Energy Transition, Economic Resilience and Environmental Sustainability: Beyond the Traditional Energy - Growth Nexus
Abstract
Energy has long been associated with economic growth, industrial expansion and rising living standards. Yet the current transition toward low-carbon systems has made this relationship far less straightforward than earlier literature often assumed. Over the last few years, climate objectives, geopolitical instability and energy-market volatility have exposed how deeply energy systems are intertwined with inflation, industrial competitiveness and broader economic stability. In this context, the traditional energy–growth nexus no longer appears sufficient to explain the complexity of contemporary energy transitions.
This paper develops a structured review of the literature on renewable energy, nuclear power, environmental sustainability and energy resilience. Rather than analysing these dimensions separately, the study brings them together within a broader framework linking energy structure, macroeconomic performance and transition stability. The review shows that decarbonization is not unfolding through a simple replacement of fossil fuels with cleaner technologies. Instead, it is emerging as an uneven and highly country-specific process shaped by infrastructure constraints, policy choices, market design and external shocks. The findings also suggest that renewable energy alone may not guarantee stable transitions unless accompanied by flexible systems, storage capacity and diversified energy mixes. In this perspective, nuclear energy and renewable gases increasingly appear as complementary instruments capable of supporting both environmental objectives and long-term economic resilience.
References
Acemoglu, D., Aghion, P., Bursztyn, L., & Hémous, D. (2012). The environment and directed technical change. American Economic Review, 102(1), 131–166. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.102.1.131
Acheampong, A. O. (2018). Economic growth, energy consumption, and CO₂ emissions: What causes what and where? Energy Economics, 74, 677–692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2018.07.022
Achinas, S., & Euverink, G. J. W. (2020). Rambling facets of manure-based biogas production in Europe: A briefing. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 119, 109566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109566
Adolfsen, J. F., Minesso, M. F., Mork, J. E., & Van Robays, I. (2024). Gas price shocks and euro area inflation. Journal of International Money and Finance, 149, 103183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jimonfin.2024.103183
Aghion, P., Dechezleprêtre, A., Hémous, D., Martin, R., & Van Reenen, J. (2016). Carbon taxes, path dependency, and directed technical change: Evidence from the auto industry. Journal of Political Economy, 124(1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.1086/684581
Åhman, M. (2010). Biomethane in the transport sector - An appraisal of the forgotten option. Energy Policy, 38(1), 208–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.09.007
Al-Mulali, U., Fereidouni, H. G., Lee, J. Y. M., & Sab, C. N. B. C. (2013). Examining the bi-directional long run relationship between renewable energy consumption and GDP growth. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 22, 209–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.02.005
Al-Mulali, U., Ozturk, I., & Lean, H. H. (2015). The influence of economic growth, urbanization, trade openness, financial development, and renewable energy on pollution in Europe. Natural Hazards, 79, 621–644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-1865-9
Ang, B. W., Choong, W. L., & Ng, T. S. (2015). Energy security: Definitions, dimensions and indexes. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 42, 1077–1093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.10.064
Ang, J. B. (2007). CO₂ emissions, energy consumption, and output in France. Energy Policy, 35(10), 4772–4778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2007.03.032
Apergis, N., & Payne, J. E. (2010). Renewable energy consumption and economic growth: Evidence from a panel of OECD countries. Energy Policy, 38(1), 656–660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.09.002
Apergis, N., & Payne, J. E. (2014). Renewable energy, output, CO₂ emissions, and fossil fuel prices in Central America: Evidence from a nonlinear panel smooth transition vector error correction model. Energy Economics, 42, 226–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2014.01.003
Bachmann, R., Baqaee, D., Bayer, C., Kuhn, M., Löschel, A., Moll, B., Peichl, A., Pittel, K., & Schularick, M. (2022). What if? The economic effects for Germany of a stop of energy imports from Russia. EconPol Forum, 23(3), 29–33.
