Energy Policy Development Research Articles

Policy responsiveness and media attention

The extent to which policies are genuinely responsive to public opinion is a key indicator of democratic performance. The media plays an agenda-setting role between the public and the legislators, serving as a mechanism through which policies can be responsive to the public. Existing literature has explored policy responsiveness, the media’s agenda-setting power, and how the media’s effect on the political agenda is contingent on socio-political contextual factors. However, the literature has yet to provide rigorous empirical evidence with chronological precision that policies do respond to media attention. This study examines the driving forces behind the responsiveness of energy development policies to media discourse with a novel methodological approach. Using a machine-learning approach, the author analyses thousands of state-level media reports and legislation featuring hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’) issues in 15 US states from 2007 to 2017. To model legislation’s responsiveness to media reports, the author identifies topic models for prevalent topics in news articles published in the period leading up to the proposal of a bill. Logistic regression models are estimated with political and socio-economic factors as the predictor variables and whether the bill targets prevalent topics in the news as the dependent variable. The findings suggest that state government ideology, legislators’ partisan affiliations, and unemployment rates predict state-level policy responsiveness to media attention on fracking issues. This study advances our understanding of policymaking’s democratic implications for unconventional energy development and highlights how policymakers can respond strategically to media attention.

Energy and Environmental Justice in China: Literature Review and Research Agenda

Energy and environmental justice (EEJ) is an interdisciplinary field of study that examines the social, economic, and political dimensions of energy and environmental transitions. Studying EEJ in China is crucial as the country accelerates its transition towards environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality, highlighting the need for the development of more equitable energy and environmental policies. This paper offers a comprehensive review of academic research on EEJ in the Chinese context. Our review indicates that Chinese EEJ scholarship has identified instances of injustice in China's energy and ecological transitions and highlighted specific characteristics, including regional disparities, urban-rural inequality, and the disproportionate impact on migrant populations. However, the tendency to apply Western justice principles (e.g., distributive, recognition, and procedural justice) undermines the appreciation of the diverse and contextual interpretations of justice-related research in China. Furthermore, there is a lack of critical justice research that explores the root causes of injustice in China. The review suggests that future research can advance theoretical development by conducting cross-cultural studies, while also adopting a more critical approach that foregrounds the role of power in reproducing injustice. This review is useful for those interested in researching the social justice dimensions of energy and ecological transitions in China.

Investigating the Causal Relationship between Renewable Energy Consumption and Life Expectancy in Turkey: A Toda-Yamamoto Causality Test

This study examines the causal relationship between renewable energy consumption and life expectancy in Turkiye using the Toda-Yamamoto causality test. By analyzing data from 1990 to 2019, the study explores the relationship between these variables. The results of the Toda-Yamamoto causality test indicate that there is no Granger causality relationship from renewable energy consumption to life expectancy, indicating that renewable energy consumption does not have a significant impact on life expectancy in Turkiye. However, the study found a Granger causality relationship from life expectancy to renewable energy consumption, suggesting that improving life expectancy could lead to an increase in renewable energy consumption in Turkiye. This study is significant as it provides insights into the relationship between renewable energy consumption and life expectancy in Turkiye. The results highlight the importance of considering factors other than renewable energy consumption when examining public health outcomes. The study's findings can inform policymakers in developing energy policies that prioritize public health outcomes and promote sustainable energy practices.

PROBLEMS AND TRENDS OF UKRAINE'S TRANSITION TO THE EU ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY SYSTEM

The article is devoted to the problems and trends of the transition to the ecological and energy system of the EU countries and Ukraine. It examines the essence and necessity of such a transition, as well as the transition levels at which countries are located and the corresponding energy clusters. The purpose of the scientific research is to analyse the levels of the energy transition of the countries of the European Union, to identify the problems and trends of their development, as well as to propose possible ways to further improve the energy policy of Ukraine in order to achieve environmental sustainability and energy security. The study found that the transition to an ecological and energy system is necessary to ensure sustainable development and reduce the impact on the environment. It is indicated that the EU countries are already making the ransition to a new energy system with low carbon emissions, and are also actively using renewable energy. At the same time, Ukraine is at the initial stage of transition and has significant potential for the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency. At the same time, the problem of such a transition was identified, namely, excessive overloading of electricity consumers with tax pressure, which leads to a low level of consumption per capita. In addition, clusters of countries that are at different levels of transition to an ecological and energy system were identified. These clusters take into account the level of development of renewable energy and energy efficiency. The definition of these clusters can help countries in the development and implementation of national energy policies.

