Navigating the triad: Economic growth, innovation, and aviation's role in shaping renewable energy transitions across G20 nations

This study explores how aviation, innovation, and GDP influence renewable energy consumption in G20 countries from 2001 to 2019. To analyze both short- and long-term relationships, the study applies panel data analysis, using the Panel ARDL/PMG and Panel Granger Causality (VECM) methods across four different models. The key variables included in the models are renewable energy consumption, air cargo volume, airline passenger numbers, flight landings, patent applications, and GDP. Findings from the Panel ARDL/PMG analysis reveal that air transportation consistently positively influence renewable energy consumption by 3.1 % while GDP influence renewable energy by −2.1 %. Meanwhile, innovation also has a significant long-term impact, except in Model 4. The VECM results show a one-way causal relationship between air cargo volume and flight landings and renewable energy consumption. However, a two-way relationship is observed between passenger numbers and renewable energy consumption, indicating that higher air passenger traffic contributes to renewable energy use, while renewable energy consumption, in turn, influences air travel demand. The findings provide significant policy insights, highlighting the necessity for cohesive strategies that synchronize innovation, air transport, and economic growth with renewable energy objectives, including enhanced investments in clean energy to facilitate the adoption of renewable resources in the aviation sector, such as advocating for sustainable fuels and implementing regulatory measures to mitigate carbon emissions.