Balsalobre-Lorente, D., Shahbaz, M., Roubaud, D., & Farhani, S. (2018). How economic growth, renewable electricity and natural resources contribute to CO₂ emissions? Energy Policy, 113, 356–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.10.050
Baumeister, C., & Kilian, L. (2016). Forty years of oil price fluctuations: Why the price of oil may still surprise us. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(1), 139–160. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.30.1.139
Bhattacharya, M., Paramati, S. R., Ozturk, I., & Bhattacharya, S. (2016). The effect of renewable energy consumption on economic growth: Evidence from top 38 countries. Applied Energy, 162, 733–741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.10.104
Bloom, N. (2009). The impact of uncertainty shocks. Econometrica, 77(3), 623–685. https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA6248
Börjesson, P., & Berglund, M. (2006). Environmental systems analysis of biogas systems - Part I: Fuel-cycle emissions. Biomass and Bioenergy, 30(5), 469–485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2005.11.014
Charfeddine, L., & Mrabet, Z. (2017). The impact of economic development and social-political factors on ecological footprint: A panel data analysis for 15 MENA countries. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 76, 138–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.03.031
Cherp, A., & Jewell, J. (2014). The concept of energy security: Beyond the four As. Energy Policy, 75, 415–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.09.005
Copeland, B. R., & Taylor, M. S. (2004). Trade, growth, and the environment. Journal of Economic Literature, 42(1), 7–71. https://doi.org/10.1257/002205104773558047
Davis, L. W., & Hausman, C. (2016). Market impacts of a nuclear power plant closure. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 8(2), 92–122. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20140473
Dechezleprêtre, A., & Sato, M. (2017). The impacts of environmental regulations on competitiveness. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 11(2), 183–206. https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rex013
Destek, M. A., & Aslan, A. (2017). Renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth in emerging economies: Evidence from bootstrap panel causality. Renewable Energy, 111, 757–763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.05.008
Dinda, S. (2004). Environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis: A survey. Ecological Economics, 49(4), 431–455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.02.011
Dogan, E. (2015). The relationship between economic growth and electricity consumption from renewable and non-renewable sources: A study of Turkey. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 52, 534–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.07.130
Dogan, E., & Seker, F. (2016). Determinants of CO₂ emissions in the European Union: The role of renewable and non-renewable energy. Renewable Energy, 94, 429–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2016.03.078
Dogan, E., & Turkekul, B. (2016). CO₂ emissions, real output, energy consumption, trade, urbanization and financial development: Testing the EKC hypothesis for the USA. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23, 1203–1213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5323-8
Dong, K., Hochman, G., Zhang, Y., Sun, R., Li, H., & Liao, H. (2018). CO₂ emissions, economic growth, and the environmental Kuznets curve in China: What roles can nuclear energy and renewable energy play? Journal of Cleaner Production, 196, 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.271
European Central Bank. (2024). Economic Bulletin, Issue 6/2024. European Central Bank.
European Commission. (2024). Energy prices and costs in Europe. European Commission.
Grossman, G. M., & Krueger, A. B. (1991). Environmental impacts of a North American Free Trade Agreement. NBER Working Paper No. 3914. https://doi.org/10.3386/w3914
Grossman, G. M., & Krueger, A. B. (1995). Economic growth and the environment. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 110(2), 353–377. https://doi.org/10.2307/2118443
Hamilton, J. D. (1983). Oil and the macroeconomy since World War II. Journal of Political Economy, 91(2), 228–248. https://doi.org/10.1086/261140
Hamilton, J. D. (2009). Causes and consequences of the oil shock of 2007–08. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 40(1), 215–283. https://doi.org/10.1353/eca.0.0047
Hirth, L. (2013). The market value of variable renewables. Energy Economics, 38, 218–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2013.02.004
Inglesi-Lotz, R. (2016). The impact of renewable energy consumption to economic growth: A panel data application. Energy Economics, 53, 58–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2015.01.003
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Climate change 2022: Mitigation of climate change. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157926
International Energy Agency. (2023). World energy outlook 2023. IEA.
