Search

• Decoupling of GDP from all energy sources under multiple principles are examined. • World economy achieved weak energy decoupling in most years during 2000–2011. • World economy coupled with coal use and tended to couple with cleaner energy use. • None of studied economies achieved long-term GDP-embodied energy decoupling. • Decoupling delusions occurred when only considering direct and total energy use. Decoupling indicators are widely used to understand links between economic growth and energy use. However, traditional decoupling analyses mostly focus on domestic energy consumption (i.e., the production-based principle) and neglect off-site energy use across global supply chains to satisfy an economy's final consumption (i.e., the consumption-based principle). Moreover, analyses for total primary energy conceal an economy's preference for different energy sources. Therefore, this paper evaluates decoupling states of GDP from all types of primary energy use under consumption-based principle, for world economy and eight typical economies during 2000–2011. Regarding total primary energy, world economy witnessed weak decoupling in most years, and most economies studied (e.g., USA, Japan and China) achieved decoupling initially but performed negative decoupling finally. For EU, USA, Japan, Russia and India, production-based decoupling performances were generally better than consumption-based ones. Decoupling phenomena detected under production-based principle even became coupling or negative decoupling under consumption-based principle in some cases. As for each energy source, world economy decoupled from oil use, but still coupled with coal use, and gradually showed a trend to couple with natural gas and renewables use. Different energy sources showed distinct decoupling degrees from GDP, affected by individual embodied energy requirement structure. This paper uncovers potential energy decoupling delusions to deepen the understanding of relationships between energy use and economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the relationship among biomass energy consumption, economic growth and carbon emissions in West Africa during 1980–2010. This nexus was explored by integrating the pollution production function and energy demand function with an augmented endogenous growth model. Moreover, this paper employed a simultaneous equation model estimated with three stage least squares (3SLS). Analysis was conducted for individual West African countries and panel of the countries. The overall results show that a complete significant interactive relationship (feedback effects) exists among GDP, biomass consumption and carbon emission in five West Africa countries (Nigeria, Burkina Faso, The Gambia, Mali and Togo). There are partial significant links among the variables in the remaining West African countries. A complete significant nexus among the variables was also discovered for panel of the countries. Based on the results, some policy implications were drawn for West African countries. There is need to reduce the prevailing high energy intensity of output in West Africa through the adoption of energy-efficient technologies. It is also imperative to find clean energy alternatives (or complementary) to biomass use so as to reduce the resulting high carbon emissions which may hinder the attainment of high and sustainable growth in the nearest future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the effect of clean energy use on total-factor efficiencies under the simultaneous consideration of economic output, energy conservation, and emission reduction. The empirical findings on 87 countries during 2004–2010 show that clean energy consumption significantly increases the total-factor emissions reduction efficiency (TFCE), slightly improves the total-factor economic output efficiency (TFYE), and significantly decreases the total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE), with the influence coefficients respectively 0.00292, 0.00029, and −0.00213. On balance, the comprehensive effect of clean energy consumption on total-factor technical efficiency (TFTE) is 0.00028. European countries have higher comprehensive efficiency in economic growth, energy conservation, and emissions reduction. International cooperation is needed to facilitate technology transfer and reduce the gap in efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]