Sustainable Development According to Resource Productivity in the EU Environmental Policy Context

Abstract

The constant rise in the consumption of resources puts the environment under pressure. Most resources are non-renewable in nature, which is why they must be utilized with great care. For this reason, the European Union devotes increasingly more attention to their efficient use. It deals with these aspects, making an effort to maintain the long-term competitiveness and to secure sustainable development in line with all of the related environmental impacts. In this context, several goals have been set out, to which the individual EU member states are bound. A method for monitoring resource efficiency was developed, consisting of indicators, the aim of which is to assess the efficiency of the use of soil, water, energy, with the most fundamental one being resource productivity. The results of the efficiency of use of the individual resources in the member states greatly differ, even without further investigating the links and correlations between the indicators. Research on the interrelationships of the individual indicators in terms of mutual influence has not yet been completed. The aim of our study was to define the correlation between the main indicator, resource productivity, and the other indicators at the level of the EU and its member states. For this purpose, we prepared a database with data which, for the sake of uniformity, were obtained from the publicly available Eurostat database. Subsequently, the data were analyzed and evaluated using the statistical software JMP 15 by a regression and correlation analysis. By using the multiple regression analysis, we created a model describing the significance of the impact of the observed variables on the resulting resource productivity of the EU member states. Generally, there is a positive correlation between the resource productivity and the Eco-Innovation index, as well as the utilization rate of recycled materials. For the sake of comparison, we developed a regression model at the level of the V4 countries, with the aim of evaluating the impact of the historical background of the countries on their contemporary ability to reach the goals set out by the environmental policy. The V4 countries are lagging far behind in meeting all of the environmental policy objectives, not only in tracking the main indicator (resource productivity) on which the multiple regression analysis is based. It was interesting to find that the multiple regression model at the V4 level does not include the indicators defined by the EU level model, the key ones, in this case, being water productivity, energy dependence, energy productivity, and environmental tax. This finding may also, after further analyses, be the key for other countries joining the EU in the future, in defining the weaknesses of the newly acceding states in terms of the EU’s move towards a circular economy.

Assessing the energy security of European countries in the resource and economic context

“…However, it is worth noting the progressive dependence of Poland on Russian supplies of energy resources observed in recent years and described by Ostrowski (2021), which may negatively affect the energy security of this country. It is also noteworthy that all the countries forming the Visegrad Group use renewable sources to a small extent, which indicates the problems in this area described by Taušová et al (2022).…”

“…It is worth adding, however, that despite the successes in the implementation of the EU climate policy, the above-mentioned countries are still separated by a considerable distance from the countries of Western Europe, as pointed out by Taušová et al (2022) in comparative analyses conducted for the Visegrad Group countries and the EU on the effectiveness of implementation of environmental policy and sustainable development principles.…”

The Importance of Green Investments in Developed Economies—MCDM Models for Achieving Adequate Green Investments

“…A substantial amount of funds is invested in three main areas: resources, productivity factors, and energy productivity. At the same time, they are integral parts of sustainable development strategies and sustainability policies, covering the issues of CO2 neutrality [47], resource productivity in the EU [48], and energy productivity [49]. The following important criterion in deciding to invest in the green economy or not is policy issues of sustainable development and how these policies are implemented in the labour market, education, regulations, technology, innovation, etc.…”

Insights from Poland on the long-run effect of energy productivity on environmental degradation: a Fourier ARDL-based approach

“…The vital point here is to understand how energy productivity and efficient use of energy resources affect carbon emissions and it consequential effect on sustainable economic development. Several empirical studies have been conducted on the impact of energy productivity on environmental degradation (Alola & Joshua, (2020); Atalla & Bean, (2017) ;Cheng, et al, (2021); Lin & Sai, (2022); Yu et al, (2022); Kirikkaleli et al, (2022) ;Madžar, (2022) ;Arafat, et al, (2022); Liu et al, 2022;Raza & Lin, (2022)); Anjanappa & Jongwanich, (2022); Taušová et al, (2022); Yuan, et al, (2022). For further comprehensive review towards achieving the objectives of the study, the paper controls globalization, economic growth, and primary energy consumption since they have been validated to contribute to carbon emissions and environmental degradation debates.…”