Johansson, B. (2013). Security aspects of future renewable energy systems. Energy, 61, 598–605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2013.09.023
Joskow, P. L. (2011). Comparing the costs of intermittent and dispatchable electricity generating technologies. American Economic Review, 101(3), 238–241. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.101.3.238
Joskow, P. L. (2022). From hierarchies to markets and partially back again in electricity. Journal of Institutional Economics, 18(2), 313–329. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744137421000400
Kilian, L. (2008). The economic effects of energy price shocks. Journal of Economic Literature, 46(4), 871–909. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.46.4.871
Kilian, L. (2009). Not all oil price shocks are alike: Disentangling demand and supply shocks in the crude oil market. American Economic Review, 99(3), 1053–1069. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.99.3.1053
Magazzino, C., Mele, M., & Morelli, G. (2021a). The relationship between renewable energy and economic growth in a time of COVID-19: A machine learning experiment on the Brazilian economy. Sustainability, 13(3), 1285. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031285
Magazzino, C., Mele, M., & Morelli, G. (2021b). Nature and climate change effects on economic growth: An LSTM experiment on renewable energy resources. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 41119–41134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13337-3
Magazzino, C., Mele, M., Schneider, N., & Vallet, G. (2020). The relationship between nuclear energy consumption and economic growth: Evidence from Switzerland. Environmental Research Letters, 15(9), 0940a5. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abadcd
Marques, A. C., & Fuinhas, J. A. (2012). Are public policies towards renewables successful? Evidence from European countries. Renewable Energy, 44, 109–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2012.01.007
Marques, A. C., Fuinhas, J. A., & Pires Manso, J. R. (2010). Motivations driving renewable energy in European countries: A panel data approach. Energy Policy, 38(11), 6877–6885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.07.003
Mele, M. (2026). Biomethane in transport as a driver of economic growth and energy resilience: Evidence from Italy. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 9(1), 23–44. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.090102
Mele, M., Gurrieri, A. R., Morelli, G., & Magazzino, C. (2021). Nature and climate change effects on economic growth: An LSTM experiment on renewable energy resources. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 41119–41134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13337-3
Menegaki, A. N. (2011). Growth and renewable energy in Europe: A random effect model with evidence for neutrality hypothesis. Energy Economics, 33(2), 257–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2010.10.004
Menyah, K., & Wolde-Rufael, Y. (2010). CO₂ emissions, nuclear energy, renewable energy and economic growth in the US. Energy Policy, 38(6), 2911–2915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.01.024
Murphy, J. D., & Power, N. (2009). Technical and economic analysis of biogas production in Ireland utilising three different crop rotations. Applied Energy, 86(1), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2008.03.015
Narayan, P. K., & Smyth, R. (2008). Energy consumption and real GDP in G7 countries: New evidence from panel cointegration with structural breaks. Energy Economics, 30(5), 2331–2341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2007.10.006
Nathaniel, S. P., & Bekun, F. V. (2020). Environmental management amidst energy use, urbanization, trade openness, and deforestation: The Nigerian experience. Journal of Public Affairs, 20(2), e2037. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2037
Newbery, D., Pollitt, M. G., Reiner, D. M., & Ritz, R. A. (2018). Market design for a high-renewables European electricity system. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 91, 695–707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.04.025
Ozturk, I. (2010). A literature survey on energy-growth nexus. Energy Policy, 38(1), 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.09.024
Panayotou, T. (1993). Empirical tests and policy analysis of environmental degradation at different stages of economic development. International Labour Organization.
Patrizio, P., Leduc, S., Chinese, D., Dotzauer, E., & Kraxner, F. (2015). Biomethane as transport fuel—A comparison with other biogas utilization pathways in northern Italy. Applied Energy, 157, 25–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.07.074
Payne, J. E. (2010). A survey of the electricity consumption-growth literature. Applied Energy, 87(3), 723–731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2009.06.034
Pindyck, R. S. (2013). Climate change policy: What do the models tell us? Journal of Economic Literature, 51(3), 860–872. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.51.3.860
Popp, D., Newell, R. G., & Jaffe, A. B. (2010). Energy, the environment, and technological change. In Handbook of the Economics of Innovation (Vol. 2, pp. 873–937). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7218(10)02005-8
Sadorsky, P. (2009). Renewable energy consumption and income in emerging economies. Energy Policy, 37(10), 4021–4028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.05.003
Scarlat, N., Dallemand, J.-F., Monforti-Ferrario, F., & Nita, V. (2015). The role of biomass and bioenergy in a future bioeconomy: Policies and facts. Environmental Development, 15, 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2015.03.006
Schneider, M., & Froggatt, A. (2022). The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2022.
