Analyzing the impact of resource productivity, energy productivity, and renewable energy consumption on environmental quality in EU countries: The moderating role of productivity

One of the requirements for guaranteeing environmental sustainability is lowering the proportion of nonrenewable energy in energy consumption and raising the balance of renewable energy. Factors like resource productivity, renewable energy consumption, and energy productivity are necessary to mitigate environmental deterioration. However, there has yet to be much research done in the current literature on the impact that resource productivity, energy productivity, and renewable energy consumption play in reducing environmental deterioration. This study aims to reach Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 12, which address a clean environment. For this purpose, the impact of resource efficiency, energy efficiency, and renewable energy on environmental quality was investigated for selected EU countries, namely the Czech Republic, Greece, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Malta, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Cyprus, Netherlands, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Croatia, and Poland. This research also assesses the results of achieving carbon neutrality by 2030, a goal set at the UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP-26), and the European Union ' s carbon zero objectives by 2050. The present study's data spans from 2000 to 2019. Two distinct estimators (CCEMG and AMG) were used to estimate long-run coefficients. When the panel is analyzed as a whole, economic growth reducesthe load capacity factor (LCF), according to both estimators. Only for Luxembourg does economic growth result in a rise in LCF, per findings by the nations. The study makes the following points: (i) Using renewable energy raises LCF in Malta and Spain. Energy productivity boosts LCF in the Czech Republic, Austria, and Poland. (iii) In Cyprus and Poland, resource productivity increases LCF. Ultimately, the paper discusses the policy ramifications for preserving a sustainable ecosystem.