Renewable energy consumption and carbon emissions in developing countries: the role of capital markets

Abstract

This study examines the impact of capital market on the relationship between energy consumption and carbon emissions. By employing a system Generalised Methods of Moments (GMM) for a sample of 138 developing countries over the period, 1990–2020, we find a U-shaped reverse relationship between renewable energy consumption and carbon emissions. The study reveals that beyond a threshold of 71.03, renewable energy consumption tends to increase carbon emissions. Similarly, the initial levels of carbon emissions reduce the use of renewable energy but beyond a 2.5 level of carbon emissions, renewable energy consumption begins to increase. We find that both the stock market and bond market reduce carbon emissions and enhance the levels of renewable energy consumption. We provide evidence to support that the capital market enhances the negative impact of renewable energy consumption on carbon emissions, while the corporate bond market magnifies the reductive effect of carbon emissions on renewable energy consumption.