Identifying building archetypes based on energy performance as the major criteria: a case of Jaipur, India

ABSTRACT The demand for energy in residential structures is set to outstrip the supply soon. Most studies rely on national databases or previously published datasets. It is crucial to approach this topic using a bottom-up methodology. Therefore, this research aims to analyse the energy consumption pattern of residential buildings in Jaipur by utilizing primary datasets. The present study takes Jaipur as a case study and proposes a way to define architectural archetypes in Indian towns based on their energy efficiency. The collection and analysis of 2,327 primary data samples included energy use statistics and socioeconomic information. This research applies multivariate analysis in a bottom-up manner to a primary database. The clustering method was utilized to determine the energy consumption of Indian families in Jaipur. Low- and middle-income families tend to purchase more appliances when their income increases, yet their energy usage does not increase proportionally. Therefore, residential building standards should not solely be based on per-square-foot energy consumption. This study can help develop energy policies, benchmark energy use, establish tariff structures, determine minimum levels for starting labelling programmes, and create incentive plans based on energy efficiency.

LATVIAN RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY IN THE CONTEXT OF EU INITIATIVES

Energy security and reduction of dependence on energy imports is a key issue on the EU's agenda in the context of today's global challenges. The resource potential of renewable energy expands the capabilities of EU member states to increase energy sustainability and attract additional investments to implement the green transformation of national economies. The EU has adopted a number of initiatives under Directive EU 2018/2001, REPowerEU, which are synchronized with "The European Green Deal". They are aimed at boosting the development of renewable energy. These EU initiatives and the need to increase energy security and sustainability make the development of renewable energy relevant for Latvia. The subject of the study is the content and features of Latvia's energy policy. The purpose of the scientific research is to study the key trends in the development of Latvia's renewable energy policy in the context of EU initiatives. Research methodology: systematic approach, methods of analysis and generalization. One of the key areas of the government's energy policy is the development of renewable energy. This is stated in the National Energy and Climate Plan 2021-2030 and the Sustainable Development Strategy until 2030. Key tasks include synchronising the efforts of the state, business, the public and stakeholders in developing energy security by increasing the use of energy from renewable sources, attracting investment in the energy sector to promote a green economic transformation, energy efficiency and creating a culture of responsible resource consumption. Latvia has identified key areas for the development of renewable energy in line with the content of its energy policy and relevant EU initiatives. Considerable attention is being paid to optimising the regulatory framework. The Green Channel online platform has been created to coordinate the efforts of the government and stakeholders in developing key sectors of the national economy, including renewable energy. The resource of cross-border cooperation is actively used in the implementation of projects for the construction of wind farms for the production of electricity and the necessary infrastructure for its supply to domestic and foreign consumers. The research phases of the Latvian-Estonian offshore wind project ELWIND and the construction of the Kurzeme wind farm with the assistance of the Swedish company Eolus and the German company PNE have been launched. Domestic stakeholders are interested in building solar parks and related infrastructure. Considerable attention is being paid to the digitalisation of the energy sector in order to optimise the management of the energy market and consumer services. Results of the study: the priority direction of Latvia's energy policy is the development of renewable energy in the context of increasing the level of energy security of the state and correlation with relevant EU initiatives; the national government promotes the optimisation of the content of the regulatory framework in the field of renewable energy, expands opportunities for cross-border cooperation and involves stakeholders' initiative in project implementation; measures are taken to digitalise the energy sector and create a culture of responsible energy consumption.

