ЕНЕРГІЇ В КРАЇНАХ ЄС

The article confirms that it is necessary to assess the current state of the energy sector and develop future directions in the EU energy sector. The purpose of the article is to develop theoretical, methodological provisions and practical recommendations for the introduction of renewable energy sources in the EU countries. The analysis of the structure and volume of energy production from renewable energy sources in the EU countries was carried out. Cluster analysis based on k-means and Ward methods was used. Eight model variables (energy sources) are analyzed: hydro, hydrothermal, wind, solar, solid primary biofuels, biogas, renewable utility costs, liquid biofuels. Based on the results of this analysis, it was determined that the optimal number of clusters accepted for calculations in the k-means method is four. Dispersion analysis showed that wind energy played the largest role in identifying the EU countries in individual clusters. The value of the F-statistic for this variable is the largest and is 149.33. The second most important distribution criterion was the energy obtained from biogases (statistical value F=117.72). Geothermal energy, for which the F-statistic was only 2.37, was the least important source for identifying EU countries based on the adopted criterion. An improved methodology for assessing the composition of energy production from renewable energy sources allows you to take into account additional factors in the development and implementation of new climate strategies, taking into account the diversity of the energy market in the EU. It is determined that the results of the study can be used for the development of a common energy and climate policy of the EU countries. The use of taxonomic methods to analyze the structure and volume of energy production from RES in individual EU countries with new relative perspectives, that take into account the specifics of these countries provides an analytical basis for making effective management decisions. The results certainly confirm the assessment of the current state of renewable energy in the EU and are a source of new knowledge which can be used to improve the state of the environment.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN CHINA, THE EU AND THE UNITED STATES IN THE FIELD OF ENERGY AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (2000 - 2016)

The energy policy of the EU, China and the USA during 2000–2016 before the presidency of Donald Trump was analysed in the article. The common feature of the energy policy is its focus on strengthening integration processes to create a common energy policy, single market and sustainable development of countries. The EU’s energy policy is based on the priorities related to a guaranteed and secure supply of gas, oil and electricity. The author proposes six priority areas for cooperation: the formation of a single energy market, security of supply, diversification of energy resources, climate change issue, development of new technologies and formation of a common foreign policy as well as approaches to energy. In our opinion China adheres to the similar policy of reducing energy consumption and harmful emissions while increasing the share of «green energy», but it goes along with some differences, namely, China will continue to build nuclear power plants (NPP) and will not abandon coal-fired power plants (CFPP) for at least the next 20 years. Today, the European Union is one of China’s most important partners. In view of the above, the article also considers the process of trade and economic cooperation between the two parties. This study also presents the cooperation of American and Chinese companies in the energy sector, which differentiated the views of American analysts on the future of the relations between China and the USA. «Pessimists» believe that it is difficult for superpowers to coexist when their interests clash with vital natura l resources. According to them, it is almost impossible to avoid a future confrontation between China and the USA. «Optimists» are sure that the huge Chinese market is so vital to the American economy that the USA is interested in the Chinese economy to grow steadily, providing new opportunities for potential American investors.

Policies and laws in the application of renewable energy Indonesia: A reviews

<abstract> <p>Renewable energy is a global energy system that is very important in nature and humans' harmonious and conducive development. Considerable attention from the government towards renewable energy is due to the increasing energy demand. The impact of the current energy shortage has also resulted in damage to the environment. The current legal framework for accelerating the development of renewable energy has made a considerable contribution but is still not in favor of investors. Thus, the integration of renewable energy into the national energy system is still far from being expected, so the cooperation between the government and industrial development must be further enhanced. The specific aim of this work is to adopt various practices and policies towards the development of renewable energy from several developing countries. A critical review of this work will discuss policies and legislation on renewable energy policies especially under-operation, fragmentation, and obsolescence. Policies in favor of renewable energy developers are also presented in this paper. This paper as a whole investigates various renewable energy development policies from developing countries to be adopted in ensuring the availability of energy security in the future.</p> </abstract>

