Renewables and Decarbonisation: Implications for Energy Policy in the European Union

The study examines the contribution of low-carbon and fossil electricity sources to environmental degradation in the European Union countries, modelled by economic development and globalisation. We ensure the robustness of the results by exploring the concurrent and individual effects of the alternative electricity sources on GHG emissions. Consistent GMM estimators indicate that all low-carbon sources have a mitigating effect on environmental degradation in the EU, in a context of persistent pollution fuelled by fossil-fuels-based electricity. Hydropower and wind emerge as the most efficient electricity generation sources in the fight against climate change. Countries’ development level, globalisation and population were not found to significantly impact pollution in EU countries. Our results have important implications for energy policy, suggesting that replacing fossil fuels in electricity generation with low-carbon sources, in particular wind and hydro, is a beneficial path to achieve decarbonisation while also decreasing the EU’s reliance on foreign oil and gas.