This study investigates the factors influencing
emissions in Romania from 1990 to 2023 using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. Before the ARDL model, we identified a set of six policies that were ranked using Fuzzy Electre, Topsis, DEMATEL, and
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This study investigates the factors influencing
emissions in Romania from 1990 to 2023 using the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model. Before the ARDL model, we identified a set of six policies that were ranked using Fuzzy Electre, Topsis, DEMATEL, and Vikor. The multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods have highlighted the importance of a circular policy on
emission reduction, which should be a central focus for policymakers. The results of the ARDL model indicate that, in the long term, renewable energy production reduces
emissions, showing a negative relationship. Conversely, an increase in patent applications and urbanization contributes to higher
emissions, reflecting a positive impact. In total, five key factors were analyzed:
emissions per capita, patent applications, gross domestic product, share of energy production from renewables, and urbanization. Notably, GDP does not significantly explain
emissions in the long run, suggesting that economic growth alone is not a direct driver of
emission levels in Romania. This decoupling might result from improvements in energy efficiency, shifts towards less carbon-intensive industries, and the increased adoption of renewable energy sources. Romania has implemented effective environmental regulations and policies that mitigate the impact of economic growth on
emissions.
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