Climate change vulnerability and the resilience of energy consumption

This study examines the influence of climate change vulnerability on the resilience of national energy consumption. We develop a novel measure of the resilience of energy consumption, considering both scale and temporal dimensions, and employ a panel data model to examine the impact of climate change vulnerability on this resilience. The findings indicate that, despite increasing global uncertainties, the resilience of energy consumption exhibits a rising trend in most countries. Climate change vulnerability exerts a significant negative effect on the resilience of energy consumption: a one-unit increase in climate change vulnerability results in a 0.4307-unit decrease in the absorption intensity of the resilience of energy consumption. Furthermore, through an in-depth analysis of its underlying mechanisms, we find that this impact primarily occurs through a weakening of energy supply, a reduction in energy intensity, the enhancement of governmental environmental regulations, a distortion of energy prices, and the instability of energy technologies. Our study contributes to the literature on energy supply and demand balance, specifically within the discourse on energy consumption in the face of climate change challenges. It broadens the concept of resilience to encompass energy consumption and introduces new resilience metrics, namely absorption intensity and absorption duration, thereby enhancing the comprehensiveness and comparability of resilience assessments. These findings are pivotal for improving strategic decision-making regarding energy in the context of increasing climate change challenges.