Sepulveda, N. A., Jenkins, J. D., de Sisternes, F. J., & Lester, R. K. (2018). The role of firm low-carbon electricity resources in deep decarbonization of power generation. Joule, 2(11), 2403–2420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.08.006
Shafik, N., & Bandyopadhyay, S. (1992). Economic growth and environmental quality: Time-series and cross-country evidence. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 904.
Shahbaz, M., Zakaria, M., Shahzad, S. J. H., & Mahalik, M. K. (2018). The energy consumption and economic growth nexus in top ten energy-consuming countries: Fresh evidence from using the quantile-on-quantile approach. Energy Economics, 71, 282–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2018.02.023
Sovacool, B. K. (2008). Valuing the greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear power: A critical survey. Energy Policy, 36(8), 2950–2963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2008.04.017
Soytas, U., & Sari, R. (2009). Energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon emissions: Challenges faced by an EU candidate member. Ecological Economics, 68(6), 1667–1675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.06.014
Stern, D. I. (2000). A multivariate cointegration analysis of the role of energy in the US macroeconomy. Energy Economics, 22(2), 267–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-9883(99)00028-6
Stern, D. I. (2004). The rise and fall of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. World Development, 32(8), 1419–1439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2004.03.004
Tugcu, C. T., Ozturk, I., & Aslan, A. (2012). Renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth relationship revisited: Evidence from G7 countries. Energy Economics, 34(6), 1942–1950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2012.08.021
Winzer, C. (2012). Conceptualizing energy security. Energy Policy, 46, 36–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.067
Yergin, D. (2006). Ensuring energy security. Foreign Affairs, 85(2), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.2307/20031912
Acheampong, A. O. (2018). Economic growth, energy consumption, and CO₂ emissions: What causes what and where? Energy Economics, 74, 677–692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2018.07.022
Achinas, S., & Euverink, G. J. W. (2020). Rambling facets of manure-based biogas production in Europe: A briefing. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 119, 109566. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2019.109566
Adolfsen, J. F., Minesso, M. F., Mork, J. E., & Van Robays, I. (2024). Gas price shocks and euro area inflation. Journal of International Money and Finance, 149, 103183. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jimonfin.2024.103183
Aghion, P., Dechezleprêtre, A., Hémous, D., Martin, R., & Van Reenen, J. (2016). Carbon taxes, path dependency, and directed technical change: Evidence from the auto industry. Journal of Political Economy, 124(1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.1086/684581
Åhman, M. (2010). Biomethane in the transport sector - An appraisal of the forgotten option. Energy Policy, 38(1), 208–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.09.007
Al-Mulali, U., Fereidouni, H. G., Lee, J. Y. M., & Sab, C. N. B. C. (2013). Examining the bi-directional long run relationship between renewable energy consumption and GDP growth. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 22, 209–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2013.02.005
Al-Mulali, U., Ozturk, I., & Lean, H. H. (2015). The influence of economic growth, urbanization, trade openness, financial development, and renewable energy on pollution in Europe. Natural Hazards, 79, 621–644. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-015-1865-9
Ang, B. W., Choong, W. L., & Ng, T. S. (2015). Energy security: Definitions, dimensions and indexes. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 42, 1077–1093. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2014.10.064
Ang, J. B. (2007). CO₂ emissions, energy consumption, and output in France. Energy Policy, 35(10), 4772–4778. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2007.03.032
Apergis, N., & Payne, J. E. (2010). Renewable energy consumption and economic growth: Evidence from a panel of OECD countries. Energy Policy, 38(1), 656–660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.09.002
Apergis, N., & Payne, J. E. (2014). Renewable energy, output, CO₂ emissions, and fossil fuel prices in Central America: Evidence from a nonlinear panel smooth transition vector error correction model. Energy Economics, 42, 226–232. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2014.01.003
Bachmann, R., Baqaee, D., Bayer, C., Kuhn, M., Löschel, A., Moll, B., Peichl, A., Pittel, K., & Schularick, M. (2022). What if? The economic effects for Germany of a stop of energy imports from Russia. EconPol Forum, 23(3), 29–33.
