How institutional quality, and energy production sources, affect the environmental sustainability of bri countries: A comparison of different income groups

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 18; no. 9; p. e0291144
• Main Authors: Sheng, Weiyan, Meng, Fei, Akbar, Muhammad Waqas
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: San Francisco Public Library of Science 12-09-2023; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Air quality management; Alternative energy sources; Biology and Life Sciences; Carbon dioxide; Carbon dioxide emissions; Clean energy; Climate change; Coal; Comparative analysis; Developing countries; Development projects; Ecology and Environmental Sciences; Economic aspects; Emissions; Energy industry; Energy management systems; Energy policy; Engineering and Technology; Environmental aspects; Environmental impact; Environmental policy; Environmental protection; Global temperature changes; Green energy; Green market; Green technology; Income; Institutions; International aspects; LDCs; Panel data; Physical Sciences; Pollution; Pollution sources; Production; Renewable energy; Renewable energy sources; Social Sciences; Statistical analysis; Statistical methods; Sustainability; Sustainable development; South America; Asia; Africa; China
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0291144

Institutions and energy production sources shape environmental policies and practices. Institutions establish frameworks for renewable energy and enforce environmental protection measures. Conventional energy sources cause pollution and climate change, while green energy sources have lower environmental impacts. In this study we analyzed how quality institutions, along with different types of energy production sources affect the quality of environment in 101 countries that are part of the BRI, a global development project. We used a statistical method called panel quantile regression to analyze data from 2000 to 2020. We found that producing energy from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, reduces CO.sub.2 emissions by 0.003% in BRI countries. However, producing energy from non-renewable sources, such as gas and coal, harms the environment more in high-income and middle-income countries. We also found that having better institutional quality reduces CO.sub.2 emissions by 3.421%, 2.710%, and 0.006% in different groups of BRI countries. This means that having stronger and fairer institutions can help protect the environment by limiting the use of non-renewable energy sources and encouraging the use of renewable ones. Our study suggests that improving institutional quality is a key factor for achieving green energy and environmental sustainability in BRI countries.