Prospects of GCC energy policy

The article presents an analysis of the energy sector of the Gulf Cooperation Council (hereinafter referred to as GCC) and examines some aspects of its development. The paper analyzes the role of energy in the economic systems of the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, identifies the features of the economic strategies of regional players in modern macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions. Some factors influencing the energy sector in the GCC countries are considered. Among them, financial and economic dependence on oil and gas revenues towards country budgets and the peculiarity of the demographic factor in the energy policy of GCC countries are noted. The article analyzes the role of renewable energy sources in the energy policy of the GCC countries within the framework of the strategic development programs of the states; systematizes various factors limiting the development of renewable energy in the Persian Gulf. The article concludes with the prospects for further development of energy policy in the region, taking into account modern challenges and trends.

Shaping the future of sustainable energy through AI-enabled circular economy policies

The energy sector is enduring a momentous transformation with new technological advancements and increasing demand leading to innovative pathways. Artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a critical driver of the change, offering new ways to optimize energy systems operations, control, automation, etc. Developing a competitive policy framework aligned with circular economy practices to adapt to the trends of the rapid revolution is crucial, shaping the future of energy and leading the sector in a sustainable, equitable, and impartial direction. This study aims to propose an AI-driven policy framework that aligns with the circular economy business model to address the transformation trend in the development of energy policies through a multidisciplinary approach. The study identifies key trends, various approaches, and evaluates the potential of AI in addressing the challenges. The AI-driven policy paradigm outlines a comprehensive framework and roadmap to harness the potential of AI through a forward-looking policy framework that considers the rapidly changing landscape and the essence of the circular economy. The proposed novel framework provides a roadmap for researchers, governments, and other stakeholders to navigate the future of energy and unlock the potential of AI for a sustainable energy future.

Global climate policy effectiveness: A panel data analysis

The global energy landscape is experiencing substantial transformations, and the energy policies of various countries are also evolving under the influence of economic development and climate change mitigation. The Policies and Measures Database of the International Energy Agency assembles over 7000 pieces of information on energy policy from around the world and classifies them into four categories based on their objectives: addressing climate change policy, renewable energy policy, energy efficiency policy, and building energy efficiency policy. This paper aims to analyze the status quo of global energy policy development from these four aspects and examine the effectiveness of both aggregate and individual instruments utilizing an econometric model based on panel data analysis. Moreover, this paper analyzes the energy policy paths of six leading countries and compares the effectiveness of their policies. The results revealed that global climate policy plays a significant role in reducing carbon emission, while the performance of policies varies among different countries. Based on these findings, this paper provides reference for policymakers to formulate energy policies aligned with global and domestic requirements.

A Theoretical Framework for a Local Energy Innovation System Based on the Renewable Energy Case of Poland

The aim of this research is to create a theoretical framework for a local energy innovation system based on renewable energy sources. For this purpose, four types of clusters were outlined based on energy-generation capacity and socio-economic factors such as “local wealth”, “relational capital”, “scientific and research capital” and “energy demand”. This classification revealed areas of Poland that have diverse features in terms of energy-generation capacity and innovation abilities. For each type of area, energy potentials combined with innovation abilities were established. To understand how areas with insufficient energy and innovation capacities could be supported in their development of local energy sovereignty, the concept of the regional innovation system has been adjusted. The results of the research can serve as an aid in the development of national and regional energy policies focused on the specificity and capacity of energy generation and innovation of each area.

The conflict between natural resource use and welfare supply — Natural resources is a bless or a curse?