Balsalobre-Lorente, D., Shahbaz, M., Roubaud, D., & Farhani, S. (2018). How economic growth, renewable electricity and natural resources contribute to CO₂ emissions? Energy Policy, 113, 356–367. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2017.10.050
Baumeister, C., & Kilian, L. (2016). Forty years of oil price fluctuations: Why the price of oil may still surprise us. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 30(1), 139–160. https://doi.org/10.1257/jep.30.1.139
Bhattacharya, M., Paramati, S. R., Ozturk, I., & Bhattacharya, S. (2016). The effect of renewable energy consumption on economic growth: Evidence from top 38 countries. Applied Energy, 162, 733–741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.10.104
Bloom, N. (2009). The impact of uncertainty shocks. Econometrica, 77(3), 623–685. https://doi.org/10.3982/ECTA6248
Börjesson, P., & Berglund, M. (2006). Environmental systems analysis of biogas systems - Part I: Fuel-cycle emissions. Biomass and Bioenergy, 30(5), 469–485. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2005.11.014
Charfeddine, L., & Mrabet, Z. (2017). The impact of economic development and social-political factors on ecological footprint: A panel data analysis for 15 MENA countries. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 76, 138–154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2017.03.031
Cherp, A., & Jewell, J. (2014). The concept of energy security: Beyond the four As. Energy Policy, 75, 415–421. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.09.005
Copeland, B. R., & Taylor, M. S. (2004). Trade, growth, and the environment. Journal of Economic Literature, 42(1), 7–71. https://doi.org/10.1257/002205104773558047
Davis, L. W., & Hausman, C. (2016). Market impacts of a nuclear power plant closure. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 8(2), 92–122. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.20140473
Dechezleprêtre, A., & Sato, M. (2017). The impacts of environmental regulations on competitiveness. Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, 11(2), 183–206. https://doi.org/10.1093/reep/rex013
Destek, M. A., & Aslan, A. (2017). Renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth in emerging economies: Evidence from bootstrap panel causality. Renewable Energy, 111, 757–763. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2017.05.008
Dinda, S. (2004). Environmental Kuznets curve hypothesis: A survey. Ecological Economics, 49(4), 431–455. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.02.011
Dogan, E. (2015). The relationship between economic growth and electricity consumption from renewable and non-renewable sources: A study of Turkey. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 52, 534–546. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2015.07.130
Dogan, E., & Seker, F. (2016). Determinants of CO₂ emissions in the European Union: The role of renewable and non-renewable energy. Renewable Energy, 94, 429–439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2016.03.078
Dogan, E., & Turkekul, B. (2016). CO₂ emissions, real output, energy consumption, trade, urbanization and financial development: Testing the EKC hypothesis for the USA. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 23, 1203–1213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-5323-8
Dong, K., Hochman, G., Zhang, Y., Sun, R., Li, H., & Liao, H. (2018). CO₂ emissions, economic growth, and the environmental Kuznets curve in China: What roles can nuclear energy and renewable energy play? Journal of Cleaner Production, 196, 51–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.271
European Central Bank. (2024). Economic Bulletin, Issue 6/2024. European Central Bank.
European Commission. (2024). Energy prices and costs in Europe. European Commission.