Regional planning of distributed energy

The Polish economy is facing a huge challenge regarding the future of the energy sector in Poland. The current energy system is very inefficient, absorbs huge resources that, like countries with high energy efficiency, could be spent on the development of low-emission networks and renewable energy sources. The coal-based system from several large centrally controlled power plants that distribute electricity throughout the country is very expensive and highly unreliable. The solution may be distributed energy, which can ultimately satisfy energy supplies in less urbanized areas and in rural areas, while ensuring the sustainable development of areas. Distributed energy spread across the economy is the main guarantor of market mechanisms of shaping energy security. The aim of the study is to build a mathematical model of distributed energy, as well as to propose to regional authorities the desired direction of energy policy development in the analyzed periods and to offer a model for creating energy policy in other local government units: poviats, communes. So far, few authors have dealt with this issue comprehensively. So far, there have been no detailed studies on the issues of distributed energy development and the use of mathematical methods in building an energy production model in local government units. The undertaken research contributes to the development of knowledge about distributed energy.

International Norms, Policy Transfers and Energy Transition: Implications for Taiwan’s Development

The development of renewable energy policies in Taiwan has been thoroughly discussed from political, economic, social, industrial and environmental perspectives. Energy policies, particularly those adopted by the United Nations (UN) and other international organizations, have influenced both (1) the decision-making process of energy policies such as action plans, programs and (2) the transition to renewable energies. This paper argues that the transfer of global environmental and energy policies serves as the mechanism behind Taiwan’s efforts to expand renewable energy production. These global policies have so far been practiced by international organizations through agreements designed to combat climate change, achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs), and reduce fossil fuel subsidies. This paper examines renewable energy policies and legislation in Taiwan through the lens of policy transfers, an area which has not been fully explored in previous research.

Evaluation of Solar Energy using Multi-Objective Optimization on the Basis of Ratio Analysis (MOORA) Method

Solar energy has grown tremendously in recent years. The result is cost reduction and Renewable energy development and Government policies favoring the use of both are due to technological improvements as a result. This study focuses on solar energy development and the technology of deployment, economic and policy aspects. This is more typical than the cost of energy technologies. Other renewable as with energy technologies, many countries offer tax concessions and exemptions, tariffs, and preferential interest rates, renewable portfolio standards and including voluntary tattoo energy schemes From financial and regulatory incentives Advantages of solar energy. Emerging carbon credit markets to harness solar energy is expected to provide additional benefits; However, Provided by current carbon market instruments of the Kyoto Protocol, etc. such as clean development mechanism the amount of incentives is low. Based on Method MOORA is some are commonly Used to solve material selection problems. The reference point approach Efficiency and Full Multiplicity MOORA Method are tested for perceived problems. To understand all three methods Very simple, are easy to implement and are give almost perfect rankings for material alternatives. The dimensionless ratios of the MOORA method avoid these objective normalization difficulties with all different units. In the first part of MOORA, These ratios are aggregated; second, they are a reference point used as distances. Results of the two parts control each other. It is a test of strength. In addition, MOORA multi-objective optimization shows strong dominance over all other methods. The Department of Facilities in Lithuania, Both parts of MOORA resulted in comparable rankings. The alternatives are Total Renewable power, Hydropower, Biopower, Geothermal, Solar PV, Concentrating solar thermal, and Wind power capacity. The evaluation Parameter is the years 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. The end result of solar energy is hydropower first grade and wind energy efficiency seventh grade.

Effects of crude oil prices on copper and maize prices

This study explains the effects of crude oil prices on copper and maize prices. Vector autoregressive and vector error correction models are used to study the relationship between oil prices and prices of copper and maize. The commodity price data used consist of average monthly prices of each of the commodities: crude oil, copper and maize for the months January 1982 to June 2021. For robustness, the analysis was also run on a sample of the same data for the period January 2000 to June 2021. A long-run relationship was found between crude oil and copper prices on the one hand and maize prices on the other for the 1982 to 2021 period at the 5% significance level. The same was not true for the shorter sample (2000 to 2021). Granger causality flowing from crude oil prices alone to copper and maize prices was not found. Recommendations that are useful for energy, mining, agriculture and general development policy and practice are made. The findings are also useful for bilateral and multilateral aid discussions. The limitations of the study and recommendations for future scholarship are also made.