The use of natural resources has brought economic prosperity and material wealth but also brought environmental pollution and conflict chaos. Similarly, the use of natural resources has a dual impact on the welfare supply of residents, and it is not only gifts but also curses. As an essential part of natural resources, the collection and consumption of natural energy are directly related to the welfare supply of residents. Therefore, this paper constructs a multi-dimensional energy poverty index based on energy availability, cleanliness, and infrastructure to characterize the use of natural energy. The index shows that China's energy poverty index declined gradually from 2008 to 2018, and natural resource use efficiency has risen. The average value of the Dagum Gini coefficient is 0.1609, which indicates that energy development among regions in China is relatively fair. The panel regression model shows that energy poverty has a positive effect on the happiness of residents, which can also be interpreted as a negative effect of natural resource use on welfare supply In terms of mediating effects, air pollution has a masking impact on the path of energy poverty affecting residents' happiness, with the more severe energy poverty being associated with less air pollution, thus enhancing residents' happiness. This study will help China formulate future natural energy development policies to use energy more efficiently, reduce environmental pollution and improve residents' well-being.

Dynamic linkages between tourism, economic growth, trade, energy demand and carbon emission: evidence from EU

At the heart of the post-COP26 era and the European Green deal lies the underlying goals in Europe targeting climate neutrality and zero pollution through tourism developments and promotion of economic well-being of regions. This study empirically investigates the dynamic linkages among tourism developments and emission while controlling for the influence of economic growth, trade, energy demand under the framework of Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PARDL) using the top 12 tourist countries in the EU from 1995 to 2018. The findings are as follows: First, the study found that trade openness negatively influences emissions. Second, economic growth, tourism, and energy use positively and significantly influence emissions. Third, energy demand positively and significantly influences economic growth and tourism development in the short and long run. The study recommends additional tourism and energy development policies along with structures that rapidly drive economic activities to turn carbon-intensive economies into green economies.

Methods for assessing social impacts of policies in relation to absolute boundaries

There is an urgent need for designing truly sustainable policies supporting transformational change, and consequently for integrated tools to avoid burden shifting from different dimensions of sustainability. The Safe and Just Operating Space concept holds potential to support sustainable design of policies and decision making, using both the planetary boundaries framework and key social dimensions on an absolute perspective. Yet there is a lack of associated quantitative social assessment approaches. A new methodology is developed to evaluate the social sustainability of a policy against absolute boundaries. First, the methodology quantifies the state of a system, in 15 social dimensions defined systematically. Second, it estimates the social impacts of a new policy and observes if it will contribute to reduce the social shortfall. A geothermal energy development policy in Uganda is taken as an illustrative example for proof-of-concept. In the metrics of the Social Foundation of the Just Operating Space, the implementation of the policy would substantially improve the social performance of Energy and Health. Conclusively, this methodology holds potential to help early-phase policy design that do not unintentionally shift burdens between social dimensions, albeit further work remains to test the methodology and apply it in absolute integrated assessments.

China's renewable energy and energy efficiency policies toward carbon neutrality: A systematic cross-sectoral review

The ambitious targets of peaking CO2 emissions before 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality before 2060 (Goal 3060) have emerged as the driving force in the development of China's low-carbon energy policy. Adopting a systematic review approach, this article provides a timely analysis of key Chinese renewable energy and energy efficiency policies under Goal 3060 across five sectors: electricity, industry, transportation, buildings, and local governments. In addition, the review identifies challenges to be addressed and offers policy recommendations. There are five main conclusions: (1) expedite the development of market-based and network-based governance systems; (2) pursue the harmonization of policies by avoiding contradiction and fragmentation; (3) develop new policies, especially in the building and transportation sectors; (4) embrace surveillance technologies to improve implementation and compliance; and (5) ensure just transition by implementing policy to reduce the negative socioeconomic impacts on fossil fuels-based communities and workers. This review serves as a useful guide for scholars interested in China's clean and low-carbon energy transition.

