Impacts of export diversification on energy intensity, renewable energy, and waste energy in 121 countries: Do environmental regulations matter?

Recent body of energy research has focused on environmental regulations, but a few studies have investigated the environmental regulations on the nexus between export diversification, renewable and waste energy. This research explores export diversification's influence on energy intensity, renewable energy, and waste energy in a sample of 121 countries. Our finding shows strong evidence that export diversification leads to more energy intensity, but less consumed renewable and waste energy. This study also finds that countries with stringent environmental regulations and diversified exports are beneficial to waste energy. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis shows that diversified exports contribute to declines in renewable energy, particularly in higher technological or economic development levels, and in European countries. The estimation renders implications for policy makers and future researchers—there is still the need for strategies dedicated to the deployment of renewable and waste energy in general or in European countries. • Diversified exports lead to more energy intensity, but less consumed green energy. • Countries with stringent environmental regulations and diversified exports are beneficial to waste energy. • Diversified exports contribute to declines in renewable energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]