Grossman, G. M., & Krueger, A. B. (1991). Environmental impacts of a North American Free Trade Agreement. NBER Working Paper No. 3914. https://doi.org/10.3386/w3914
Grossman, G. M., & Krueger, A. B. (1995). Economic growth and the environment. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 110(2), 353–377. https://doi.org/10.2307/2118443
Hamilton, J. D. (1983). Oil and the macroeconomy since World War II. Journal of Political Economy, 91(2), 228–248. https://doi.org/10.1086/261140
Hamilton, J. D. (2009). Causes and consequences of the oil shock of 2007–08. Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, 40(1), 215–283. https://doi.org/10.1353/eca.0.0047
Hirth, L. (2013). The market value of variable renewables. Energy Economics, 38, 218–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2013.02.004
Inglesi-Lotz, R. (2016). The impact of renewable energy consumption to economic growth: A panel data application. Energy Economics, 53, 58–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2015.01.003
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. (2022). Climate change 2022: Mitigation of climate change. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009157926
International Energy Agency. (2023). World energy outlook 2023. IEA.
Johansson, B. (2013). Security aspects of future renewable energy systems. Energy, 61, 598–605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.energy.2013.09.023
Joskow, P. L. (2011). Comparing the costs of intermittent and dispatchable electricity generating technologies. American Economic Review, 101(3), 238–241. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.101.3.238
Joskow, P. L. (2022). From hierarchies to markets and partially back again in electricity. Journal of Institutional Economics, 18(2), 313–329. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1744137421000400
Kilian, L. (2008). The economic effects of energy price shocks. Journal of Economic Literature, 46(4), 871–909. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.46.4.871
Kilian, L. (2009). Not all oil price shocks are alike: Disentangling demand and supply shocks in the crude oil market. American Economic Review, 99(3), 1053–1069. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.99.3.1053
Magazzino, C., Mele, M., & Morelli, G. (2021a). The relationship between renewable energy and economic growth in a time of COVID-19: A machine learning experiment on the Brazilian economy. Sustainability, 13(3), 1285. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13031285
Magazzino, C., Mele, M., & Morelli, G. (2021b). Nature and climate change effects on economic growth: An LSTM experiment on renewable energy resources. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 41119–41134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13337-3
Magazzino, C., Mele, M., Schneider, N., & Vallet, G. (2020). The relationship between nuclear energy consumption and economic growth: Evidence from Switzerland. Environmental Research Letters, 15(9), 0940a5. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/abadcd
Marques, A. C., & Fuinhas, J. A. (2012). Are public policies towards renewables successful? Evidence from European countries. Renewable Energy, 44, 109–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2012.01.007
Marques, A. C., Fuinhas, J. A., & Pires Manso, J. R. (2010). Motivations driving renewable energy in European countries: A panel data approach. Energy Policy, 38(11), 6877–6885. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.07.003
Mele, M. (2026). Biomethane in transport as a driver of economic growth and energy resilience: Evidence from Italy. Grassroots Journal of Natural Resources, 9(1), 23–44. https://doi.org/10.33002/nr2581.6853.090102
Mele, M., Gurrieri, A. R., Morelli, G., & Magazzino, C. (2021). Nature and climate change effects on economic growth: An LSTM experiment on renewable energy resources. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 41119–41134. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-13337-3
Menegaki, A. N. (2011). Growth and renewable energy in Europe: A random effect model with evidence for neutrality hypothesis. Energy Economics, 33(2), 257–263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2010.10.004
Menyah, K., & Wolde-Rufael, Y. (2010). CO₂ emissions, nuclear energy, renewable energy and economic growth in the US. Energy Policy, 38(6), 2911–2915. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.01.024
Murphy, J. D., & Power, N. (2009). Technical and economic analysis of biogas production in Ireland utilising three different crop rotations. Applied Energy, 86(1), 25–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2008.03.015
Narayan, P. K., & Smyth, R. (2008). Energy consumption and real GDP in G7 countries: New evidence from panel cointegration with structural breaks. Energy Economics, 30(5), 2331–2341. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2007.10.006
Nathaniel, S. P., & Bekun, F. V. (2020). Environmental management amidst energy use, urbanization, trade openness, and deforestation: The Nigerian experience. Journal of Public Affairs, 20(2), e2037. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2037
Newbery, D., Pollitt, M. G., Reiner, D. M., & Ritz, R. A. (2018). Market design for a high-renewables European electricity system. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 91, 695–707. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2018.04.025
Ozturk, I. (2010). A literature survey on energy-growth nexus. Energy Policy, 38(1), 340–349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.09.024
Panayotou, T. (1993). Empirical tests and policy analysis of environmental degradation at different stages of economic development. International Labour Organization.