Developing a legal framework for energy storage technologies in the U.S: The case of pumped underground storage hydro

The Energy Act of 2020 authorizes $1 billion over five years from 2021 to 2025 to support energy storage development in the United States. In addition, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) Orders 841 and 2222 opened the wholesale energy markets for distributed energy resources, including energy storage. The statute and orders pave the way for novel energy storage technologies to participate in electricity markets as the qualifying facilities, thereby expanding opportunities for energy storage development. However, the existing policy, legal, and regulatory regime, including these much-welcomed newcomers, fails to recognize and support the entire spectrum of benefits that some forms of energy storage create. In this paper, we focus on Pumped Underground Storage Hydro (PUSH), a variant of pumped hydro storage (PHS), which currently provides over 90% of the world's energy storage capacity. PUSH operates with the same principle as PHS; however, it is an entirely underground variant of PHS. In addition to becoming competitive in the wholesale electricity market, PUSH facilities can be developed as community infrastructure in the postindustrial landscape, particularly in abandoned underground mines. Given federal energy law and policy development, this paper identifies how communities with abandoned mines, technically feasible for PUSH facilities and operating as municipal-owned utilities or cooperatives, can participate and take advantage of federal legislation. We further look into the implications through the lens of technical, economic, and social aspects of energy justice. We consider energy justice as a conceptual framework that seeks to explain the occurrence of injustice within energy system decisions and outcomes and how policymakers can respond to these injustices. We use it as a conceptual tool for understanding policy formulation and detailing the energy system's missing ethical and justice dimension. We argue that as a technically mature technology, PUSH facilities can act as a potential means to speed up the energy transition in the United States. The federal and state law along with utility market structures are vital in shaping the potential opportunities and barriers for energy storage facilities like PUSH. We show that although it supports PUSH development, there are gaps in the current market structure, specifically in the regulatory framework, when seen through the lens of justice and valuation of just energy services. These gaps limit the realization of utility-scale energy storage technology's potential to fully contribute to a decarbonized energy system that is more resilient and more just than the incumbent system.

Environmental effect of biodiesel mandatory policy

One major biofuel in Indonesia is biodiesel with palm oil constituting the predominant raw material. Over recent years, biodiesel has become the most rapidly developing and influential aspect for economic. Biodiesel mandatory policies aim to reduce import of diesel from fossil fuels, buffer for CPO price, reduce emissions and balancing supply demand of palm oil. The biodiesel policy is supported by the CPO fund mechanism managed by BPDPKS to overcome the price gap of diesel and biodiesel which is affected by volatile price of CPO and fossil fuels. About 8 million ton (5%) CPO production in Indonesia is allocated for biodiesel production to supply domestic and overseas markets. In the long term, palm oil-based biodiesel will become the focus of renewable energy development policy in Indonesia. National energy policy direction ensures an optimum energy mix, with renewables targeted to contribute up 31% of the energy mix by 2050. These are optimistic targets that hope to be achieved over various constraints, such as issues of land for feedstock, gap price between biodiesel prices and diesel fuels, dependence on imported technologies and equipment, and low market demand for biodiesel, particularly in sectors with no government intervention. There is a general assumption that biodiesel or bioenergy already fall in line with sustainability principles as they are sourced from the agriculture sector. The study aims to examine the impact of biodiesel development to economic and environment, also to review several challenges facing by biodiesel development in Indonesia.

