Geographia Technica, Vol 12, Issue no. 2/2017, pp. 139-149
DELINKING OF ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN THE VISEGRAD GROUP
János SZLÁVIK, Tekla SEBESTYÉN SZÉP
ABSTRACT: In this study two different decoupling indicators are applied to examine the delinking of the energy consumption from economic growth in the Visegrad Four countries (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary) during the period 1990-2015. In the light of these results conclusions are drawn with regard to the impact of decoupling as well (it means decoupling environmental impacts from economic growth) using the ecological footprint and biocapacity data. This paper pays special attention to the years when the economies are in recession. The resulting estimations of decoupling effects are optimistic, these economies achieved absolute or relative decoupling during a significant part of the period considered. However, the time interval 2009-2013 can be interpreted as a structural break, because in these years the decoupling of the examined variables was not detected and only weak negative, strong negative and expansive negative decoupling could be identified It can be stated that decoupling is not a permanent process and after even one and half decades (such as Poland – 1994-2009) the positive tendency can be reversed. The analysis of the ecological footprint shows that examining the energy consumption, not only the resource decoupling but the impact decoupling can be detected as well.
Keywords: Absolute decoupling, Relative decoupling, Energy consumption, Economic growth, Ecological footprint.