Decoupling economic and energy growth: aspiration or reality?
Open Access
- 8 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Environmental Research Letters
- Vol. 16 (4), 044017
- https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abe432
Abstract
Energy has long been a driving force of economic growth; however, it comes with environmental costs and security challenges. This study analyzes the energy–economy nexus and explores their decoupling possibilities by using cross-country data over the years 1971–2014. The results indicate that, while energy use and economic growth exhibit a typical inverted U-shaped decoupling relationship for the industrialized countries, they have been rising in tandem for the developing economies. Among factors, it is the economic scale, population size, and energy intensity that are the decisive factors. Among countries, it is the U.S., China, and India, which mainly dominate the global economy–energy trend. Overall, we conclude that any global economy–energy decoupling may confront challenges and uncertainty. To better decouple economic growth from energy use, we propose policies for more structural reforms, a clean energy system, improved energy efficiency, and efficient energy demand-side management.Funding Information
- National Statistical Research Program (2019LD09)
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (71622014)
This publication has 29 references indexed in Scilit:
- Future large hydropower dams impact global freshwater megafaunaScientific Reports, 2019
- Worldwide energy use across global supply chains: Decoupled from economic growth?Applied Energy, 2019
- The health and social implications of household air pollution and respiratory diseasesnpj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine, 2019
- Decoupling between human development and energy consumption within footprint accountsJournal of Cleaner Production, 2018
- Comparisons of decoupling trends of global economic growth and energy consumption between developed and developing countriesEnergy Policy, 2018
- The energy requirements of a developed worldEnergy for Sustainable Development, 2016
- The Demand for Energy-Using Assets among the World's Rising Middle ClassesAmerican Economic Review, 2016
- S-curve Model of Relationship Between Energy Consumption and Economic DevelopmentNatural Resources Research, 2014
- Global energy dilemmas: a geographical perspectiveThe Geographical Journal, 2010
- Economic growth, trade and energy: implications for the environmental Kuznets curveEcological Economics, 1998