On December 19, 2024, the Fudan Institute for Global Public Policy (IGPP) organized the 11th lecture of the Young Scholars Symposium. The symposium featured keynote presentations on the theme of The Renewable Energy Consumption and Economic Growth Nexus by Chaoyi Chen. The seminar was moderated by Associate Professor Haoqi Qian from IGPP, with Dr. Yu Wang, from the Fudan Institute for Advanced Study in Social Sciences, serving as the discussant.

Dr. Chen is currently a Senior Education and Research Expert at the Central Bank of Hungary (MNB) and an Assistant Professor at the MNB Institute, Budapest Metropolitan University. He earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Guelph, Canada, with primary research areas focusing on econometrics, empirical macroeconomics, and empirical finance.

At the beginning of the seminar, Dr. Chen introduced an endogenous threshold model to explore the relationship between renewable energy consumption and economic growth. His research demonstrates that renewable energy consumption positively and significantly impacts economic growth only after surpassing a certain threshold in developing countries. Moreover, more developed democratic rights contribute to faster economic growth. These findings emphasize the crucial role that high-quality governance plays in driving sustainable energy transitions.

Dr. Chen further examined the role of renewable energy in reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. He emphasized that CO2 emissions only significantly decrease when renewable energy consumption exceeds a specific threshold. Additionally, he discussed the role of green innovation in reducing energy intensity and underscored the importance of institutional quality in enhancing the effectiveness of such innovation.

During the Q&A session, Dr. Chen engaged with the audience on topics such as data analysis methods, the relationship between green innovation and energy intensity, and the connection between renewable energy and carbon emissions. He explained how selecting appropriate quantile points can enhance the stability and accuracy of the model, discussed ways to unlock the potential for green innovation, and highlighted the critical roles that policy tools play in emission reduction.

At the end of the seminar, Dr. Chen summarized that despite the numerous challenges in promoting renewable energy, sustainable economic growth and environmental protection goals can still be achieved through appropriate policies, technological innovation, and institutional development.

After the lecture, Associate Professor Qian presented a commemorative gift to Dr. Chen, and the lecture concluded successfully with a group photo.