Exploring the nexus between natural resource depletion, renewable energy use, and environmental degradation in sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This study explores the nexus between natural resource depletion, renewable energy use, and environmental degradation in 48 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries from the period 2000 to 2020 using generalized panel quantile regression. The findings show that, at 90 th quantiles the magnitude of natural resource depletion is positive and stronger associated with environmental degradation in SSA. This is probably attributed by countries with higher natural resource depletion such as Congo Republic (37.10%), Equatorial Guinea (27.60%), Angola (21.14%), Gabon (12.84%), Chad (12.19%), Burundi (8.92%), Uganda (6.16%), and Congo Democratic (5.24%). Furthermore, at lower quantiles (30 th and 10 th ), natural resource depletion negatively affects environmental degradation in SSA. This might be attributed by countries with negligible natural resource depletion like Carbo Verde (0.16%), Central African Republic (0.04%), Comoros (1.17%), Eswatini (0.01%), Gambia (0.92%), Guinea-Bissau (0.33%), and Madagascar (0.07%). Moreover, the findings show that renewable energy use reduces environmental degradation and is statistically significant at almost all quantiles. Finally, the findings reveal that industrialization, trade, and economic growth all contribute to environmental degradation (i.e. carbon emissions) in SSA. The policy implication is to adopt measures that reduce poverty, which is linked to natural resource depletion, and scale up renewable energy use technologies for SSA. Policymakers should develop strategies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and enable better use of natural resources by enforcing environmental laws. Concurrently, we propose natural resource management to be multi-sectoral and integrated into institutional structures by allocating funds to the natural resources sector for intervention programs in SSA countries.

Are clean energy technologies a panacea for environmental sustainability in sub-Saharan African countries?

“…It is that traditional regression techniques may overestimate or underestimate the coe cients and fail to account for the heterogeneous distribution of the data (see Byaro et al, 2022b;Binder and Coad, 2011).This study uses the generalized quantile regression for panel data proposed by Powell (2020).One bene t of using quantile regressions is that the slope can be varied across the distribution. In addition, when outliers and strong tails are present, quantile…”

“…It is important to protect the environment from climate change, as rising population and industrial activities (i.e., the burning of fossil fuels) largely deteriorate the environment and increase air pollution. In addition, as environmental quality is already linked to Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13, there is a growing need for action to minimize carbon emissions and other pollutants that contribute to environmental degradation and global climate change (Lee et al, 2023;Byaro et al, 2022a;Byaro et al, 2022b). The link implies that the implementation of climate change action (i.e., SDG 13) requires SDG7,which addresses clean and affordable energy to ensure environmental sustainability.…”

“…In this highlight, the use of clean energy technologies is inevitable in the current progress of environmental degradation in sub-Saharan African countries (See Byaro et al, 2022b). African countries still rely to a large extent on non-renewable energy sources, which further exacerbate pollution and global warming (Adedoyin et al, 2021).…”

“…For instance, some evidence has shown that SSA countries lack access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking, implying energy poverty puts greater pressure on the environment and its natural resources (Acheampong, 2023). Likewise, natural resources are currently threatened by an ever-increasing population and the need for economic growth, as well as urbanization, trade and industrialization, all of which affect environmental sustainability (Byaro et al, 2022b;Opuala et al, 2022).…”

An empirical investigation of the effects of poverty and urbanization on environmental degradation: the case of sub-Saharan Africa

“…The primary objective of this study is to examine the main drivers of environmental degradation in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. Although the region’s contribution to per capita energy consumption is minimal, accounting for only 4.8% globally, the notable increase in economic growth and accelerating urbanization have resulted in higher energy demand (Deichmann et al 2011 ; Wang and Dong 2019 ; Yameogo et al 2021a , b ; Byaro et al 2022 ; Haldar and Sethi 2022 ). The SSA region has witnessed a reasonable growth in annual energy consumption from 2000 to 2017 (World Bank 2017 .…”