Clean energy, food, water and environment: Examining COP27 targets for China's economy

Abstract

AbstractCurrently, emerging as well as industrialized countries are transitioning toward adopting clean energy sources because of increased environmental calamities. Additionally, the rapid increase in population has improved global food production and demand. Nevertheless, the environmental consequences of food production and water investments have received limited attention from scholars. The present research investigates China's environmental determinants between 1988 and 2022. This study uses three parametric approaches (fully modified ordinary least squares [FMOLS], dynamic ordinary least squares [DOLS], and canonical cointegrating regression [CCR]) for the primary model assessment. However, this research also employed the least squares method with breaks and quantile regression to account for structural breaks and nonnormality issues. The predicted outcomes asserted that economic expansion and investment in water significantly improve the carbon emissions level in the country. However, enhanced food production and clean energy adoption improve environmental sustainability and the probability of achieving COP27 targets by reducing emissions. The outcomes are robust and reliable based on the given literature. Based on the outcomes, this research recommends improved investment in research and development, increased renewable energy production, and strong policies for decoupling economic growth from emissions via clean energy.