Renewable and non-renewable energy-growth-emissions linkages: Review of emerging trends with policy implications

This study is an extension of the previous studies which focused mainly on energy-growth nexus but fails to consider the carbon emission implication of this relationship. The methodology of the study permits a comprehensive and comparative analysis of existing studies on (renewable and non-renewable) energy-growth-emission nexus in order to draw some implications for policy and research. The survey revealed the extent of the spread of studies across issues, time and geographical space (countries and regions). It also disclosed the range of methodological approaches adopted to analyse the issues over time and the frequency of their use. It unravelled the varied findings across countries and regions given the diverse methods employed and specific features of the economies analysed. Arising from the literature survey, this study highlights the existing gaps in the literature and new direction for policy and research. The general policy implication of the findings of this study is that pollution effect of energy-growth nexus should be taken into consideration in policy formulation for sustainable development. Further, the design of regional and global policies should recognise the fact that energy-growth-emission linkages varied across countries even in the same region. Some new direction for research on renewable and non-renewable energy-growth-emission linkages pointed out in this survey includes the following. Future research on energy-growth nexus without considering the pollution impact may not contribute so much to the literature. Studies should investigate the substitution/complementary effects of the energy varieties on growth-emission nexus, while new methodological contributions are imperative.