The crucial role of complementarity, transparency and adaptability for designing energy policies for sustainable development

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement have ushered in a new era of policymaking to deliver on the formulated goals. Energy policies are key to ensuring universal access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy (SDG7). Yet they can also have considerable impact on other goals. To successfully achieve multiple goals concurrently, policies need to balance different objectives and manage their interactions. Refining previously contemplated design principles, we identify three key principles - complementary, transparency and adaptability - as highly pertinent for multiple-objective energy policies based on a synthesis of seventeen coordinated policy case studies. First, policies should entail complementary measures and design provisions that specifically target non-energy objectives (complementarity). Second, policy impacts should be tracked comprehensively in both energy and non-energy domains to uncover diminishing returns and facilitate policy learning (transparency). Third, policies should be capable of adapting to changing objectives over time (adaptability). These principles are rarely considered in current policies, implying the need to mainstream them into the next generation of policymaking by pointing to best practices and new tools.

The influence of government support, organizational innovativeness and community participation in renewable energy project success: A case of Pakistan

With increasing worldwide energy demand, many energy-related issues are growing, including global warming, energy sustainability, and environmental pollution. These challenges force nations to actively endorse renewable energy development policies. As a result, numerous renewable energy projects are executed around the globe, which are confronting various hurdles, causing failure for many of the current projects. This study, therefore, aims to suggest that community participation in planning and decision-making is an imperative mediator through which government support (GS) and organizational innovativeness (OI) can positively affect renewable project success. Data was collected through a survey from 650 respondents of the renewable energy projects in Pakistan, and hypotheses were proved by employing structural equation modeling (SEM). The findings show that GS and OI have a significant positive impact on the CP and project success. Moreover, CP was realized to partially mediates these relationships. It is expected that the findings present guidelines for the government authorities so that they endeavor and make better policies for involving the community as a mediator in project planning and decision making for renewable energy projects.

Improving women's energy access, rights and equitable sustainable development: a Ghanaian perspective

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate the challenges in improving women's energy access, rights and equitable sustainable development from a Ghanaian perspective.Design/methodology/approachThe research utilizes a mixed method. A qualitative in-depth exploratory design was chosen to understand how gender is mainstreamed within Ghana's energy sector. This included semi-structured interviews with key managers, experience policy experts and focus groups. The semi-structured interviews were analyzed using thematic content analysis (TCA).FindingsThe study reveals that the National Energy Policy of 2010, as the main energy policy regulating the energy sector in Ghana, does make provision for gender equality, safety especially women, in line with Ghana's sustainable development goals. The energy policy aims to empower women and create gender parity in the sector. Nevertheless, the study also found major challenges to gender mainstreaming in the energy sector, including poor analysis in formulating energy policies, inadequate financial resources, and poor monitoring and evaluation.Originality/valueThe paper exposes gender equity challenges associated with the energy sector in Ghana. It also offers a new policy angle which connects gender mainstreaming to sustainable development. The research describes how women are included in developing energy policies and in addressing gender challenges in the energy sector.

Econometrics of the environmental Kuznets curve in the face of climate change and sustainability in Zambia

The main aim of this paper was to test and examine the existence of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis using time-series data (1990–2020). Deforestation was used as a dependent variable signifying environmental degradation. Energy consumption, economic growth, population growth, and trade openness were used as independent variables. The objectives were threefold: to understand the nexus between the independent variables and deforestation; inform policy responses on forestry management and energy development while contributing to the environmental sustainability literature. Designed with several significant tests, the analytical toolkit was drawn from two methodological embodiments - the Autoregressive Distributed Lag bounds test to cointegration, and the Vector Error Correlation Model–Granger causality test. Results suggest cointegration among the variables, both in the short, and long-run time horizons. In the short run, findings reveal ceteris-paribus effects. A unit rise in energy consumption increases the deforestation rate on average ceteris-paribus of 1.5 units. Similarly, a 1% rise in economic growth resulted in 3.5% rise on average ceteris-paribus in the deforestation variable while trade openness resulted in a 5% rise in deforestation. In the long run, a unit rise in energy consumption increased the deforestation rate by 2.2 units, while a 1% rise in economic growth increased the deforestation rate by 2.2%. A 1% rise in population and trade was associated with a 12% and 19% increase in the deforestation variable respectively. We conclude that the EKC hypothesis does not exist in Zambia currently. However, to the policy makers and environmental professionals, these findings suggest a more comprehensive and robust response in energy development and sustainable forest management policies.