An Empirical Study on the Impact of Energy Poverty on Carbon Intensity of the Construction Industry: Moderating Role of Technological Innovation

Abstract

As a national pillar industry, the carbon emissions generated by the construction industry have received significant attention. As a large developing country, China has unbalanced regional development and imperfect modern energy infrastructure in some regions, leading to a prominent problem of energy poverty in China. Therefore, this study constructs the index system of energy poverty using panel data of 30 provinces and cities from 2004 to 2016. This article analyzes the influence of energy poverty on carbon intensity of the construction industry and constructs the influence model of carbon intensity of the construction industry. The results show that 1) the carbon intensity of the construction industry increases by 1.683 units per unit increase of energy poverty, showing a positive impact. 2) Energy consumption structure has a mediating effect on the impact of energy poverty on carbon intensity of the construction industry. 3) The technological level plays a moderating role in the main effect of energy poverty and carbon intensity in the construction industry; the degree of marketization plays a moderating role in the indirect effect of energy consumption structure and carbon intensity of the construction industry. These results offered valuable policy recommendations for sustainable industrial growth.

Balancing the scales: Does public debt and energy poverty mitigate or exacerbate ecological distortions in Nigeria?

“…Consequently, this outcome highlights that these two factors are detrimental to achieving environmental sustainability in Nigeria. Importantly, our outcome on the urbanization-environment nexus aligns with recent outcomes by Jian et al (2022) and Alhassan and Kwakwa (2022) whereas that of EP concurs with Hassan et al (2022) and Zhang et al (2022). Therefore, policymakers should focus on implementing policies that enhance access to electricity, develop robust energy infrastructure and ensure a stable and consistent electricity supply to promote sustainable economic growth and improve quality of life.…”

“…(2022) and Zhang et al. (2022). Therefore, policymakers should focus on implementing policies that enhance access to electricity, develop robust energy infrastructure and ensure a stable and consistent electricity supply to promote sustainable economic growth and improve quality of life.…”

“…Zhao et al (2021) appraised the connection between EP and ecological contamination in China and highlighted that this relationship is significantly positive. Zhang et al (2022) assessed the impact of the energy deficit on China's construction industry's carbon intensity and discovered that EP increases the sector's carbon intensity. Focusing on 40 developing nations, Baiwei et al (2023) discovered that EP reduces ecological damage.…”

“…Zhang et al. (2022) assessed the impact of the energy deficit on China's construction industry's carbon intensity and discovered that EP increases the sector's carbon intensity. Focusing on 40 developing nations, Baiwei et al.…”

“…Many of these research conclusions point to the need for empirical attention to additional factors not adequately discussed in the literature. It is hardly unexpected, then, that the impact of the debt stock and energy poverty (EP) has recently piqued the interest of researchers (Alhassan & Kwakwa, 2022;Ansari et al, 2022;Bilgili et al, 2022;Farooq et al, 2023;Sadiq et al, 2022;Zhang et al, 2022). Like most developing economies, Nigeria has pledged to mitigate climate change by lowering carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions (Maduka et al, 2022).…”