Moving toward environmental sustainability: Assessing the influence of geothermal power on carbon dioxide emissions

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the effect of geothermal energy output on carbon dioxide emissions among the European countries (EU) classified as EU27 states, within the time frame 1990 to 2021. The study adopted autoregressive-distributed lag (ARDL), and the findings show that the carbon dioxide emissions mitigate with an improvement in geothermal power production. Carbon dioxide emissions were observed to be increased by some socioeconomic factors such as population density, economic growth, and fossil fuel. Findings from this study show there could be a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emission among the EU13 emerging economies leveraging on geothermal energy growth than what will be achieved among the EU14 emerged economies. Conversely, the findings from this study also show that a significant level of reduction could be attained in carbon dioxide emission among the EU14 emerged economies as a result of aging population density than we could have among the EU13 emerging economies. Also, this study established that EU14 emerging economies could attain a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions through fossil fuel consumption and economic growth than what will be attained among the EU13 emerging economies. The three estimators adopted in the study which are the pooled mean group, mean group, and dynamic fixed effect confirmed that the pro-jected calculations in the study are confirmed valid. This study, therefore, recommended that European nations classified as EU27 should lay more emphasis on geothermal growth to attain energy and environmental goals. Legislators in these EU countries should focus more on policies that will ensure the security and sustainability of geothermal growth. Policymakers in these EU countries should make concerted efforts toward making policies that will promote the growth and sustainability of geothermal power, thereby cutting down the need for fossil fuel and CO2 emissions in the future time.

Automated summary

The study examines the impact of geothermal energy production on carbon dioxide emissions among EU27 countries from 1990 to 2021. Using the autoregressive-distributed lag (ARDL) model, the findings indicate that an increase in geothermal power output leads to a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Socioeconomic factors such as population density, economic growth, and fossil fuel use contribute to increased carbon dioxide emissions. The study suggests that EU13 emerging economies can achieve significant carbon dioxide emission reduction through geothermal energy growth compared to EU14 emerged economies. However, aging population density can also result in a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions among EU14 economies. Additionally, the study reveals that EU14 economies can experience a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions through fossil fuel consumption and economic growth compared to EU13 economies. The three estimators used in the study confirm the validity of the projected calculations. The study recommends that EU27 countries prioritize geothermal growth to meet energy and environmental goals. Policymakers should focus on policies ensuring the security and sustainability of geothermal growth, ultimately reducing the reliance on fossil fuels and CO2 emissions in the future.