Specifics of Public Administration in Countries With a Developed Energy Sector: The Case Study

Countries with a large energy sector are faced with the issues of forming and developing a state energy policy that takes into account not only sectoral and intersectoral aspects, but also the components of managing significant amounts of rental income. In this regard, any of these economic systems, on the one hand, has great opportunities associated with the management of energy resources as a factor of development, on the other hand, it is constantly at risk of destabilization of the economic system as a whole. To date, the economic history allows us to speak about the accumulation of a sufficient number of observations for conducting a comprehensive study of the features of the development of public energy policies. The study is based on the formalization of historical descriptions of the experience of 24 countries (30 cases). The article describes in detail the experience of 13 of the most striking cases. This made it possible to identify 14 variables for evaluating the state energy policy, while outlining three areas (areas of attention) of public administration. The choice of variables used in the model was made on the basis of the relative frequencies of the mechanism application for the observed population, MNRW-TF recommendations within the improving extractive industry, the formation of the contribution of resource industries to the socio-economic development of the country and etc. Further cluster analysis led to the identification of both a pronounced polarity in the development of the state energy policy and options for combining its areas.JEL Classifications: C82, Q43, Q48, P51, O57, O11.

Energy Security of the European Union in the Context of Russian Aggression against Ukraine

Over the past decades, Russia has used the supply, ownership and control of energy resources as an instrument of its foreign policy to strengthen its political influence not only in the post-Soviet space, but also in the EU member states. During the unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine, Moscow used energy policy as an energy weapon (demanding to pay for gas in rubles; stopping gas supplies to certain EU member states, including Poland, Bulgaria, and Finland; reducing the volume of supplies through the Nord Stream pipeline; ignoring the capacities of the Ukrainian GTS; provoking an increase in gas prices), which resulted in an acute energy crisis in the European Union. This prompted the EU and national governments of its member states to make significant adjustments to their energy policies in order to overcome the crisis and prevent gas blackmail by European states as a manipulation to circumvent anti-Russian sanctions and political pressure to withdraw support for Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to study the problems of ensuring the energy security of the European Union and its member states in the context of the energy crisis caused by Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The article is aimed at studying the impact of Russian aggression on the EU's energy security, assessing the state of the Energy Union in 2022, and analyzing short-term and long-term strategies in the development of relevant supranational and national energy policies, mainly from a European perspective. Modern European national and supranational energy and climate strategies envisage postponing the phase-out of coal, oil, gas and nuclear power, while accelerating the deployment of renewable energy, improving energy efficiency and a mandatory commitment to increase energy storage. The European Union and its member states are overcoming the consequences of the energy crisis by developing and implementing national strategies, the REPowerEU plan, as well as a number of other measures to reduce energy prices and ensure security of supply. The REPowerEU plan is fully in line with the European Green Deal and includes measures to save energy, diversify and ensure security of supply, accelerate the deployment of renewable energy sources and a reasonable mix of investment and reform. The modernization of the EU's energy policy is aligned with the EU's long-term climate goals. The EU also supports new partnerships with neighboring countries, including Ukraine, to accelerate the global transition to green and fair energy.

How urban development affects green development efficiency in China: Taking the city cluster of Yangtze river economic belt as an example

Introduction: In order to change the long-term economic development model which is at the expense of the environment, China proposed a series of new energy development and environmental intervention policies. However, there is no evidence to support the impact of urban development on the green development efficiency (GDE) under China’s macroeconomic policies at present. In order to answer this research question and help the government to improve the GDE, this study takes the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) city cluster (41 cities) in China as an example to conduct an empirical study.Methods: We first measure the GDE of these cities by Slack Based Model (SBM). Then, the Tobit model is used to measure the impact of urban development elements, namely population urbanization, land urbanization, and urban industrial development, on GDE.Results and Discussion: The analysis of the data leads to the following conclusions and suggestions: 1) The GDE of the city cluster in the YREB has generally been improved driven by policies. But compared to policy interventions, the level of science, technology and management are the primary drivers of long-term improvement in GDE. 2) In order to avoid the economic development and environmental capacity failure to afford the increase in energy consumption and pollution discharge caused by population urbanization and land urbanization, local governments need to promote energy transformation, increase environmental protection efforts and attract top-tier talent. 3) The improvement of GDE by industrial upgrading is a dynamic and slow process, and blindly pushing industrial restructuring will lead to a decline in GDE. Therefore, the Chinese government needs to provide an ecologically suitable environment for local industrial development, which needs to avoid “pulling out the seedlings” and “one-size-fits-all” approach.

