The Impact of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energies on Environmental Quality in OECD Countries

This paper aims to explore the impact of energy efficiency and renewable energy strategies adoption in CO2 emissions of 36 OECD countries during the period 2000–2019. The system GMM estimations demonstrate that energy efficiency and renewable energy decrease emissions. As for renewables technics effects, results suggest that hydropower and wind energy reduce emissions, but their impact magnitude is different. However, solar energy has not statistically significant impact on emissions. Furthermore, fossil fuels deteriorate environmental quality. A robustness check estimate has been conducted to test the validity of our results by changing the sample of studied countries and periods. When modifying the composition of the studied sample, the magnitude of impact differs considerably. However, by changing the studied period, results are affected as regards their significance.