The Total Cost of Natural Resources, Depletion of Natural Resources, Alternative Energy, Agricultural Raw Materials, and CO2 Emissions

Abstract

Mineral resources are essential to our everyday lives, but are finite and can be depleted if not managed responsibly. Unfortunately, many natural resources have been exploited and depleted due to unsustainable mining practices and over-consumption. In order to alleviate such problems to achieve long-term sustainability, the importance of an equal distribution of resource rents, responsible management, and an ecologically friendly extraction approach should be applied. The paper presents the interaction between the segmentation of resources and the discharge of carbon dioxide in China since 1971 and 2020, where the moderating attribute is the consumption of alternative energy resources, importation of agricultural raw materials, and exports of goods and services. The various economic motives that are influential in the country are the total natural resource rents, dependence on other forms of energy, imports of raw material, natural resource depletion, trends in international trade, and general environmental degradation. This is because the outcomes of the results reflected unfavorable correlations of rents on natural resources, the adoption of alternative energy, agricultural imports, and emissions, which indicates that the enhancement of these regions would contribute greatly to the diminishing carbon emissions. On the other hand, the identified positive linkages between the depletion of resources, trade practices, and carbon emission reflect the fact that Warren-wide and combined policy actions are necessary to support sustainable development trajectories within China.