Investigation of relationship between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and human activities in urban soils of China using machine learning methods

Clarifying the impact of human activities on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil can provide a scientific basis to reduce PAHs pollution and formulate control measures to manage soil PAHs pollution, which are important to reduce global warming and support China's implementation of carbon neutrality goals. Here, we characterize the PAHs in 1055 samples of urban soil collected in China from 2000 to 2020. The total concentration of PAHs ranged from 2.75 to 38,865 ng g−1. PAHs concentrations in the Yangtze River Delta (YangtzeD) and Pearl River Delta exhibited an inverted U-shaped curve over time, and PAHs concentrations in Beijing have decreased. Air pollution prevention policies and vehicle emission standards in these regions reduced PAHs in the soil. We measured PAHs in soils of 18 major cities in YangtzeD, representing a typical area. Total concentration of PAHs was 3.88–2153 ng g−1 in YangtzeD, with 40.5%, 36.3%, and 23.2% of PAHs coming from industry and transportation, coal combustion, and biomass combustion, respectively by Positive matrix factorization (PMF) model. To explore how human activities affect the PAH concentrations, we screened three machine learning models and selected SHapley Additive explanation-extreme gradient boosting (XGB-SHAP) as the best model. The results of XGB-SHAP (R2 = 0.64) show that the main human activities affecting PAHs were carbon emissions, population size, and economic development (MAS = 709.1) and industrial waste gas emissions (MAS = 577.1), and these were positively correlated with PAHs. Therefore, effective ways to reduce PAHs may largely rely on industrial co-control. With the prevention and control of air pollution, clean energy, and green and low-carbon development policies constantly being implemented, PAH concentrations will continue to be reduced in the future.

Energy Security: New Threats and Solutions

The article presents the conceptual features of energy security management under a radically changed context, increasing crisis phenomena, and threats of various natures. The authors substantiate the claim that energy security is a complex category, which expresses the ability of the fuel and energy complex of the region to supply the required amount and range of energy resources to the domestic market at stable and reasonable prices; to promptly mitigate unexpected fluctuations in demand for fuel and energy resources; and to ensure uninterrupted energy supply and energy carrier parameters in real time. Based on an analysis of scientific publications and practical energy security models, the authors developed theoretical provisions, methodological principles, and management tools for energy security that meet modern requirements. In particular, the authors developed the terminological apparatus and identified the types and forms of modern energy threats and risks. The authors analyzed the impact of structural shifts in the electric power industry on the cost of electricity. The authors proposed a set of measures to neutralize negative scenarios in the field of energy security, which had appeared because of geopolitical factors, structural changes in the economy, and high volatility in energy prices. In addition, the authors considered the impact of the transition to low-carbon energy production on energy security, and developed the organizational and technical concept of the energy transition, which aimed to provide energy systems and individual energy facilities with properties of self-protection from emerging threats. The results of the study are of practical interest in the development of regional energy policy, plans, and specific actions that aim to ensure energy security in a turbulent global environment.

The role of institutional quality, renewable energy development and trade openness in green finance: Empirical evidence from South Asian countries

By considering the significant role economic growth has played in environmental function between 1990 and 2019, this paper examines the relationships between renewable energy development, trade openness, and institutional quality in the development of green finance in South Asian countries. The effectiveness of institutions and trade transparency are factors in green finance. We use a panel data model to ascertain the cointegration among the variables. The study employs the OLS fixed pool method along with a quantile regression to assess the model and reveal that, although growth in renewable energy development and trade openness worsen the ecological environment, institutional quality and the use of renewable energy promotes green finance development. The findings indicate that trade openness and institutional quality have a positive link with green financing. Institutional quality drives the use of renewable energy, whereas gross domestic product (GDP) drives the environmental impact. In light of these findings, policymakers can put in place beneficial policies for renewable energy development as an economic instrument to minimize ecological footprints and enhance green finance development.