Patrizio, P., Leduc, S., Chinese, D., Dotzauer, E., & Kraxner, F. (2015). Biomethane as transport fuel—A comparison with other biogas utilization pathways in northern Italy. Applied Energy, 157, 25–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.07.074
Payne, J. E. (2010). A survey of the electricity consumption-growth literature. Applied Energy, 87(3), 723–731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2009.06.034
Pindyck, R. S. (2013). Climate change policy: What do the models tell us? Journal of Economic Literature, 51(3), 860–872. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.51.3.860
Popp, D., Newell, R. G., & Jaffe, A. B. (2010). Energy, the environment, and technological change. In Handbook of the Economics of Innovation (Vol. 2, pp. 873–937). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-7218(10)02005-8
Sadorsky, P. (2009). Renewable energy consumption and income in emerging economies. Energy Policy, 37(10), 4021–4028. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2009.05.003
Scarlat, N., Dallemand, J.-F., Monforti-Ferrario, F., & Nita, V. (2015). The role of biomass and bioenergy in a future bioeconomy: Policies and facts. Environmental Development, 15, 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2015.03.006
Schneider, M., & Froggatt, A. (2022). The World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2022.
Sepulveda, N. A., Jenkins, J. D., de Sisternes, F. J., & Lester, R. K. (2018). The role of firm low-carbon electricity resources in deep decarbonization of power generation. Joule, 2(11), 2403–2420. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2018.08.006
Shafik, N., & Bandyopadhyay, S. (1992). Economic growth and environmental quality: Time-series and cross-country evidence. World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 904.
Shahbaz, M., Zakaria, M., Shahzad, S. J. H., & Mahalik, M. K. (2018). The energy consumption and economic growth nexus in top ten energy-consuming countries: Fresh evidence from using the quantile-on-quantile approach. Energy Economics, 71, 282–301. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2018.02.023
Sovacool, B. K. (2008). Valuing the greenhouse gas emissions from nuclear power: A critical survey. Energy Policy, 36(8), 2950–2963. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2008.04.017
Soytas, U., & Sari, R. (2009). Energy consumption, economic growth, and carbon emissions: Challenges faced by an EU candidate member. Ecological Economics, 68(6), 1667–1675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.06.014
Stern, D. I. (2000). A multivariate cointegration analysis of the role of energy in the US macroeconomy. Energy Economics, 22(2), 267–283. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-9883(99)00028-6
Stern, D. I. (2004). The rise and fall of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. World Development, 32(8), 1419–1439. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2004.03.004
Tugcu, C. T., Ozturk, I., & Aslan, A. (2012). Renewable and non-renewable energy consumption and economic growth relationship revisited: Evidence from G7 countries. Energy Economics, 34(6), 1942–1950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2012.08.021
Winzer, C. (2012). Conceptualizing energy security. Energy Policy, 46, 36–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2012.02.067
Yergin, D. (2006). Ensuring energy security. Foreign Affairs, 85(2), 69–82. https://doi.org/10.2307/20031912
Published
2026-05-29
How to Cite
MELE, Marco.
Energy Transition, Economic Resilience and Environmental Sustainability: Beyond the Traditional Energy - Growth Nexus.
Journal of Environmental Management and Tourism, [S.l.], v. 17, n. 2, p. 181 - 199, may 2026.
ISSN 2068-7729.
Available at: <https://journals.aserspublishing.eu/jemt/article/view/9491>. Date accessed: 16 june 2026.
doi: https://doi.org/10.14505/jemt.v17.2(82).07.
Section
Article
Copyright© 2025 The Author(s). Published by ASERS Publishing 2025. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of CC-BY 4.0 license.